Battalion camp ready to open
NORTH BAY, Ont. – More than 45 players are expected to participate in the North Bay Battalion’s training camp, which opens Wednesday.
Ontario Hockey League veterans, players who agreed to education contracts in the offseason, prospects from the last three OHL Priority Selections and free-agent invitees are to report to Memorial Gardens for fitness testing and medicals starting at 1:30 p.m.
On-ice activities start Thursday, with practices and an intrasquad game at 4 p.m. A similar schedule is on tap for Friday, with camp wrapping up with a final intrasquad game at 9 a.m. Saturday.
“We’re really looking forward to the camp,” Matt Rabideau, assistant general manager and director of player development, said Tuesday. “We see these kids at our orientation camp, and then they head off with their summer training programs. It’s always fun and exciting to see what they’ve done over the summer. We’ll see who wants to come in and challenge for a spot.”
With 19 players who saw action with the Battalion in 2013-14 eligible to return, competition for spots figures to be fierce. In their first season in North Bay the Troops won the Eastern Conference title and advanced to the OHL Championship Series, where they were defeated in five games by the Guelph Storm.
“We have three free agents coming in, and that helps the competition,” said Rabideau. “We want guys who want to come and challenge for a chance to be part of the North Bay Battalion.”
Rabideau said management got a brief look at rookie import Hampus Olsson last week during the Battalion’s hockey school. Olsson, a 19-year-old right winger from Sweden, was the club’s first-round pick in the Canadian Hockey League Import Draft in July.
“He was on shooting pucks over the lunch hour. He hasn’t had a really good skate yet and he’ll get that on Thursday during the practice and game. That will be our first real look at him, but from what I saw last week he has some good size and can really shoot the puck. He’ll be an eye-opener here.”
The Battalion opens a five-game exhibition schedule at 2 p.m. Sunday against the host Sudbury Wolves. The Troops entertain Sudbury at 2 p.m. Monday.
