The North Bay Battalion has high hopes for defenceman Declan Gallivan.
The Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario product who was selected in the 7th round of the 2023 OHL Priority Selection, was signed early in the season and even got into his first regular season OHL game on September 10.
"I like to get pucks up to my forwards and break the puck out clean and try not to get beat wide," Gallivan told the Frontline's Kortney Kenney earlier this month at the NOJHL Showcase in Sudbury.
The offensive-minded defender is off to a great start playing for the NOJHL's Soo Thunderbirds in his hometown as he has netted 4 goals and 10 assists for 14 points in only 12 games so far this season.
The Battalion has had some success plucking prospects out of Sault Ste. Marie, in fact, the last Soo product to play for the Troops just won the Stanley Cup this summer.
Sault Ste. Marie's Mike Amadio won a Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights last summer. The popular forward had four great seasons with the Battalion from 2012 to 2016.
Amadio and Gallivan both played AAA hockey with the Soo Jr Greyhounds program as well.
Adam Dennis is not expecting Gallivan to score 50 goals like Amadio did in his final year with the Troops, however, the Battalion GM believes this new Soo product has a bright future in Green and Gold.
"It is very clear that Declan has a very strong hockey IQ," said Dennis.
"Watching him last year the one thing he needed to improve on was his mobility, and other than that he did everything really well. He plays the point on the power play and doing so with the Thunderbirds as well and just a guy that can affect the game in so many ways."
