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Week of camps opens

North Bay Battalion — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 14:45:24 +0000

NORTH BAY, Ont. — A total of 29 hopefuls are expected to take to the ice Monday as the North Bay Battalion opens a three-day development camp for the Ontario Hockey League club’s younger prospects. After medicals and fitness testing, Team Green and Team White practices Monday evening are to be followed by intrasquad games at 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Tuesday and another at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday before the camp ends and the club’s main training camp kicks off later Wednesday. “We’ve changed the format to include development camp before the start of our training camp on Wednesday,” said Adam Dennis, director of hockey operations. “Having the last two draft classes on the ice together will give us a great opportunity to focus on our young prospects and the progress they’ve made in their offseason workouts.” Fifteen forwards, 10 defencemen and four goaltenders will skate at the development camp, with forwards Ryder Nobes and James Rosenberg and goaltender Cole Vreugdenhil unable to participate. Nobes, a ninth-round pick in the 2026 OHL Priority Selection, is in Europe, while Rosenberg was a 14th-rounder in 2025. Vreugdenhil, a fifth-round choice in 2025 who played in six games with the Battalion last season, is recovering from offseason surgery after incurring a knee injury away from the rink. He’s sidelined on a month-to-month basis. Nobes is the only absentee among North Bay’s 17 Priority Selection picks this year, while forwards Grady Dale and Wyatt Marks, the Troops’ two choices in the 2026 OHL Under-18 Priority Selection, are to attend. Ten on-ice campers were 2025 Priority Selection picks. Apart from Vreugdenhil, the only development camp participant who has seen OHL action is forward Lincoln Edwards, a fellow fifth-rounder in 2025 who scored one goal and added one assist for two points in seven games in 2025-26. The goaltenders include Owen Loftus, the Battalion’s first-rounder in June from the Don Mills Flyers U16s, and Simon Godin, a 13th-round pick from the Greater Kingston Gaels U16s. Gavin Zepp, chosen in the 12th round in 2025, served as a backup in four games last season. Jonathan Barreca is a free-agent invitee who played in 2025-26 with the Oakville Rangers U18s. All intrasquad games are open to the public, with free admission to Boart Longyear Memorial Gardens.

Troops trade Kipfer for pick

North Bay Battalion — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 18:02:48 +0000

NORTH BAY, Ont. — The North Bay Battalion has traded centre Quinn Kipfer to the Brantford Bulldogs, the Ontario Hockey League club announced Friday. North Bay received Brantford’s 12th-round pick in the 2028 OHL Priority Selection. Kipfer, a fifth-rounder in 2024 from the Huron Perth Lakers U16s, played two games with the Battalion last season without registering a point. A right shot who measures five-foot-nine and 174 pounds, the Milverton, Ont., resident turned 18 on March 22. He’s committed to Ohio’s Bowling Green State University for the 2027-28 season. “This move is about giving an opportunity in the league to a young man who has earned it,” said Adam Dennis, the Battalion’s director of hockey operations. “We have quite a few signed players up front, and Quinn has proved he is capable of taking the next step in his career. We wish him the best with his opportunity in Brantford.” The Battalion opens its development camp for younger prospects Monday, followed later next week by training camp.

Dennis likes Troops’ outlook

North Bay Battalion — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 17:42:34 +0000

