North Bay Battalion 2023-24 Season Thread (Part One)

[dirty12]

With Allen coming back why would they need Nelson?

Because Allen is no more of a sure thing than Mathurin, or any player returning from shoulder surgery

Soo makes most sense for Nelson. Similar how they picked up Thompson from the Wolves two years ago. Virgilio and Brown and picks to North Bay for Nelson. That's all the Soo will do. They don't want to mess with the chemistry but the added RD will put them in deep into a run.

WJ

NB would most certainly have to entertain that offer, though Kostov is more suited to Battalion hockey than Brown.
Still, next year is 100% a rebuilding year for NB; why make it two years when the team has more prospects than it can currently play and 20 picks in the upcoming draft?
Edit: this site! . Allen is returning from shoulder surgery. He is no more a sure thing than Mathurin is for NB:

 

[frontsfan67]

North Bay will sell. Nelson will be in the Soo and Divic and Romani will end up in Saginaw.

WJ

It would certainly fit saginaws timeline I could see that getting Romani the only question would be is north way willing to part with him? It would probably be a comparable package to Phil tomasino/Owen beck from last season.

 

[belair]

If you really watch, there are goals scored 2/3 games created off a clean zone exit by Arnsby. Arnsby is not recognized for his offence, but he most certainly does not neuter it. There really isn’t a better defensive centre and hitter than Arnsby.
Sapovaliv & O.Beck are most certainly much better 2-way players though.

Defensive depth is not a problem for NB. Consolidating it into a top of the league top four is a bit of an issue.

It has been recently. If the stats were available, Christopolous has likely had nights where his icetime has approached 30 minutes, if not 35. He's killed entire PKs because the support just isn't there. Not enough experience on the blueline.

I know that focusing on the offense isn't telling the whole story of Arnsby's game, but it's a factor. When it comes to facing this roster in a playoff series, shut down Wakely and Romani and it's pretty much curtains.

 

[belair]

With Allen coming back why would they need Nelson?

Soo makes most sense for Nelson. Similar how they picked up Thompson from the Wolves two years ago. Virgilio and Brown and picks to North Bay for Nelson. That's all the Soo will do. They don't want to mess with the chemistry but the added RD will put them in deep into a run.

WJ

Soo already has Karki and Gibson at RD. The Storm has Allen. Guelph also has a high-end '07 as a possible trade chip in Beauchesne who fits the mold of what they'd need to replace with Nelson moving on.

North Bay isn't building for next season, so Virgilio and Brown wouldn't really fit the timeline.

 

[dirty12]

It has been recently. If the stats were available, Christopolous has likely had nights where his icetime has approached 30 minutes, if not 35. He's killed entire PKs because the support just isn't there. Not enough experience on the blueline.

I know that focusing on the offense isn't telling the whole story of Arnsby's game, but it's a factor. When it comes to facing this roster in a playoff series, shut down Wakely and Romani and it's pretty much curtains.

Well Christopolous has recently anchored a D without Nelson and/or Cajokovic, and Mathurin; yet he is holding up.

I get it, right now shut down Line One.
But add Alfano or Bryant or Hayes to Arnsby-Ertel and have a third line of Pazii-Procsyzyn-Therrien; that is more overall offence (less defense) than last season at forward.

 

[belair]

NB would most certainly have to entertain that offer, though Kostov is more suited to Battalion hockey than Brown.
Still, next year is 100% a rebuilding year for NB; why make it two years when the team has more prospects than it can currently play and 20 picks in the upcoming draft?
Edit: this site! . Allen is returning from shoulder surgery. He is no more a sure thing than Mathurin is for NB:

Because prospects and picks in junior hockey are essentially cash in hand. The teams that have the most are generally the ones that trade for the bigger stars.

Well Christopolous has recently anchored a D without Nelson, Mathurin, Cajakovic; yet he is holding up.

I get it, right now shut down Line One.
But add Alfano or Bryant or Hayes to Arnsby-Ertel and have a third line of Pazii-Procsyzyn-Therrien; that is more overall offence (less defense) than last season at forward.

