Troops acquire Cali’s rights
NORTH BAY, Ont. — The North Bay Battalion has received the Ontario Hockey League rights to centre Ryder Cali in a trade with the Soo Greyhounds, the club announced Friday.
North Bay sent a sixth-round pick in the 2025 OHL Priority Selection and three conditional choices to Soo for Cali, who was the Greyhounds’ first-round choice in April, 18th overall, and who has made a verbal commitment to Harvard University of Cambridge, Mass. He is playing this season for the Milton Menace of the junior A Ontario Junior Hockey League.
The conditional choices are the Battalion’s second- and fourth-rounders in 2028 and its seventh-rounder in 2027. The 2025 selection originally belonged to the London Knights.
Left shot Cali, a Penetanguishene, Ont., resident who turned 16 on Sept. 6, played in 2023-24 with the Markham Majors U16s, scoring 19 goals and earning 11 assists for 30 points in 29 regular-season games. The former member of the North Central Predators measures six-foot-two and 195 pounds.
The Greyhounds also will receive a compensatory pick, 19th overall, in the 2025 Priority Selection for what is deemed a defected player. Cali attended the Soo development camp in May but didn’t report to training camp.
“Ryder is a player we really liked during his draft year,” said Battalion general manager John Winstanley. “This was an opportunity for us to acquire the rights to a really talented and complete player.
“We understand that he has a commitment in place, but we feel really strongly about our program’s successes and what we can do for Ryder as a hockey player and as a person.”
Adam Dennis, president and director of hockey operations, said the Troops’ task now is to familiarize Cali with the new possibilities available to him.
“There are never any guarantees in a situation like this, but we feel we’ve developed a program that has a proven track record of developing young players both on and off the ice. We look forward to getting to know Ryder and his family and showing them what our program and community have to offer and why we feel we can be a great addition to his development path.”
A guide published by the OHL before the Priority Selection called Cali “a skilled centre that is extremely dangerous when he has time and space with the puck,” noting that “he has good vision with the puck and an excellent overall understanding of how to create offense.”
“He is not afraid to challenge any defender when he has the puck and uses his reach and skill very effectively. He has the skills and the size to be a very productive player moving forward.”
The Battalion plays the third of four preseason games against the host Ottawa 67’s next Friday night. It opens the regular season at home against the Peterborough Petes on Sept. 27.
