Battalion general manager John Winstanley stated that team newcomer Shamar Moses would make a seamless transition from Barrie to North Bay.
He was absolutely correct, except for his unique experience travelling to join his new team.
In his journey to meet up with his new teammates, Moses' car blew a tire and he was forced to pull over and make a panic call to the Battalion.
"So originally I thought the bus was coming to take me up. And then we kind of thought it'd be easier to go for me to drive down so that my car would be here," explained Moses.
"I was about 20 minutes out, and then my tire just completely ripped open. So then I was like, 'Oh my god.' So I called my mom, and I was like, freaking out. I'm like, 'Oh my goodness, like, my tire just popped.' And then I called Adam, and Adam's like, alright, like, we're going to send someone new and then kind of have the rescue team come and save me, and then the bus picked me up from just the side of the road.
While that first interaction with his new team might have been awkwardly abrupt, his play in his first few games in green has been impressive.
The 17-year-old former Colts 1st round pick impressed in his Battalion debut netting the game-winning shootout goal in Erie.
"I told my buddy Reyth on the bench what I was going to do it before too, because I kind of been working on that move a lot, and felt pretty confident that was the right time to pull it out," the 6'1", 202 lb forward said about his goal that fooled Erie netminder Noah Erliden.
In fact, Moses has been far from flat in his first three games with the Troops.
Aside from the shootout winner in Erie, he added an assist, then had one goal and two assists on Saturday night in Niagara, and then in his home debut with the Troops on Thanksgiving Monday against Owen Sound he added one goal and one assist.
SHAMAR MOSES WHAT AN INTRODUCTION TO BATTALION HOCKEY! pic.twitter.com/iZ9jTFnBd4
— North Bay Battalion (@OHLBattalion) October 12, 2024
See related: Wakely heading to rival Colts
That start has impressed his new coach.
"He has put a stamp on every game we have had him," Battalion Head Coach Ryan Oulahen said post-game after Monday's Thanksgiving win.
"We got to see him on the road. Obviously, we have thrown him in every situation and his hockey sense is what impresses me the most. You see the ability, you see the talent, you see all that but once you get up front and live with the player you just see that hockey sense. With that, now I can use him in different areas, obviously on the penalty kill and late in games, all those kinds of things so a really exciting package here to work with."
Trade news a shock
Moses, now wearing the #24 worn by former number one star Battalion defender Ty Nelson came to the North Bay Battalion in a trade that saw popular overage forward Dalyn Wakely dealt to the Barrie Colts for Moses and a pair of draft picks.
The trade was announced last Friday morning, but the 17-year-old got the news late Thursday night
"It was a bit of a surprise for me, to be honest," he admitted.
"I was actually sleeping, and then my phone kind of started blowing up, and I was like, 'Oh, like, what's going on?' And I see my agent called me like, five times. My mom called me five times. So I knew something was up, and then I answered, and he just kind of told the news to me, and I didn't really know how to feel at first. I kind of was surprised, a little bit of an out-of-body experience. But, you know, after talking to Adam and Ryan and all these guys made me feel a lot better. And I just got super excited immediately."
Future fan favourite?
Moses is catching a lot of early attention but with his personality and his play, the young forward was already starting to become a fan favourite at a young age in Barrie.
He is hoping to do the same as a member of the Troops.
"I bring a little intensity to my game as well. So I think the fans and Barrie like that, and like when I get in the fights once in a while, I like to just try to bring a lot of energy to my game. And you know sometimes when the team's down and kind of in need of a bit of an energy booster, I feel like I can, I can bring that sometimes. I bring a lot of my off-ice personality and my on-ice as well. And I feel like that's something a lot of people enjoy."