It is very much not.

 

[Wolfman Jack]

Soo already has Karki and Gibson at RD. The Storm has Allen. Guelph also has a high-end '07 as a possible trade chip in Beauchesne who fits the mold of what they'd need to replace with Nelson moving on.

North Bay isn't building for next season, so Virgilio and Brown wouldn't really fit the timeline.

Remember who the Soo had on defence when they picked up Thompson!

WJ

 

[dirty12]

Because prospects and picks in junior hockey are essentially cash in hand. The teams that have the most are generally the ones that trade for the bigger stars.


It is very much not.

I’m really not sure what the first paragraph means. Kostuch & Turley or Rismond can match any offer outside of Taylor & Protz.

Um, NB forwards on paper were top notch three lines deep; but at no time were they able to put together two scoring lines because they insisted on Petrov holding together line 3 and Jackson at centre of line 1.
In other words, they were never a cohesive unit.

Depth? There was one all-purpose star that NB does not have now; Petrov.
Zito played 2/3 games and missed the crucial part of the conference final. Ertel missed 8 weeks with broken fingers and was unable to handle the puck at any point upon returning. MacDonald was awesome for stretches but missed about five week with a back injury and had worn down by round three.
On D, Winslow never did fully recover from hip surgery; Cajkovic is becoming a better overall player. Mathurin was pretty much unavailable. Bruzer was no better than McDowell really.
The presence of ‘the bear’ is very much missed.

 

[belair]

Remember who the Soo had on defence when they picked up Thompson!

WJ

Am I missing something? Their entire D core that year was left handed.

 

[Wolfman Jack]

Am I missing something? Their entire D core that year was left handed.

What does that have to do with the price of tea in China?

WJ

 

[belair]

What does that have to do with the price of tea in China?

WJ

In hockey, it's generally preferred to have defensemen playing on their strong hand. Rightness on the right, lefties on the left. Soo already has two very talented RD on their roster having solid productive seasons. Adding another right shot cuts into their ice time.

 

[Wolfman Jack]

In hockey, it's generally preferred to have defensemen playing on their strong hand. Rightness on the right, lefties on the left. Soo already has two very talented RD on their roster having solid productive seasons. Adding another right shot cuts into their ice time.

Not the point I was making. Its adding another offensive piece and quite frankly take some load off Gibson. That move would put the Soo in contention. You think the Soo hasn't inquired on Nelson.

WJ

 

[belair]

I’m really not sure what the first paragraph means. Kostuch & Turley or Rismond can match any offer outside of Taylor & Protz.

It means that the teams that have the most draft capital are generally the ones that have geared up to be big buyers. Teams with aspirations of being contenders will sell off in down years.

Why would North Bay trade Kostuch or Turley this year knowing there aren't going to be viable replacements a year from now? You trade your top 16/17 year olds for graduating players and that's the end of life of a quality asset.

Um, NB forwards on paper were top notch three lines deep; but at no time were they able to put together two scoring lines because they insisted on Petrov holding together line 3 and Jackson at centre of line 1.
In other words, they were never a cohesive unit.

Depth? There was one all-purpose star that NB does not have now; Petrov.
Zito played 2/3 games and missed the crucial part of the conference final. Ertel missed 8 weeks with broken fingers and was unable to handle the puck at any point upon returning. MacDonald was awesome for stretches but missed about five week with a back injury and had worn down by round three.
On D, Winslow never did fully recover from hip surgery; Cajkovic is becoming a better overall player. Mathurin was pretty much unavailable. Bruzer was no better than McDowell really.
The presence of ‘the bear’ is very much missed.

Petrov, Jackson, Bloom, McDonald, Wakely, Tarasevich, Romani, Ertel, Zito...

Those are all forwards that scored 40+ points last season. Nine. Three full lines. Then you can add OVS and Arnsby. When everything's all said and done this year, we might have five.

And the defense, noting Mathurin's absence, was older and far more physical. We also had Dom playing MVP caliber hockey.

It's night and day. These teams are not even remotely close.