NORTH BAY, Ont. — Adam Dennis, the North Bay Battalion’s president and director of hockey operations, has taken a broad-brush look at the club’s upcoming Ontario Hockey League season and sees “lots of potential.” “I really believe that this group is set up for a lot of big things this year,” Dennis noted this week. “The age is appropriate. There’s guys with playoff experience. There’s depth up and down the lineup, and really there’s no outlying holes. “There are certainly going to be some changes made throughout the season as we find out chemistry and things like that, but I think this group has the makings to do a lot this season and, without putting too much pressure on them as far as expectation goes, I don’t want to limit what they can do. I think there’s lots of potential here.” Dennis pointed to centre Cam Warren, North Bay’s first-round pick in the 2025 OHL Priority Selection who starred with the Canadian under-18 team that won gold in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup tournament at Edmonton under the direction of Battalion coach Ryan Oulahen, as among the developing leaders of the Troops. “Cam is the player that we drafted, and he’s turning into the potential that we saw from him. I thought he was very good for us last year and dealt with some bouts of not scoring, which I think is normal for a 16-year-old, but the things that Cam does on the ice, his speed, his ability to create space, his IQ, he’s going to have success. Our job is to help him have as much success as possible. “Whatever the aftermath of that is, it is what it is, and then we deal with what happens after. But the job that we feel is most important to us is put the best program out there so that players feel that they can get better here.” The Battalion has added three veterans via trades this offseason, acquiring left winger Max Crete and centre Rene Van Bommel in separate deals with the London Knights and right winger Nikolas Rossetto from the Brantford Bulldogs, all for the combined cost of fifth-, sixth- and eighth-round OHL Priority Selection picks, none of them North Bay’s own. “We really didn’t spend that much to do it,” acknowledged Dennis. “Rene Van Bommel comes with championship pedigree. He’s one that has played to the depths of the season, and I think he’s going to add a lot to our roster. “Guys like Max Crete and Nik Rossetto, they’re guys who were highly touted in their draft year, guys that we have a lot of homework done on, and for different reasons we’re here where we are today. We were able to add them for picks that were much later than where they were drafted, but we still feel the ability to get that high-end player out of them is still there.” Van Bommel, left winger Nolan Laird and goaltender Mike McIvor figure to be the Battalion’s three overagers. “I don’t want to put more on Mikey than there needs to be, because I think we’ve seen he can carry the load of this team on his own at times. “We’re very confident in his ability and we know what Money Mike can do, and I think that’s a great start for us. Like every single one of our players, though, he needs direction and he needs to find ways to improve his game, and that's what the job of the coaching staff is.” The Battalion opens a three-day development for younger recruits Aug. 24, followed immediately by training camp, both at Boart Longyear Memorial Gardens.

Oulahen back, ‘on track’

North Bay Battalion — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 19:31:04 +0000

NORTH BAY, Ont. — Ryan Oulahen reflected Wednesday on what Canada did in winning gold in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup tournament at Edmonton. “There’s no doubt we needed to get back on track,” said Oulahen, the head coach of the Ontario Hockey League’s North Bay Battalion, who served the same role with the Canadian under-18 summer team. “The very first message that I was able to have with the players was, ‘We’re able to be the group.’ That was what was big for us. We wanted to be the group that got us back on track, got Canada back on track, and not only just to have success, but to play a certain brand of hockey, a certain way about us, get that swagger back, and I thought that was what was accomplished.” After a string of disappointing results at the international level, Canada dominated the U.S. 8-1 in the tournament’s title game last Saturday. That followed a 6-3 victory over Finland in a semifinal. Canada finished the preliminary round in first place in Group A, downing Switzerland 7-3, Slovakia 6-1 and Sweden 7-4. “The biggest takeaway I’ll get is how that group was really able to buy in to the message,” said Oulahen. “The support staff, the people I was able to work with, was a great group of people, led right from the top by Scott Salmond and Alan Millar. They gave a lot of trust to us right away and they had the belief in us, which allowed us to do our job. “With any team that I’m going to continue to coach, it’s just remembering how that team of the best players that Canada can put together completely bought in to us.” Battalion centre Cam Warren, who had two goals and five assists for seven points in five games, played left wing with centre Maddox Schultz and right winger Liam Pue, both of the Western Hockey League’s Regina Pats. “He was outstanding,” Oulahen noted of Warren, North Bay’s first-round pick in the 2025 OHL Priority Selection. “I wasn’t shocked that he was going to have that performance. He’s world-class. I’ve said that before about him, and then he gets to go to that stage and show that he really is world-class. “He was one of our top performers from the get-go, and I know the two other individuals that were on his line, I mean, he was really the one that got those guys going. He was the engine. He was the one that those guys needed to peak and get going, so Cam had an unbelievable experience. “He had a great tournament. I know he’s going to have tons of confidence now here starting the season with us.” Oulahen said that Warren and Schultz were largely interchangeable in their on-ice responsibilities. “Visually, it does look like he went to the wing. He was still very trusted in the centre kind of department, and that was a discussion that I had with both him and Maddox Schultz, that both guys were comfortable being down low. Somebody had to take the faceoffs to make it look like they were playing centre, but for most of it they were just reading and playing off each other.” Upon his return Monday to the Battalion coaches’ office, Oulahen, who’s been known to indulge in the odd superstition, recalled his first thoughts on getting the Canadian bench job. “When I got the call about the assignment, I looked at the situation. My birthday is March 26. I wore No. 26 for a reason. If Canada won, it would be our 26th gold medal in the history of the event. And this is 2026.” The tournament, which under various names dates to 1991, has seen Canada win three silver and two bronze medals for a total of 31, including gold from 2022 through 2024 before the U.S. won last year.

