The Barrie Colts have acquired a top-six center from the North Bay Battalion, significantly improving their Championship-caliber roster

Thursday afternoon, the North Bay Battalion and the Barrie Colts completed a massive deal in the OHL. Barrie has strongly pushed to improve their roster in hopes of going on a Championship run this season. 

The organization brought in a top-pairing defenseman from Flint, Dallas Stars prospect Tristan Bertucci, signed the Stars' 2024 first-rounder Finnish winger Emil Hemming, and traded for a third Stars prospect in Brad Gardiner from the 67's. They completed all these moves in the off-season. 

No, they didn't acquire a fourth Dallas prospect. Instead, they have acquired Edmonton Oilers prospect Dalyn Wakely from North Bay. 

Wakely, 20, was selected in the sixth round, 192nd overall by the Oilers recently in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft after being passed up on in the last two drafts. He joins fellow Oilers prospect, defenseman Beau Akey, in Barrie.

Dalyn finished third in the OHL in scoring last season with 104 points, while maintaining playing a complete 200-foot game with a bit of grit. 

Additionally, he led the Battalion in playoff goals (13) in their third consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearance and won the CHL's Humanitarian of the Year Award. 

With North Bay entering a different stage and the likelihood of them contending for an OHL Championship looking slim this season, this trade offers the opportunity for the Edmonton prospect to most likely participate in another chase for a Championship in Barrie. 

“Dalyn is someone we have admired for multiple seasons being on the opposite side. We have seen him a lot throughout our matchups against North Bay and he has worked his way into being one of the most complete players in our league. Adding someone with such a high skillset and character to our group will be a big piece in building towards our goals. Having him on our side is something we’re really looking forward to and our fans should be excited about.” said Head Coach and GM Marty Williamson

“This move was built to make our team better this season. It’s always tough giving up one of your younger players in Shamar but we feel this deal will help our group’s goals for this season. We would like to wish Shamar and his family the best of luck moving forward in North Bay."

The big return for North Bay in this deal is power forward Shamar Moses. His start to the 2024-25 season has been slow with zero points in five games, but he had a very strong rookie season in Barrie last year with five goals and 20 assists in 66 games. 

Moses was picked 19th overall by the Colts in the 2023 OHL Priority Selection and is eligible for the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. He's a skilled winger with good hands in a big body and willing to use his body to initiate physical play. He has a future of developing into a top-six forward in this league.

On a contending team like Barrie, the 6-foot-1, 202-pound right winger would have limited opportunities to showcase his skillset this season. In North Bay, he will have the chance to compete for a regular spot in the team's top-nine forward group and even the top six. 

The Battalion also received a 2025 fourth-round pick (OTT) and a 2027 fifth-round pick (NIA) via the trade. 

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