Lost my old account and can’t back in. Stupid penalties again tonight. Cost NB the game. You can’t spend half the game in the box and expect to win. Lines need to be shaken up. No idea why Kostuch isn’t on the third line or used on the PP some times. Kid has a ton of talent being wasted on the 4th like playing with guys who can’t compete and with limited ice time.
North Bay Battalion 2023-24 Season Thread (Part One)
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They have no abundance of picks to trade from. They're missing a 3rd in 2025 and a 2nd in 2026. And the only picks that really matter for restocking your active roster in this league are picks in the top four or five rounds, which is generally where you hit on the impactful players.
Mississauga has four 2nd rounders in 2025. The Wolves have two and then four 3rd rounders in 2026. North Bay just doesn't have the trade capital this year to outbid the teams ahead of them. And letting Nelson and Dom graduate as Battalion so your team can fight from the mushy middle just seems short-sighted.
I think North Bay likely gets just as far as sellers as they would loading up on vets. I've said it before, this is a considerably shallower team than last season's.
The Battalion do have 2, 4, and 3, 5 picks tied up with conditions over the next two drafts, and are without a ‘26-2nd. That is not a bad thing imo as it ensures NB cannot leave huge voids in birth years like the Petes and Spits have most recently.
If Miss adds significantly as well as a team from the east, NB will have a difficult decision to make. But I cannot remember a competitive team with even near a full compliment of picks, six 16 yr olds selected over 5 rounds, and 9 signed 17 yr olds being a big seller.
Last years NB team was significantly deeper at the end of the trading period than they are this year because they added at least four players. If adding a RW and stay at home LD good enough to be OAs, NB will have 3 good forward lines a D corps considerably better than the D core last season.
And primed to sell next season when there is nearly zero chance to contend.
Depends what you consider to be a competitive team.
I'm not sure anything on this roster is better than what they had last season. Mathurin is healthy, that's about it. Their powerplay last season was the team's bread and butter, which has regressed substantially. They're an average at best team 5v5 and you haven't gotten the same calibre of play as last season from Dom.
They're 8 - 6 - 4 currently, which is a team that has lost more games than they have won. I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility that the Battalion end up with a deeper roster next season if they manage their graduating trade assets effectively this year.
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They dearly miss Lukin and Winslow on D. They controlled the puck along the boards, now only 4 & 5 are able to do it. Our defensive zone play relys on it. 2, 7, 24 & 26 rarely control that area as evidenced by the number of times our opponents dig it out and find a player wide open in the slot. Until that is fixed not even Dom can cover that glaring hole up.
For the PP, it’s simple. They’re running the exact same setup just this year there is no second option for the huge one-timer (Petrov/McDonald) and every team knows it is only going to come from 24. Change the PP or get another heavy shot option. Most of the PP success they’ve had has been opportunities created down low but they continue to try and feed the guy with his stick up over his head.
The Battalion could be over loaded for the near future with a sell. That will not make a difference next season though. A Steelheads copy of two ‘07-1sts selected in the top third of the draft, an ‘06-1st, & a handful of future 2nds ain’t in cards. Even if matching the massive Barrie deadline in 2019, getting through two playoff rounds before the next re-tooling period is not guaranteed.
The PP last season was a bit better than middling. Petrov’s complete game is what NB misses, and probably not replacing unless they find themselves in the lottery.
The D (with a decent #4) is significantly better imo. Nelson, Mathurin, Christopolous are a year more experienced while Clarke, Mintyukov, Matier, DelMastro, …have graduated. There is not a top 3 D in the conference right now that compares.@
Huge blow.
Cajakovic is better than I expected, and probable PP1 next season. But more detriment than compliment in the top 4 right now.
It’s early days but as a season ticket holder from day one, it’s starting to feel like things are
shaping up to be another one of those ‘also ran’ years. The predictions of a lower goal production from this group seem to coming true and that, plus their penalty parades, makes for a difficult road ahead.
You would think that after 25 years of owning this team, Mr. Abbott would want to experience at least one appearance at the Memorial Cup. He would probably be the first to say that if it was easy he would have done it by now, since there are 59 other teams in the CHL who plan each year to do the same thing. Here’s hoping the Battalion brain trust will come up with some kind of battle plan that will lead to that happening before we’re all too old to care.
shaping up to be another one of those ‘also ran’ years. The predictions of a lower goal production from this group seem to coming true and that, plus their penalty parades, makes for a difficult road ahead.
You would think that after 25 years of owning this team, Mr. Abbott would want to experience at least one appearance at the Memorial Cup. He would probably be the first to say that if it was easy he would have done it by now, since there are 59 other teams in the CHL who plan each year to do the same thing. Here’s hoping the Battalion brain trust will come up with some kind of battle plan that will lead to that happening before we’re all too old to care.
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That’s the difference between us I guess. Do you enjoy the circus in our own end when anyone but 4 & 5 in our own end? Our PK was #1 in the league last year and the only difference in the top unit is no Lukin.
I'll give you Winslow & Hislop .... but not Lukin ... no way. This year has a very young D and mistakes are going to happen. Some of it I blame on the " chase the man with the puck" coaching strategy. Give them till Christmas, it'll improve.
Don’t give them an inch, a second to control the puck is what had the Battalion PK at the top last season. That passive PK toyed with for 3-5 games did not work out well, at all.
All 3 goalies were on ice today. DDV was in full gear and took regular reps. Difficult to say when he might return but it could be fairly soon. In other news, is Trevor McDowell the new Brayden Turley?
What do you mean by new Turley? My first thought was that he might be Nelson’s eventual D partner 5 on 5
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Interesting add. 2004 D for “free”. Kennedy’s -10 may have finally sunk in with our brass. Mind you they said he’s playing Sunday, who sits 2 or 7 or do they go with 7 D? This pretty much has to close the book on Rismond’s time here. Sucks for Wilson however who has a grand total of what, 3 shifts so far.
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I’d sit 2 lol
Mind you 2 had one of his better games on Saturday. Even used his big body and threw a hit.
Rismond has been patient, he deserves the chance to play somewhere else. One of Turley, Rismond, maybe Cajakovic is what teams will ask for in a trade.
Wilson probably knew what he was signing for. Christopolous was the last 16 yr old D to play for the Battalion team on on its way to the 1st overall pick?
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I can’t see him on TC to be honest. Not reliable in his own end.
IF Nelson does go we still have 7. IMO this move is to hopefully strengthen out top 6.
Mathurin-Christopolous are a pair. The lack of a complimentary partner has made Nelson extend himself imo.
McDowell will strengthen the top six one way or another, maybe a throw-in for a more experienced limited talent like a Smith. Neat timing that he debuts against the wolves. It will probably take some games to adjust to the difference in the speed of the OHL vs jrA.
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Total guess here but I suspect they err on the cautious side and he sits this weekend and ready to go the following weekend.
This weekend’s games however are all huge for different reasons l, so it also wouldn’t surprise me to see him with the start on Saturday and avoid the potential gong show games vs Peterborough and Sudbury.
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