“This group will be remembered for playing the Canadian way,” Oulahen said after the final game. “We got better every single day, and tonight was 60 minutes of exactly how you would want to draw things up. This is an impressive team that is led by an impressive staff, and I am going to remember this experience forever.”

Rossetto added to ranks

North Bay Battalion — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 14:30:18 +0000

NORTH BAY, Ont. — The North Bay Battalion has acquired right winger Nikolas Rossetto in a trade with the Brantford Bulldogs, the Ontario Hockey League club announced Thursday. North Bay sent Brantford a sixth-round pick in the 2027 OHL Priority Selection that originally belonged to the Peterborough Petes. Rossetto, a Sault Ste. Marie native who was a third-round choice, 53rd overall, by Brantford in 2024 from the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite 15U squad, stands five-foot-nine and weighs 156 pounds. Having played previously in the Soo Greyhounds minor hockey program, he scored 54 goals and earned 27 assists for 81 points in 58 games with Pittsburgh. Rossetto, who turned 18 last Sunday, has had surgery for a shoulder injury that limited him to 49 games last season, in which he scored six goals and added three assists for nine points. Over two seasons, he has 15 goals and 13 assists for 28 points in 106 games, with one goal and three assists for four points in 15 playoff games. He’s expected to return to full health by the end of October. “Nik is a player whom we coveted in his draft year because of his high IQ, compete and skill,” said Adam Dennis, the Battalion’s director of hockey operations. “We followed it up with a great interview but unfortunately missed out on him in the draft. “He dealt with a lot of adversity last season, going through injury and battling a deep lineup, but we felt that having a change of scenery and fresh start could bring out the tremendous upside to be had with Nik. “We’re thrilled to have him join the rest of the Troops and look forward to having him in North Bay in a few weeks.” Rossetto is the Battalion’s third trade acquisition this offseason after the club added left winger Max Crete on June 18 and overage centre Rene Van Bommel on Tuesday in separate deals with the London Knights, giving up one OHL Priority Selection choice in each transaction.

Battalion roles reassigned

North Bay Battalion — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 15:31:31 +0000

NORTH BAY, Ont. — The North Bay Battalion has revised its organizational assignments, with Adam Dennis, president and director of hockey operations, to resume performing the duties of general manager, the Ontario Hockey League club announced Wednesday. With former GM John Winstanley having joined the Barrie Colts as president of hockey operations under their new majority ownership, Dennis will oversee the Battalion as he did previously. Winstanley was with the club for six years, four as assistant GM and the last two as GM. Nate McDonald, who will continue as North Bay’s goaltending coach, becomes an assistant GM, joining head coach Ryan Oulahen in that capacity. McDonald, who turns 27 next Tuesday, played at Cornell University of Ithaca, N.Y., and the University of Guelph. Ryan Ramsay, the 43-year-old controlling owner and GM of the Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Haliburton County Huskies, rejoins the Troops’ chart as director of player personnel after one season as a skills and development coach for the Peterborough Petes. Charles Abbott continues as director of scouting, while scout Jeff Bateman is director of player evaluations and prospect development. With Andrew Latin moving to the California-based Ontario Reign, the American Hockey League affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Los Angeles Kings, Jonathan Turner is the Battalion’s new equipment manager. Turner, 38, was with the Kingston Frontenacs last season after six years with Barrie. “I’d like to thank John Winstanley and Andrew Latin for their time and dedication to our program,” said Dennis, whose title remains unchanged. “We wish both men all the best with their new opportunities. “In saying that, I’m thrilled to be getting back out into the field with some great help surrounding me.”

