The North Bay Battalion added some more skill up front and some more size on the back end on day one of the OHL draft.
The North Bay Battalion had to wait for the 21st spot in the OHL draft Friday night on day one of the 2023 OHL Priority Selection.
Adam Dennis elected to bring in some skill and speed in the form of 2007 birth year forward Carter Kostuch.
In 56 games, the 5'9" and 142 pound forward netted 29 goals along with 30 assists for 59 points with the Vaughan U16 AAA Kings,
"He's a player with a lot of speed," said Darrell Woodley, OHL Director of Scouting describing Kostuch during the OHL draft broadcast on CHLTV and YourTV on cable.
"He had injuries but did he ever finish strong whether it was through the GTHL playoffs or the OHL Cup. He led his team to the finals of the OHL Cup where they came up short versus the Toronto Jr. Canadiens They are going to love this kid in North Bay, he plays with a lot of skill and finish."
Dennis noted Kostuch has speed to burn.
"We think he is one of the fastest players in the draft," Dennis said after round three Friday night.
"(We were impressed) with the skill and compete he showed in some high-end games and he was a key reason why his team went to the OHL Cup final."
Adam Dennis and the Battalion had one more selection on the opening night of the OHL Priority Selection as the Troops moved their second-rounder to Saginaw in the Bloom/Hislop trade.
In the third round, the Troops selected Zachary Wilson, a 6'4" defender from the Central Ontario U16 AAA Wolves.
Wilson netted 3 goals and 20 assists in 30 games with the Wolves. He is described by scouts as a physical defender with a very good one-timer.
"He is a big kid and he is very mobile, and just kind of a jack of all trades," said Dennis describing his latest 3rd round pick.
"He has played on the power play but he knows that he is a defenceman, a defence first guy. He also has skill to move pucks in the right direction. With D, we thought it was important to grab a guy early and Zach was one of those guys we could not go without on day one."
BayToday will update the draft throughout the evening and into the weekend. Here's what's left for the Battalion scouting staff on Saturday:
- Round 4 Pick 81
- Round 5 Pick 99
- Round 5 Pick 100
- Round 5 Pick 101
- Round 6 Pick 117
- Round 6 Pick 121
- Round 7 Pick 141
- Round 8 Pick 161
- Round 9 Pick 181
- Round 10 Pick 201
- Round 11 Pick 221
- Round 12 Pick 227
- Round 12 Pick 241
- Round 13 Pick 261
- Round 14 Pick 281