Not the point I was making. Its adding another offensive piece and quite frankly take some load off Gibson. That move would put the Soo in contention. You think the Soo hasn't inquired on Nelson.

WJ

No, I wouldn't think that they've asked about Nelson.

 

[HockeyPops]

2 years ago I didn't mind grabbing Thompson. I would mind Nelson. He is great but we need to address different needs this year.

 

[dirty12]

It means that the teams that have the most draft capital are generally the ones that have geared up to be big buyers. Teams with aspirations of being contenders will sell off in down years.

Why would North Bay trade Kostuch or Turley this year knowing there aren't going to be viable replacements a year from now? You trade your top 16/17 year olds for graduating players and that's the end of life of a quality asset.

Petrov, Jackson, Bloom, McDonald, Wakely, Tarasevich, Romani, Ertel, Zito...

Those are all forwards that scored 40+ points last season. Nine. Three full lines. Then you can add OVS and Arnsby. When everything's all said and done this year, we might have five.

And the defense, noting Mathurin's absence, was older and far more physical. We also had Dom playing MVP caliber hockey.

It's night and day. These teams are not even remotely close.


No, I wouldn't think that they've asked about Nelson.

Minus the note of DiVincentiis; that’s rubbish. There are 5 forwards on pace to eclipse 40 pts with Procsyzn on pace for exactly 40 and Pazii on pace for 38, add one middle six forward and there will be 8 that likely obliterate the 40 pt mark.
You are comparing the present to last season after adding two forwards
Nelson, Christopolous, & Mathurin are comparatively better than last season. Cajkovic, Kennedy, McDowell are better than a limited Winslow, Bruzer, and Kennedy of last season imo. Many, many times I’ve said NB misses the presence of Lukin and/or could use a solid #4.

Again, this team has not yet added, so don’t compare the present team to last seasons finished product.
If you want to compare, compare the strength of the conference to last season.

 

[belair]

Minus the note of DiVincentiis; that’s rubbish. There are 5 forwards on pace to eclipse 40 pts with Procsyzn on pace for exactly 40 and Pazii on pace for 38, add one middle six forward and there will be 8 that likely obliterate the 40 pt mark.
You are comparing the present to last season after adding two forwards
Nelson, Christopolous, & Mathurin are comparatively better than last season. Cajkovic, Kennedy, McDowell are better than a limited Winslow, Bruzer, and Kennedy of last season imo. Many, many times I’ve said NB misses the presence of Lukin and/or could use a solid #4.

Again, this team has not yet added, so don’t compare the present team to last seasons finished product.
If you want to compare, compare the strength of the conference to last season.

Our two star forwards this year were on the third line last season. Our fifth best forward this year was a regular healthy scratch. Last year's team had elite goaltending, elite special teams and a team that finished the year +103. This team is currently -1 and straddling fake 0.500.

This team is an average, middle of the pack team in the East. Even if they add at the deadline.

 

[dirty12]

Our two star forwards this year were on the third line last season. Our fifth best forward this year was a regular healthy scratch. Last year's team had elite goaltending, elite special teams and a team that finished the year +103. This team is currently -1 and straddling fake 0.500.

This team is an average, middle of the pack team in the East. Even if they add at the deadline.

One half of last seasons first two lines were not even on the roster the previous season.
You are using irrelevant comparisons. Going into last season, were Wakely, Romani, & VanSteensel further along in their development than Procyzyn, Therrien, & Pazii this season; no. Wakely came on in the fall before tailing off a bit leading up the break, and Romani showed his potential scoring prowess with about 15 games remaining in the season

The elite goaltender of last season is the same person as the current seemingly replacement level goaltender. If it seems he needs a change of scenery to get right, trade him at a net loss but enough to get a decent #4 D.

 

[belair]

One half of last seasons first two lines were not even on the roster the previous season.
You are using irrelevant comparisons. Going into last season, were Wakely, Romani, & VanSteensel further along in their development than Procyzyn, Therrien, & Pazii this season; no. Wakely came on in the fall before tailing off a bit leading up the break, and Romani showed his potential scoring prowess with about 15 games remaining in the season

The elite goaltender of last season is the same person as the current seemingly replacement level goaltender. If it seems he needs a change of scenery to get right, trade him at a net loss but enough to get a decent #4 D.