Troops land Van Bommel

North Bay Battalion — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 17:00:12 +0000

NORTH BAY, Ont. — The North Bay Battalion has acquired overage centre Rene Van Bommel in a trade with the London Knights, the Ontario Hockey League club announced Tuesday. North Bay sent London a fifth-round pick in the 2027 OHL Priority Selection that originally belonged to the Niagara IceDogs. Van Bommel scored 10 goals and earned 11 assists for 21 points in 66 games last season, when he accumulated 80 penalty minutes. In 148 games over three OHL seasons, he has 17 goals and 23 assists for 40 points with 167 PiM. The Strathroy, Ont., product, who measures five-foot-11 and 185 pounds, was an 11th-round pick by London in the 2022 OHL Priority Selection from the Elgin Middlesex Chiefs U16s. He turned 20 on May 14. “Rene is a young man with high-end character and a winning pedigree that we feel can really benefit our group,” said Adam Dennis, the Battalion’s director of hockey operations. “We look forward to welcoming Rene and his family to North Bay.” Van Bommel is committed to Lake Superior State University of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., for the 2027-28 season. He’s the second Knight to join the Battalion since last season ended, after the Troops secured left winger Max Crete in a trade announced June 18. London received an eighth-round pick in 2028 that previously belonged to Niagara. An Ottawa resident who turned 18 on April 24, Crete stands five-foot-nine and weighs 182 pounds. Crete, who also has played centre, was a second-round selection by Niagara in 2024 from the Upper Canada Cyclones U16s.

Oulahen, Warren rep Canada

North Bay Battalion — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 18:21:23 +0000

EDMONTON — Centre Cam Warren of the North Bay Battalion is one of 22 skaters and goaltenders named to the Canadian roster for the Hlinka Gretzky Cup to be played next Monday through Saturday at Rogers Place and the Downtown Community Arena, Hockey Canada announced Friday. Ryan Oulahen, coach of the Ontario Hockey League club, is the head coach of Canada’s summer under-18 team in the eight-country tournament. The Battalion’s first-round pick, sixth overall, in the 2025 OHL Priority Selection from the Toronto Jr. Canadiens U16s, Warren scored seven goals and added 22 assists for 29 points in 58 games in 2025-26, his rookie season. A right shot, he contributed four goals and two assists for six points in 10 playoff games. “Cam has worked extremely hard this offseason preparing for this camp,” Adam Dennis, the Battalion’s director of hockey operations, said in North Bay. “I was able to see him the week before he left, and it was clear he has made some gains and made the most of his time. “We’re very proud of his efforts and look forward to watching him and coach Oulahen compete for gold in Edmonton.” A total of 27 hopefuls attended the Canadian training camp starting last Monday. Canada defeated Sweden 3-1 in exhibition play Thursday without Warren earning a point. The tournament roster numbers 13 forwards, seven defencemen and two goaltenders selected by Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence under general manager Alan Millar. All are Canadian Hockey League performers, with eight from the OHL, nine from the Western Hockey League and five from the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. “After a competitive training camp and pre-tournament game against Sweden, we are excited to announce the 22 players who have earned the opportunity to represent Canada at the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup on home ice in Edmonton,” said Millar. “This is a highly skilled group of young players that is motivated to accomplish our goal of winning a gold medal, and we know our players are excited to wear the Maple Leaf and play in front of Canadian fans.” Canada opens the Hlinka Gretzky Cup against Switzerland on Monday. The hosts face Slovakia on Tuesday and Sweden on Wednesday to complete group play. Semifinals are scheduled next Friday and the medal games Saturday. Before the tournament, Canada will close out the exhibition schedule against Czechia on Saturday. TSN and RDS will telecast all preliminary-round games, semifinals and medal games from Rogers Place.

