Latest news with #Battalion
Ottawa Citizen
2 days ago
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
North Bay Battalion sign top Import Draft pick Evgeny Dubrovtsev
Article content Article content Evgeny Dubrovtsev, the North Bay Battalion's first-round pick in the 2025 Canadian Hockey League Import Draft, has signed an education and development agreement, the Ontario Hockey League club announced Tuesday. Article content Article content Russian centre Dubrovtsev was the 17th overall selection in the three-round process conducted July 2 via the Internet. Article content Article content With holdover left winger Ihnat Pazii of Ukraine, Dubrovtsev and Arseny Pronin of Belarus, the Battalion's second-round pick, fill out North Bay's quota of three imports, increased from two. All are expected to be at training camp, which opens Aug. 25 at Boart Longyear Memorial Gardens. Article content Article content Article content 'We're thrilled to get started with Evgeny as he embarks on his journey to North America,' said Adam Dennis, Battalion director of hockey operations. 'He's a player that we've been familiar with for some time, and we expect him to have an impact as soon as he can acclimate to his new surroundings.' Article content Article content Article content Right shot Dubrovtsev is a St. Petersburg native who measures almost six feet and weighs 183 pounds. He turned 17 on March 18. Article content Article content In 37 games last season with SKA Yunior Krasnogorsk of the Junior Hockey League, or MHL, he recorded eight goals and six assists for 14 points with four penalty minutes. He played nine games with the St. Petersburg U17 team, scoring two goals and earning four assists for six points with four PiM. Article content Article content Second-rounder Pronin, a left-shot native of Minsk, has yet to sign with the Troops. Standing six-foot-two and weighing 187 pounds, he turned 18 on May 16. Article content Article content Pazii, whose place on the Battalion roster saw the club pass on its third-round pick, is a two-year veteran who has 19 goals and 25 assists for 44 points with 46 penalty minutes in 101 games. He turns 19 on Dec. 4. Article content Article content The 61 CHL teams drafted in inverse order of their league's overall standings in 2024-25, with the four non-qualifiers for the playoffs exercising the OHL's first four picks as per the weighted lottery held before the OHL Priority Selection in April. Article content
Ottawa Citizen
6 days ago
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
Several North Bay Battalion players are going 'camping' this summer
Article content Article content Article content A total of four North Bay Battalion members or prospects have been named to Canada's national summer under-18 and under-17 camps, Hockey Canada announced Thursday. Forward Parker Vaughan of the Ontario Hockey League club is one of 40 hopefuls, numbering 24 forwards, 12 defencemen and four goaltenders, invited to compete for a chance to represent Canada at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, scheduled Aug. 11-16 at Brno, Czechia, and Trencin, Slovakia. Article content Article content Article content The Canadian selection camp, with 20 OHLers on the ice, is to run July 29 to Aug. 1 at the Sixteen Mile Sports Complex in Oakville, Ont. In addition, Battalion forward Cam Warren, defenceman Carter Kunopaski and goaltending prospect Cole Vreugdenhil are among 30 OHLers who have been chosen to attend a national under-17 development camp at the Oakville site. It starts Saturday and ends next Wednesday. Article content Article content Article content All 79 invitees have been drafted by Canadian Hockey League teams, including 27 from the Western Hockey League and 22 from the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. They will continue to be evaluated early in the 2025-26 season before the U17 World Challenge, to be held Oct. 31 to Nov. 8 at Truro, N.S. The Battalion's Andrew Latin is one of two guest equipment managers named to the team, which is to have Scott Barney of the Sudbury Wolves as head coach. 'We are excited to kick off a new season by announcing the 119 players that will attend camps in Oakville this month,' Alan Millar, general manager of Hockey Canada's Program of Excellence, said in a release issued in Calgary. Article content 'Our under-18 selection camp provides us with an opportunity to evaluate players and select a roster that we believe will give us the best chance to defend our gold medal at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Our under-17 camp is an opportunity to introduce athletes to the Program of Excellence and allow them to compete against other top players in Canada while we begin evaluating and preparing for the U17 World Challenge this fall.' Article content Article content The Battalion acquired Vaughan in a Jan. 5 trade with the Barrie Colts, who made him the fifth overall pick in the 2024 OHL Priority Selection. In 32 games with North Bay, he scored five goals and added five assists for 10 points, giving him league totals of 64 games, nine goals, eight assists and 17 points. Article content Article content Warren and Kunopaski, the Troops' first- and second-round selections respectively at Nos. 6 and 29 overall, have signed education and development agreements with the club. Vreugdenhil, one of three OHL goaltenders invited to the U17 camp, was a fifth-rounder, 87th overall.
