Many thought that Dalyn Wakely would be moving on after he racked up more than 100 regular-season points a year ago with the North Bay Battalion of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).
Well, those folks would be half right.
Wakely, a 20-year-old forward who is a member of Curve Lake First Nation in Ontario, is no longer with the Battalion.
But instead of commencing his pro career, Wakely, who was selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the National Hockey League’s Entry Draft this past June, is now a member of the OHL’s Barrie Colts.
Wakely spent slightly more than two weeks at the Oilers’ training camp. There was plenty of talk he might be sent to the Oilers’ top minor league affiliate, the Bakersfield (Calif.) Condors of the American Hockey League.
The Oilers’ brass eventually decided, however, to return Wakely to the junior ranks since he has one season of eligibility remaining.
“It was obviously a tricky situation with North Bay,” said Wakely, who spent three seasons with the Battalion. “I loved my time there.”
But the North Bay squad was expected to be in a rebuilding mode this season. Thus, after being returned to the OHL, Wakely requested a trade.
“It was about what was best for me,” he said. “I think the team in North Bay was trying to do what was best for them, too. Obviously, I respect that. There were some conversations behind closed doors about direction. So, I thought it would be best if I moved on.
“They were great in helping me get out and find a spot that would be best for me and also get them a return they were looking for," Wakely added. "So, I think it was kind of a perfect scenario.”
Wakely was keen to head to a club that is expected to take a serious run at an OHL championship this season.
“Obviously I wanted to go to a spot that was looking to contend and look to win,” he said.
Marty Williamson, the Colts’ head coach and general manager, said he was a bit surprised Wakely ended up in Barrie.
“It really kind of fell together at the last minute,” Williamson said of the Oct. 10 trade that brought Wakely to the Colts.
Williamson said he felt a couple of other squads were the frontrunners to land Wakely.
“We knew we liked him an awful lot,” Williamson said of Wakely. “I just didn’t think we could get him. And all of a sudden what it took to get him we were willing to part with.”
Wakely had racked up 104 points (39 goals and 65 assists) in 66 regular-season outings last season. He added 23 points, including 13 goals, in 16 playoff matches.
Williamson is thrilled Wakely is now in the Colts’ lineup. He’s earned five points in his first three games with the Barrie squad.
“He was a piece that we didn’t have,” Williamson said. “We’ve got a really nice hockey team, but we didn’t have a player who plays his style. He’s a great assist guy. He can set guys up. And he can also finish. We didn’t have that kind of guy. He really fits us well.”
Williamson added Wakely is a great addition to the Colts’ locker room.
“He’s outstanding,” Williamson said. “He’s like another coach. He’s calm. He says the right things when he talks. He’s a leader.”
In a small-world story, Williamson recounted that during his first year as a coach, almost 30 years ago with the Cobourg Cougars Junior A team, one of his players was Jason Wakely, Dylan’s father.
“It makes me feel awfully old,” said Williamson, who is 61.
As for Wakely, he doesn’t seem to mind he was asked to hone his skills for another year in the OHL.
“They didn’t want to rush me and have me playing out of a typical role for myself a year early when they didn’t have to,” he said of the Oilers’ decision-makers. “So, for them, their message to me was just go back, continue to develop, keep doing what has brought you success at the junior level and work on some finer details for next year so you can step in right away and play a prominent role.”
Williamson believes Wakely is on the cusp of becoming a pro.
“They want him to work on his 200-foot game and just to get a little stronger with his core,” he said of the Oilers. “But he’s not missing much. He’s very close.”
The Colts are in Ottawa to face the 67's this afternoon beginning at 2 p.m.
Sam Laskaris is a Local Journalism Initiative (LJI) reporter with Windspeaker.com. LJI is a federally funded program.