How are the comparisons irrelevant? Last year's team was an older team filled with higher pedigree prospects. Wakely was in his third year of eligibility and wasn't even a regular in the team's top six. Those three were older and they were in the same position our current younger players are. Because depth.

The elite goaltender of last year isn't the same because the team in front of him is considerably worse. It's the main reason why I kind of hoped they'd trade him early and let the other two take the reins. This was never a year that the Battalion were going to be in the conversation.

 

[SpezzaNoLookDropPass]

I’d rather rebuild a year early than have a another 4 year stretch of mediocre barely make the playoffs hockey filled with meh level excitement players such as the Butler years

 

[dirty12]

I’d rather rebuild a year early than have a another 4 year stretch of mediocre barely make the playoffs hockey filled with meh level excitement players such as the Butler years

There may be offers that make it impossible for NB not to sell.
But NB does not gain by selling early otherwise. They have 9 signed ‘06, 6-‘07 selected by round 5, and 20 picks of the ‘08s in the upcoming draft.
Selling for less than absolutely certain young stars is an absolute waste of an excellent core that can be added to without jeapordizing the future imo.

 

[belair]

I’d rather rebuild a year early than have a another 4 year stretch of mediocre barely make the playoffs hockey filled with meh level excitement players such as the Butler years

Agreed. Stock up on picks in '27, '28 and '29 this year. Get that trade currency stocked up and in a couple years we're in the ones trading for NHL prospects again.

There may be offers that make it impossible for NB not to sell.
But NB does not gain by selling early otherwise. They have 9 signed ‘06, 6-‘07 selected by round 5, and 20 picks of the ‘08s in the upcoming draft.
Selling for less than absolutely certain young stars is an absolute waste of an excellent core that can be added to without jeapordizing the future imo.

You're not understanding the concept of why OHL teams stockpile draft picks. When you trade Ty Nelson, you ask for picks three or four years from now. Teams have three or four picks in a round in some drafts because they intend to use them as trade currency in years where they try to be competitive.

You're right that teams can only have so many players on their roster at one time. But it's not simply draft luck that determines the quality of the players on your roster. Teams with the abundance of draft capital have the ability to trade up.

Allowing NHL prospects to graduate from your program in a down year is simply allowing that valuable asset to die on the vine. You get zero compensation.

 

[HockeyPops]

Agreed. Stock up on picks in '27, '28 and '29 this year.

Teams can't trade '28 or '29 picks yet.

 

[belair]

Teams can't trade '28 or '29 picks yet.

Isn't the cap six years in the future?

 

[Houndzfan20]

Isn't the cap six years in the future?

4.

In hockey, it's generally preferred to have defensemen playing on their strong hand. Rightness on the right, lefties on the left. Soo already has two very talented RD on their roster having solid productive seasons. Adding another right shot cuts into their ice

To be fair, karki plays RD but is a left hand shot. Gibson and virgilio are our only right shot d.

 

[dirty12]

Isn't the cap six years in the future?

Agreed. Stock up on picks in '27, '28 and '29 this year. Get that trade currency stocked up and in a couple years we're in the ones trading for NHL prospects again.

You're not understanding the concept of why OHL teams stockpile draft picks. When you trade Ty Nelson, you ask for picks three or four years from now. Teams have three or four picks in a round in some drafts because they intend to use them as trade currency in years where they try to be competitive.

You're right that teams can only have so many players on their roster at one time. But it's not simply draft luck that determines the quality of the players on your roster. Teams with the abundance of draft capital have the ability to trade up.

Allowing NHL prospects to graduate from your program in a down year is simply allowing that valuable asset to die on the vine. You get zero compensation.

Six years really, it’s me not understanding draft pick stockpiling?
Teams use picks to bolster rosters with stars and/or 9-11 over all good 19-20 yr olds.