Jacob Battaglia put the OHL on notice last season.
And he’s ready to run it back this fall.
The Kingston Frontenacs winger finished tied for his team lead in scoring with 90 points - a point out of the top 10 among league leaders - while his 40 goals were eighth-best in the 20-team loop in 2024-25.
Battaglia got a belated birthday present from the Flames this past March, too, in the form of a brand-new, three-year entry level deal which he says he was informed of the day after he turned 19.
Many happy returns.
But for Battaglia, the 25-point improvement year over year was borne partly from confidence, partly from poise.
An attitude that he can do something special every time the puck lands on his stick.
“I didn’t really try to do too much, just wanted to kinda play more simple, and try to keep the puck on my stick,” he explained last week, while taking part in his second Flames Development Camp at WinSport. “Less hope plays, and throwing it away.
“I think that helped me a lot, just being able to possess the puck longer on the ice, and make better plays, and higher-end plays, that ultimately result in a goal or at least an offensive chance.”
Selected in the second round of the 2024 Draft, Battaglia has a crack at a pretty special season ahead in the OHL - the league he’s staying true to amid a wave of departures for the NCAA.
The new U.S. college eligibility rules have changed the game a bit. Though signed prospects like Battaglia remain ineligible to play NCAA hockey, the product of Mississauga always wanted to stay home to play out his amateur career.
“My dream, and always the route I dreamed of playing was playing in the OHL, and going to the NHL from there,” he said. “That was always kind of the dream route.”
And thus, Battaglia is sure to head into the new campaign as a pre-season contender to lead the loop in scoring.
No Kingston player has achieved that since Tim Salmon (a centre from Ottawa, not the longtime Angels right fielder) won the Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy 40 years ago.
It could also be argued that Battaglia deserves a look from Hockey Canada ahead of the 2026 World Juniors, too, as part of an extremely talented 2006 class. That tournament gets underway on Boxing Day in the Twin Cities.
But for Battaglia, there’s no potential for distraction. The young forward prides himself on being level-headed, and he also is fully aware the recently-inked contract is just another checkpoint in his hockey journey.
“I’m feeling pretty good, but obviously, nothing with my mindset changes, I’m still going to come here and grind, and work,” he said. “It is kind of nice to get that off the table, but nothing really changes with my mindset.”
Getting the chance to come back to Calgary this summer and again in the fall?
That’s just the cherry on top, as he pushes toward that ultimate goal of being here on a full-time basis.
“It’s my second time here, every time I come here, it’s a blast,” he said of Development Camp. “Everyone here is top notch.
“The whole experience is pretty awesome.”
