Troops head east for three
The North Bay Battalion had two new faces in the ranks Wednesday as it prepared for a three-game Ontario Hockey League road trip starting at 7:05 p.m. Thursday against the Peterborough Petes.
Centre Kaden Pitre took to the ice for his second practice with the Troops after a trade from the Flint Firebirds, and defenceman Alexander Karmanov was to make his first appearance right after arriving from the junior B Brantford Titans.
The Battalion, which was blanked 4-0 Friday night by the host Oshawa Generals, has a won-lost-extended record of 12-10-1 for 25 points, second in the Central Division. Peterborough is 14-8-2 for 30 points, third in the East Division.
North Bay faces the Kingston Frontenacs on Friday night and the Ottawa 67’s on Sunday to complete the eastern swing.
“We know this trip really well, because we do it pretty much twice a year, so that’s one good thing that we’ve got going for us,” said coach Ryan Oulahen. “But these three teams in particular are all three very good home teams.
“Peterborough, starting there tomorrow, it’s a different rink. It’s a very unique rink. The benches are across from each other. The boards are different, so that’s going to be challenge in and of its own.”
Oulahen, who noted that right winger Shamar Moses is set to return after missing two games to injury, pointed to Pitre as providing promise, including when the Troops are shorthanded.
“What we’re getting with Pitre is a really good, solid two-way player. We need some help on the penalty kill, and he’s going to be first over the boards in those situations, probably with Ethan (Procyszyn). So that’s a huge improvement for us.
“Another left-hand shot that’s good on draws, strong down low in his own end, those types of things that when we’re looking at playoff style and how we want to play our game, he’s somebody that really fits kind of the way we want to play.”
Pitre, a six-foot, 185-pound native of Newmarket, Ont., said he values the defensive aspect of the game as much as the offensive.
“I’m a playmaker and I like to play on both ends of the ice. I think defence is just as important as offence. If you’re getting scored on eight times, you’re not going to win a lot of games, so I’m just trying to play on both ends.”
He noted that the trade was a welcome development.
“I definitely wasn’t surprised. I mean, I think it was exactly like the report said. Just a change of scenery was needed. I knew I needed one, and obviously the guy I got traded for needed one too, so it just worked out nicely.
“Obviously, you want to feel wanted, and I think they’ve done a really good job of making me feel wanted, so it means a lot and I really appreciate it.”
On Friday, North Bay sent Ukrainian import Ihnat Pazii, who played left wing and centre, and a fourth-round pick in the 2026 OHL Priority Selection that originally belonged to the Windsor Spitfires to Flint for Pitre, a first-rounder in 2022 who turned 19 on Feb. 8.
In 12 games this season, Pitre has scored five goals and earned two assists for seven points. In 167 games over three-plus seasons, he has 44 goals and 57 assists for 101 points with 111 penalty minutes.
Flint selected him 18th overall in 2022 from the Vaughan Kings U16s, two picks before the Battalion took centre and now captain Procyszyn. The Tampa Bay Lightning tabbed Pitre in the sixth round of the 2024 National Hockey League Draft.
Pitre said that he, as a member of the Richmond Hill Coyotes, played for years against Procyszyn and his North Central Predators.
Moldovan import Karmanov isn’t expected to see game action for a couple of weeks.
Left winger Adam Novotny paces Peterborough’s offence with a team-leading 14 goals and 12 assists for 26 points in 24 games, while right winger Matthew Soto has 10 goals and 11 assists for 21 points in 24 games. Braydon McCallum has scored five goals and earned a team-best 15 assists for 20 points, and fellow centre Adam Levac has 10 goals and nine assists for 19 points, both in 24 games.
Novotny, a native of Kobylice, Czechia, who turned 18 on Nov. 13, was the eighth overall pick in the 2024 Canadian Hockey League Import Draft. Overager Soto was acquired June 12 from Kingston, which made him the fifth choice in the 2021 Priority Selection.
The game at Peterborough can be seen live in North Bay on YourTV Channels 12 and 700.
