Owen Sound Attack Acquire Adrian Manzo From North Bay Battalion

The Owen Sound Attack continue their in-season overhaul, acquiring defenceman Adrian Manzo from the North Bay Battalion on Tuesday.

Heading back the other way are two 2030 draft picks: a third-rounder (KGN) and a fourth (OS).

Manzo, 19, has four (2+2) points in 11 games this season with North Bay, his third season with the team. Last year, he had three goals and eight assists in 57 contests.

The Woodbridge native was a fifth-round pick by the Windsor Spitfires in the 2023 OHL draft, playing parts of two seasons there before being dealt to the Battalion.

"Adrian is a mobile right shot defenseman who has demonstrated an ability to play top minutes and will be a welcomed addition to our D-core,” Attack GM and president Tyler Nother said. “We’re confident that Adrian will make an impact on our roster, and we look forward to working with him on his continued development.” 

This deal is the second pretty big trade in the last seven days for Owen Sound, as they sent Cole Zurawski to Kingston last week for a trio of picks.

It would've been fair to assume the team was going into retool mode making that move while sitting at the bottom of the Western conference, but it's clear Nother and co. want to stick by the preseason expectations of this group as a solid playoff contender.

The Attack have struggled in particular to keep the puck out of their own net, which would make this move for a legitimate top-four blueliner make a lot of sense. We'll see how much of an impact Manzo can make on a team looking for an immediate bump.

For North Bay, this move does indeed signal a retooling mindset, as they sit eighth in the East with just four wins from 11 games, though that's more in line with the preseason expectations for this team.

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