North Bay Battalion coach to be behind the bench in CHL USA prospects challenge

Battalion coach joins staff at prospects challenge North Bay Battalion coach Ryan Oulahen will be behind the bench in the CHL USA prospects challenge. Eric Taschner has the story.

At hockey practice, every North Bay Battalion player clues in when head coach Ryan Oulahen is on the ice giving instructions.

"He’s a good mentor and shows what he wants from everyone," said forward Nolan Laird.

Oulahen is in his sixth season behind the bench. That’s a personal thing to cherish, he said, while recalling all the memories made in previous seasons: from three straight conference finals appearances to the little things that happen every day with the team.

"I remember the first win we had with all the staff here against Erie in December 2019," he said.

"I remember the first time we clinched a banner was pretty special. There have been a lot of things, even in the background, like the first guy that signed an NHL contract from our group."

Now Oulahen has another memory to cherish. He’s been named as an assistant coach for the upcoming 2024 CHL USA Prospects Challenge.

The top NHL draft-eligible prospects from the CHL face off against the USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program Under-18 Team in a two-game series on Nov. 26 in London and Nov. 27 in Oshawa.

"I think it's an awesome opportunity once again to be in an event where it's playing against the USA, having a little bit of extra motivation that way and, and to be around elite players and coaches," Oulahen told reporters.

The Battalion bench boss has experience in coaching other players to victory. Just this year, he helped lead Team Canada to a third straight gold medal at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Edmonton.

"I would assume that a lot of those players would be involved in this," he said.

"So, a lot of the building things that we did from that and just building the trust with some of those players is going to help."

Before joining the Battalion, Oulahen spent three seasons as the head coach of the Flint Firebirds and six seasons as an assistant coach with the Battalion from 2010-16.

Additionally, on the international stage, Oulahen was also behind the bench at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in 2014 (assistant coach, Canada Red), 2015 (assistant coach, Canada Black), and 2017 (head coach, Canada White).

He also served as an assistant at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, winning gold. A former captain during his playing days in the OHL with the Battalion, Oulahen played three seasons as a forward for the franchise he now coaches.

His current crop of players appreciates everything he’s done to help with their development.

"Now being a second-year guy, I can show that to our first-year players what he likes and the effort we put on the ice moving forward," Laird said.

The man behind the bench in North Bay continues pushing his team forward toward their goal of victory.