NORTH BAY — It has been a roller-coaster start to 2025 for newly acquired North Bay Battalion forward Zach Wigle.
The Oakville product, who turns 21 on Jan. 12, is making the adjustment to his new home to start the new year.
On Sunday, North Bay acquired the overage forward along with Parker Vaughan and four conditional OHL Priority Selection picks from the Barrie Colts for right\-winger Anthony Romani and overage left-winger Owen Van Steensel.
"It was an emotional couple of days, but luckily I did kind of see this coming as I had seen the rumours and talked to our general manager in Barrie a couple of weeks ago, so it was not right out of the blue," Wigle said during Wednesday's media conference.
"When the actual trade did happen, it all moved really quickly. There were some tears, some sadness, leaving the billets that I had been there for three-and-a-half years, leaving the team that I got drafted by, but the transition has been pretty easy."
Aside from the trade winds, Wigle was also working on an NCAA hockey commitment over the holidays. Just prior to the trade, Wigle committed to join the NCAA Division I Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) for the upcoming season.
"Life has definitely been stressful for the last month, month-and-a-half, trying to figure out the best path forward for me talking to schools," he said. "It is amazing now that we get this opportunity and I feel so lucky this year as the change could not have come at a better time for me.
"The rest of the year kind of feels like a bonus because I get to play hockey at RIT after this," said Wigle, recognizing the groundbreaking November change that now allows major junior players in Canada to move south to play NCAA hockey in the fall.
Wigle and Vaughan are expected to make their Battalion debuts on tonight at Memorial Gardens as the Troops host the Kingston Frontenacs.
Adam Dennis, Battalion president and director of hockey operations, sees Wigle as a player who is tough to play against and he is excited to see Wigle bring those qualities to the Troops.
“He very much has a lot of the attributes that we look for in our Battalion," said Dennis. "The one thing that’s really going to be helpful is we’ve been looking for someone to take on the centre position higher up in the lineup, and he’s a natural at that.”
Wigle, who has six goals and 16 assists totalling 22 points in 36 games, suggested he’s a defensively responsible pivot who can be an offensive threat.
“I think I’m a 200-foot centreman, pretty much through and through," he said.
"I broke into the league as a defensive forward. As a ninth-round pick, I was never really given too much opportunity in Barrie and really had to fight for any spot in the lineup that I could. Thankfully, my offensive game has grown a little bit over the last few years, but I still pride myself on being that 200-foot guy," he added.
As for the Colts, Van Steensel made his debut Wednesday night in Owen Sound, but was kept off the scoresheet in a 5-2 loss. He registered five shots on net and was a minus-5.
Romani, meanwhile, has been battling an injury and has played in only six games this season, in which he had two goals and three assists. He broke his clavicle in an early October visit to Erie, Pa.
The Barrie Colts (24-11-2) are in Peterborough tonight to take on the Petes (8-24-6).
First-round frenzy
With the acquisition of Parker Vaughan from Barrie, the Battalion now have three first-round picks from the 2024 OHL Priority Selection.
Vaughan joins the Battalion's 16th-overall selection, Ryder Carey, and Ryder Cali, selected 18th overall by the Soo Greyhounds.
Cali was acquired in a trade in the fall of 2024 with the Greyhounds as Cali did not report to Soo Greyhounds main camp and joined the OJHL's Milton Menace after he committed to play NCAA hockey at Harvard.
"I think it's pretty exciting to have a player of his stature and to now be able to give him and some of the other young players in our team just give them each other, I guess. It's exciting to watch them grow together," Dennis said of the first-round trio.
