Reyth Smith commits to Battalion

NORTH BAY, Ont. — The North Bay Battalion has signed centre Reyth Smith to an Ontario Hockey League scholarship and development agreement, the club announced Tuesday.

North Bay chose Smith as the second of three consecutive picks, 100th overall, in the fifth round of the OHL Priority Selection in April from the Windsor Spitfires U16s.

In 47 regular-season and playoff games with the U16s last season, Smith, who turned 16 on July 27, had 30 goals and 23 assists for 53 points with 56 penalty minutes.

Smith, who measures six-foot-one and 169 pounds, was assigned to the Powassan Voodoos, the Battalion’s junior A affiliate in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League, last Thursday at the end of the Troops’ four-day training camp. He scored in three games with the Voodoos in the Valley Cottage Cup tournament at Renfrew, Ont., on the weekend.

He has been recalled for North Bay’s first preseason game, a 7 p.m. start Wednesday night at Memorial Gardens against the Ottawa 67’s, after which it’s expected he’ll be returned to Powassan.

“Reyth has been a standout on and off the ice from the time he attended development camp in the spring,” said Battalion general manager Adam Dennis.

“He followed that up with a strong training camp and a great opening weekend with the Voodoos that led to this signing. He brings an intriguing mixture of size, speed and skill that we feel is only going to get better over the course of his time here.

“We look forward to keeping him close by in Powassan, where we are confident he can have a big year.”