OHL 2017-18 Season Preview: Eastern Conference

The Bobby Orr Trophy is up for grabs again this year, and there are several teams vying for the crown

North Bay Battalion

Division: Central

Coach: Stan Butler

2016-17 Record: (24-38-4-2)

Key Additions:

Brandon Coe (OHL Priority Selection, third overall), Luke Burghardt, Luke Moncada (trade with Guelph Storm), Simon Rose (OHL Priority Selection, 35th overall), Kurtis Evans (OHL Priority Selection, 43rd overall)

Key Departures:

Brent Moran, Brett Hargrave, Steve Harland (overage), Zach Poirier, Mark Shoemaker (trade with Guelph Storm)

Last year’s Battalion team had their worst season since they relocated to North Bay, as they were one of only four teams to miss the playoffs. They placed fourth in the Central Division, with the Barrie Colts being the only team to finish below them. In the Eastern Conference, they came in ninth place.

A big part of why they struggled was because of Cam Dineen. The Arizona Coyotes draft pick, who led all Battalion defensemen in scoring as a rookie, got hurt after 29 games. However, they still found a bright spot in the form of Brett McKenzie.

Top Players:

Brett McKenzie (C) – 67 GP / 29 G/ 38 A / 67 Pts / 60 PIM / -16

Drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in 2016, McKenzie came into last season with a point to prove. He was led all scorers and put up a point per game – he finished with 29 goals and 38 assists in 67 games. He also improved on his point total from last season by 14 points.

While McKenzie signed an Amateur Tryout with the Canucks back in March, he’ll return to the Battalion for his overage season.

Justin Brazeau (RW) – 67 GP / 22 G / 15 A / 37 Pts / 10 PIM / -13

Brazeau has been with the Battalion since 2015-16, but as a 13th round pick in the draft, they didn’t think much of him at first. He turned a lot of heads last year by taking his point total from 13 to 37 while playing on the second line and being his team’s third leading scorer.

With Harland gone, Brazeau could potentially get top-line minutes, but Stan Butler might not want to break up a good thing between him and Kyle Potts.

Adam Thilander (D) – 64 GP / 6 G / 29 A / 35 Pts / 20 PIM / -32

Thilander joined the Battalion last season after being selected in the first round of the CHL Import Draft. Fans were excited to see him join forces with Cam Dineen, but once he went down, Thilander became the leader on the blue line. He led all defensemen with 35 points in 64 games, and was the team’s fourth leading scorer.

Thilander will look to improve on his previous campaign, as well as get an invite to Sweden’s World Junior team this year.

Adam McMaster (C) – 61 GP / 5 G / 19 A / 24 Pts / 6 PIM / -21

As a 13th overall pick in the 2016 OHL Priority Selection, expectations on McMaster were sky high. Although he played in a limited role, he led all rookies in scoring with 24 points. He’s got all the tools to be a dominant centre in the OHL, and with this season being his draft-eligible year, he’ll want to impress as many people as he can.

The 2016-17 season was a rough one for the Battalion, but they have all the tools needed to make it back to the playoffs this year. Losing Harland might hurt the team, but they’ve got plenty of players capable of stepping up and replacing his production. Acquiring Burghardt and Moncada from Guelph should help bolster their centre depth as well.

To miss the OHL Playoffs, you have to be really bad. But with McKenzie leading the way, and a full season of Dineen, lightning won’t strike twice for the Battalion.

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Posted: Sep 23 2017 6:45 pm
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