Saudi Gazette
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
Israeli defense minister boasts destruction of Beit Hanoun amid Gaza offensive
TEL AVIV — Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Friday shared an aerial image of Beit Hanoun, a city in northern Gaza, boasting of its total destruction and declaring, "After Rafah and Beit Hanoun ... there is no refuge for terrorism." The image, posted to Katz's official X account, depicts a flattened urban landscape — reduced to rubble and ruins — revealing the extent of devastation inflicted on the town. Beit Hanoun, located along Gaza's northern border with Israel, was among the first areas invaded by the Israeli army during its ground operation that began on October 28, 2023. More than 21 months into the war on Gaza, Palestinian armed factions have continued to launch organized ambushes in the area, challenging Israel's military objectives. Last week, five Israeli soldiers from the 'Netzah Yehuda' Battalion were killed and 14 others injured — two critically — in an attack in Beit Hanoun, according to official Israeli military reports. A military investigation confirmed that Hamas fighters detonated three explosive devices targeting an Israeli foot patrol, followed by direct gunfire. The Israeli military has increasingly relied on heavy artillery and aerial bombardment to enforce control over Beit Hanoun, which it recently claimed to have surrounded. On June 2, 2024, Gaza's Municipal Emergency Committee declared Beit Hanoun a 'disaster area' due to near-total destruction of infrastructure, essential services, and the collapse of humanitarian conditions. Before the war, the town had a population of around 60,000 spread over 17,000 dunams. Despite mounting global pressure, Israel continues to reject calls for a ceasefire. Since the launch of its full-scale offensive in late October 2023, Israeli bombardments have killed nearly 57,800 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The destruction has triggered catastrophic humanitarian conditions across Gaza, with widespread food shortages, the collapse of medical facilities, and the rapid spread of disease. The war has drawn international legal scrutiny. In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over war crimes and crimes against humanity. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice. — Agencies
Ottawa Citizen
04-07-2025
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
North Bay Battalion had good news a little bad news at the NHL Draft
You never know what to expect from the National Hockey League Draft, and that was the case for some North Bay Battalion players last weekend. Article content The good news came for two players as The Minnesota Wild chose right winger Lirim Amidovski in the fourth round, 121st overall, while the Florida Panthers took Shamar Moses, a right shot who has played left wing, as the first pick of the fifth round, at No. 129. Article content Article content First it was Amidovsky, who had a breakout season, who remarked how exciting it truly was. 'It means I have been dreaming about this moment and working towards it my whole life, so it feels amazing to be drafted. Can't be any more appreciative of what everyone in the organization has done for me,' says Amidovsky who watched the draft with family. Article content Moses reacted this way, 'This means the world (to me), a lifelong dream has come true, 'says Moses. The former Barrie Colts first-round draft pick gave flowers to his newer team, 'the coaching staff and organization have been so welcoming to me and (they) pushed me to be the best,' says the Battalion forward who watched the draft from home with family. Article content Article content A big surprise was that the Battalion's star goaltender Mike McIvor was passed over. McIvor had a great season between the pipes for a sub-.500 North Bay team. McIvor was the Ontario Hockey League's Goaltender of the Week on two occasions and kept the Battalion in many games in the 2024-25 season. Article content North Bay General Manager John Winstanley was asked about that draft snub when he addressed the media on Wednesday after the Canadian Hockey League 's Import Draft. Article content 'I feel for Mikey (not being drafted), he had a great year, and we had Nate McDonald, our goalie coach, put together a package of Mike's stats and put them against (stats) of goalies who have been drafted. Some of them were drafted very high,' says Winstanley. 'He was 'right there' if not ahead of many of the drafted goalies.'
Ottawa Citizen
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
Cam Warren officially signs with the North Bay Battalion
Article content The North Bay Battalion has signed centre Cam Warren, its first-round pick in the 2025 Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection, to an education and development agreement, the club announced Wednesday. North Bay chose Warren sixth overall on April 11 from the Toronto Jr. Canadiens U16s. Article content Article content In 33 regular-season games, Warren, who turned 16 on May 7, scored 24 goals and earned 39 assists for 63 points. The Vaughan, Ont., resident stands five-foot-10 and weighs 153 pounds. Article content Article content Article content 'We're thrilled to officially welcome Cam to the Battalion family,' said general manager John Winstanley. Article content Article content 'Cam is a player who brings a combination of high-end hockey IQ and elite skills. An electrifying player on the ice, he's dynamic and creative with the puck on and off his stick. 'We've had our eyes on Cam for a while and are really looking forward to seeing what he can do here. He has a bright future, and our group is excited to continue working with him on the next stages of his development.' Article content Article content Warren visited Boart Longyear Memorial Gardens the day after he was selected, noting: 'I think I'm a fast player who likes to play smart and use my vision to make guys around me better. I love to play with speed and pace all around the ice.' Article content Warren was named the most valuable player in the OHL Cup at Toronto, which the Jr. Canadiens won after gaining entry as a qualifier. He tied for the tournament lead in points with 13 from six goals and seven assists in seven games. Article content A right shot, Warren is the second player selected this year to sign with the Battalion. The Troops announced June 9 that defenceman Carter Kunopaski, their second-rounder, had enlisted. Article content Article content Kunopaski, a six-foot-two, 201-pound resident of Pakenham, Ont., turned 16 on Feb. 14. In 32 regular-season games with the Ottawa Valley Titans U16s, the left-shot rearguard scored four goals and added 21 assists for 25 points.