Warren seeks Canada spot

North Bay Battalion — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 16:30:47 +0000

EDMONTON — Centre Cam Warren and coach Ryan Oulahen of the Ontario Hockey League’s North Bay Battalion are among those who open training camp Monday for the Canadian entry in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Warren is one of 27 hopefuls named to the roster for the national summer under-18 camp, to be held through Saturday at Rogers Place and the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology Arena. Oulahen is to serve as Canada’s head coach. The Battalion’s first-round pick, sixth overall, in the 2025 OHL Priority Selection from the Toronto Jr. Canadiens U16s, Warren scored seven goals and earned 22 assists for 29 points in 58 games in his rookie season. The right shot added four goals and two assists for six points in 10 playoff games. The initial Canadian roster for the tournament, which is to run Aug. 3-8 at Edmonton, numbers 15 forwards, nine defencemen and three goaltenders selected by Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence under general manager Alan Millar. All invitees are Canadian Hockey League performers, with 10 from the OHL, 11 from the Western Hockey League and six from the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. “We are excited to unveil the 27 players who will begin the road to the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup at training camp in Edmonton,” Millar said in a release. “This is a talented and well-rounded group of young players. Our staff have worked tirelessly to identify a roster that we believe gives us the best chance to be successful on home ice.” Canada plays Sweden on Thursday and Czechia on Saturday in pre-tournament games before the roster is finalized ahead of the start of the eight-team tournament. Canada opens the Hlinka Gretzky Cup against Switzerland on Aug. 3. It faces Slovakia on Aug. 4 and Sweden on Aug. 5 to complete group play before semifinal games Aug. 7 and the medal games Aug. 8. Oulahen, the Battalion’s head coach since Dec. 10, 2019, was an assistant at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Edmonton when Canada last won gold. “It’s very special to be able to represent Canada and to work with our country’s best available players for this age group,” said Oulahen. TSN and RDS will telecast all preliminary-round games, semifinals and medal games from Rogers Place.

Troops set for U17 camp

North Bay Battalion — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 17:52:56 +0000

NORTH BAY, Ont. — Owen Loftus and Alexandre Saulnier of the North Bay Battalion are two of 31 Ontario Hockey League prospects invited to Canada’s under-17 development camp which opens Friday at the Sixteen Mile Sports Complex at Oakville, Ont., Hockey Canada announced Tuesday. The 31 representatives, all chosen June 12-13 in the OHL Priority Selection at Kingston, are made up of three goaltenders, eight defencemen and 20 forwards. Goaltender Loftus was selected in the first round, 11th overall, from the Don Mills Flyers U16s, while centre Saulnier was taken in the second round, 35th overall, from the Ottawa Jr. 67’s U16s. Both have signed education and development agreements with the Battalion. Alan Millar, general manager of Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence, headed the selection process for the camp. “We are excited to unveil the top Canadian under-17 players who have earned invitations to our development camp this week, and to introduce these young players to Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence,” said Millar. “This is a very talented and exciting group that will be surrounded by world-class coaching and support staffs, and we look forward to introducing them to our program, setting the expectations for the season and preparing for the U17 World Challenge later this year.” All 80 invitees, including 29 from the Western Hockey League and 20 from the Québec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, have been drafted by Canadian Hockey League clubs. The players will be divided into four teams for the five-day camp, which includes two days of practices and six games to be played next Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. The hopefuls will be evaluated through the start of the 2026-27 season before the Canada Red and Canada White rosters are named for the U17 World Challenge, to be held Nov. 1-7 at the same Oakville facility.