Tom Martineau/North Bay Battalion
This past season was a whirlwind for Oakville's Josh Bloom.
Heading into the 2022-23 season, Bloom was about to play his final OHL season before he finally became a full-time member of the Buffalo Sabres organization after being drafted by the team in 2021.
Bloom was named Saginaw Spirit captain at the start of the year and looked to be the team's leader as they prepared for a run at the memorial cup.
But after only 19 games, Bloom was traded from Saginaw to North Bay. It was a big trade that was difficult for both sides to endure.
Even though leaving Saginaw was tough for Bloom, he embraced the new opportunity in North Bay and began a new chapter with the Batallion.
In 49 regular season games with North Bay, Bloom put up 25 goals, 30 assists and 55 points, helping the Batallion reach the playoffs.
Before the season ended, Josh was a part of another trade.
Bloom was traded from Buffalo to Vancouver during the NHL trade deadline in exchange for defenseman Riley Stillman.
Bloom received the information while enjoying a day off with his teammates.
"I was hanging out with the guys in North Bay and saw three missed calls from Kevyn Adams" (Buffalo Sabres General Manager).
Bloom knew right away that something was up. "I thought, 'Oh, he never calls me; I think I just got traded.'"
Sure enough, Bloom was right and is now a member of the Vancouver Canucks.
Bloom still had his season in North Bay to worry about before focussing on his NHL career.
Bloom and the Battalion made a deep run in the playoffs. Bloom had a significant impact scoring 12 points in 20 playoff games.
Unfortunately for North Bay, they were eliminated in seven games in the eastern conference finals by the eventual OHL champion Peterborough Petes.
Now, Bloom is shifting his focus to his professional hockey career.
Next season he will most likely play for Vancouver's AHL team, the Abbotsford Canucks.
Bloom already has a connection to Abbotsford's coaching staff as the team's skating coach, Mackenzie Braid, trains with Josh during the offseason.
Josh will now be entering a new league with an entirely new organization.
He believes that his main focus of this season should be learning.
"It's going to be my first year of pro; there is obviously going to be that learning curve as there is with every guy. I want to take everything in full stride and keep developing and working towards being a better hockey player."
Being in a Canadian hockey market differs from being in an American one.
Some players embrace the opportunity of playing in front of lots of fans and media, while others do not like getting the intense attention that playing in Canada can bring.
But Bloom is ready to embrace the pressures that playing north of the border can bring.
"[I'm] really excited to be in a Canadian market…[It] will just be that much more fun to be in a market that cares and is passionate."
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