Battalion GM Adam Dennis has won the Jim Gregory OHL General Manager of the Year Award
Earlier this week, the OHL announced the 2023-24 recipient of the Jim Gregory OHL General Manager of the Year Award. The award was first introduced in 2019 in honour of former long-time NHL executive Jim Gregory.
Gregory was the GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1969 to 1979. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder in 2007 and his name is also honoured with the NHL General Manager of the Year Award. Jim passed away at the age of 83 in October 2019, but his legacy will never be forgotten.
The winner of this year's OHL General Manager of the Year award was North Bay Battalion GM Adam Dennis. "To be recognized for an award that commemorates a great contributor to our game such as Jim Gregory is something I will cherish forever," said Dennis while accepting the award.
Dennis became North Bay's GM in the middle of the 2019-20 season. He joined the organization in 2016-17 and served in various roles, including Assistant GM and Goaltending Coach. His skills in goalkeeping during his playing days were as impressive as his ability to construct a team in North Bay, which has made it to the Eastern Conference Finals for three consecutive years.
Adam was drafted in the 14th round, 273rd overall, by the Guelph Storm in the 2001 OHL Priority Selection. He went on to become one of the league's best goaltenders, posting a regular season record of 100-41-13, along with a 2.58 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage. His performance in the playoffs was even better, winning back-to-back OHL Championships in 2004 and 2005 with Guelph and the London Knights. His 36 career playoff wins are the most by any goaltender in the OHL's history.
In 2005 he won the Memorial Cup with London and was awarded the tournament's Most Outstanding Goaltender Award. Dennis continued his dominance in the crease winning Goaltender of the Year in 2006 and almost completed a three-peat winning the Western Conference Finals with the Knights again, but lost in the Finals to the Peterborough Petes.
He was picked 182nd overall in the sixth round of the 2005 NHL Draft by the Buffalo Sabres and spent three seasons playing in the AHL before finishing the last five years of his playing career overseas in Italy and Austria.
Dennis came back home and started learning the ropes under the great Stan Butler. A key reason for North Bay's recent success over the last three years has been its ability to identify talent and build through the draft. They landed the first overall pick for the 2020 OHL Priority Selection where they struck gold drafting franchise defenceman Ty Nelson.
Nelson has been the conductor and lead man on the Battalion blueline but they have also had amazing contributions in Paul Christopoulos (38th overall in 2019) and Tnias Mathurin (41st overall in 2020), who formed a formidable shutdown pairing in these past OHL Playoffs.
Their forward core has been even more successful through the draft with the likes of captain Liam Arnsby (9th overall in 2019), Justin Ertel (54th overall in 2019), Dalyn Wakely (30th overall in 2020), Owen Van Steensel (63rd overall in 2020), and their leading scorer from this past season Anthony Romani (41st overall in 2021).
Dennis as mentioned was an incredibly successful Junior goaltender, so it makes sense why North Bay has become a place where goalies shine. Montreal Canadiens prospect Joe Vrbetic and Winnipeg Jets prospect (2022-23 Goaltender of the Year) Dominic DiVincentiis have locked down the crease for the Battalion since 2019.
DiVincentiis sustained an injury during North Bay's first-round series against Kingston, which could have been catastrophic for the Battalion's playoff aspirations. Michael McIvor, a former fourth-round pick in the 2022 OHL Priority Selection with only 20 OHL games under his belt, was thrust into a challenging position. However, the 18-year-old performed exceptionally well and drew inspiration from playoff-Dennis to help propel North Bay to the Eastern Conference Finals.
North Bay is facing significant roster changes heading into the 2024-25 season. Many key players are either going pro or aging out of the OHL. It may be time for the Battalion to start rebuilding and planning for the future. Adam Dennis and his staff will have to make some tough decisions, but that's the job of a General Manager of the Year.