The Kingston Frontenacs have constructed a veteran lineup with several NHL-drafted prospects. One of those prospects is off to an extremely hot start and looks ready to make another significant step forward in his development.
Kingston has gotten off to an alright start. They are 2-2-1 with a couple of blowout victories against Peterborough and North Bay, and losses to Niagara, Oshawa, and Ottawa.
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However, despite a bit of a frustrating start, the team has not been lacking in goal scoring with 24 goals in five games, and they are being led by Calgary Flames prospect Jacob Battaglia.
Battaglia was selected 62nd overall in the second round of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft by the Flames. He was the 12th OHL player selected and one of the four OHL players taken by Calgary in the 2024 draft.
Related: Jacob Battaglia Drafted 62nd Overall by Calgary; Developed Into a Lethal Goal Scorer in Kingston
Calgary’s Assistant Director of Amateur Scouting Fred Parker gave a great description of the team’s new prospect after they chose him: He’s a junkyard dog.
“He’s thick, he’s in the middle of the battle, he’s got good enough hands to score in the trenches and he’s always in the trenches in the middle of it,” said Flames Director of Amateur Scouting Tod Button.
Calgary’s scouting staff appear to have been onto something when they snagged the Mississauga, Ontario native near the end of the second round, as he looks like a dominant offensive threat right now in the OHL.
Related: Toronto Maple Leafs Prospect Suspended Two Games For Unsportsmanlike Conduct
Battaglia is on fire this season, scoring goals in five consecutive games and racking up a total of 12 points. Although his four-game multi-point streak was snapped by the Ottawa 67’s on Sunday, he still managed to score three, two, two, and four points in the first four games.
His 12 points put him in a tie for second with Michael Misa and one point back of Porter Martone. Additionally, he recorded his 100th career point in his 137th game at home against North Bay on Friday.
To put in perspective his development offensively, in his rookie season it took him 31 games to reach 11 points, and last season it took 17 games. This season it took him only four games.
Tod Button is not wrong when he says that Battaglia plays in the trenches. That’s exactly where he scores most of his goals. His release from within 10 to 20 feet is lethal and he possesses the soft hands to tuck pucks around goaltenders.
Here are those nice soft hands on display with the assist in the video below:
Being described as a soft passer can also mean a good thing, and Battaglia has the strength of being a soft passer. He leads passes for his teammates to skate into perfectly with a silky touch and is adept at passing through or around defenders.
Here’s a pretty one-touch setup at the net front here:
Battaglia’s offensive skills; vision, hands, poise, playmaking, and scoring ability have all been on display to start the season, and Flames fans should be excited about their 2024 second-rounder.
Will Calgary see their new winger prospect hit the 100-point mark this season? He’s on pace to do so.
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