Kennedy set to anchor revamped Battalion D in 2024-25

Wyatt Kennedy - Battalion player profile 

The Battalion blue line will look very different on opening night this season compared to the final game of last year. With Ty Nelson moving on to a pro career with the Seattle Kraken, Paul Christopoulos graduating from his Major Junior career, and Tnias Mathurin traded to the Windsor Spitfires, the team has lost a wealth of OHL experience. 

*Mathurin played three years, but his second season was cut short due to an injury and he only appeared in one regular season game.  

**Christopoulos’ first season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, which also cancelled his entire second season.  

Holdovers who made it past the first cuts of Battalion main camp include Bronson Ride, Brayden Turley, Zach Wilson, and Tyson Rismond, while players such as Aaron Enright, Declan Gallivan, and Kent Greer are waiting to make their OHL and Battalion debuts. Also, among the returning players poised to step up is Wyatt Kennedy, a fourth-year defender who could play a big role in the team's success this season. Kennedy had a strong year in 2023-2024, playing in different roles on the blue line, where he set a career-high with 16 points (2 goals and 14 assists) in 67 games. Now, Kennedy is determined to build on that momentum. 

“I think just picking up where I left off last year was important,” says Kennedy. “I think it was a really good year for my development, and I just want to keep that going. I had a really good summer, and I’m hoping to just keep growing, keep getting better as a player. I’m super excited to get this season underway.” 

Kennedy, who turned 19 on May 27, hails from Vars, Ontario, and stands at six-foot-four, weighing in at 198 pounds. Originally selected in the third round of the 2021 OHL Priority Selection, he’s been a solid investment for the Battalion. “Wyatt is a guy we drafted during COVID,” says Battalion General Manager John Winstanley. “Our scouts observed him extensively during the pandemic, and the first things that jumped out about him were his size and his skating ability. Every year, he shows up, goes about his business, and just continues on that upward trajectory.” 

As the old saying goes, you can’t teach size, and during main camp, Kennedy was paired with Bronson Ride, creating an intimidating defensive duo. With Kennedy at six-foot-four and Ride at six-foot-six, the pair has the potential to be a formidable force against opponents. 

“I think we cover a lot of ground out there,” says Kennedy. “I think the coaches might like us together this year. I think we can be very effective on the back end, so yeah, that’ll be interesting to see.” 

Pairing up two of the longer-tenured players wouldn’t be out of the ordinary. You want guys on your blue line to have a familiarity with each other and the system they are running, and having opponents play heavy minutes against a pair of intimidatingly huge 19-year-olds is usually a good recipe for success in the Ontario Hockey League. But there’s also the notion of having them pair up with a younger player and using their leadership to guide that defender during the course of the season. Kennedy says he’s welcoming whatever role the Troops coaching staff put him in and is already trying to be a leader to the group in the early stages of camp. 

“I remember being that kid coming in and not knowing what to expect. Now that I have that experience, it's a privilege to help the younger guys through camp and show them what it takes to develop as players,” says Kennedy. “I tell them to enjoy everything you can. Guys like myself are looking to take on a leadership role and embrace that position. Guys like [Ethan] Procyszyn, [Jacob] Therrien—I think those guys are really going to come into their own with leadership roles.” 

Winstanley says Kennedy should gain some valuable experience of being a leader on and off the ice when he attends Chicago Blackhawks camp this week. 

“Just being able to be around the pros and see how they carry themselves, see how they go about their business—it’s an experience that will benefit Wyatt and bring even more maturity to his game.” 

Kennedy is primarily a stay-at-home defenseman who is being relied upon more and more as a minutes eater who can be called upon to halt scoring chances by the opposition. His high upside put him on the Blackhawks' radar as a free agent. The Rookie Camp starts on September 11th, and Kennedy will participate in the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase in St. Louis, where he’ll face off against rookie teams from the Blues and Minnesota Wild. He’ll also be joined by former Battalion defenseman Mathurin, who was traded to the Windsor Spitfires during the offseason and also got an invite from the Blackhawks. 

“That experience is invaluable,” says Winstanley. “That's what these guys take from going to NHL camps and coming back. They bring that experience and that knowledge, and it only helps them not only as hockey players but also as people.” 

Kennedy says it was great to have some Battalion alumni come back to North Bay during main camp and work with the players. He says it shows the tradition of success that they’ve built and how so many players are looking to contribute to the continuation of that success. 

“It goes to show what we’ve built here, and that experience is an asset to all of us. Every year we come in, we have that much more experience than every other team. I think we need to take advantage of that and make a push again this year. We have the team to do it.” 

With a solid offseason and invaluable experience from an NHL camp, Kennedy looks ready to be a cornerstone of the Battalion's blue line as they push for another deep playoff run.