Just six games into this draft-plus-one season, Vancouver Canucks’ prospect Anthony Romani appears to have suffered a significant setback.
On Friday, Romani was checked into the boards by Erie Otters’ Ty Henry at 10:32 of the first period and did not return to that game. Later that evening, a North Bay Battalion post-game article had confirmed that the 19-year-old suffered a broken clavicle and would be held out of the lineup indefinitely.
While a timeline has yet to be given, it’s expected that Romani will likely miss significant time.
Leading up to the injury, Romani had produced at a point-per-game pace, with two goals and five points over the first five matches of the 2024-25 season.
Fresh off his inaugural NHL training camp, Romani was one of the standout prospects in Penticton. Additionally, he dressed in all three games at the Young Stars Classic and scored a goal against his former North Bay netminder, Domenic DiVincentiis.
Last year, as a double-entry draftee, the 18-year-old (at the time) lit the OHL on fire, finishing second with 111 points while leading the league with 58 goals. His incredible year earned him a spot on the OHL Second All-Star Team for the first time in his four-year junior career.
That incredible season earned him a sixth-round draft pick, as the Vancouver Canucks selected him with the 162nd pick of the 2024 entry draft in Las Vegas.
The Pickering, Ontario native is just 21 points shy of producing at a point-per-game pace throughout his potent OHL career. With 91 goals, he has produced 173 points across 194 games, all spent with the North Bay Battalion.
With a summer birthday (July), Romani will still carry the ability to play one final year of junior-eligible hockey next year if the injury sets his timetable back. Otherwise, he will be eligible to push for a professional roster out of camp by next fall.
The North Bay Battalion will now be left without one of their go-to offensive options. As of today, they are part of a four-team tie of the OHL’s Central Division standings with eight points (4-3-0-0 record). With 10 points, the Niagara Ice Dogs lead the division early on in the season.
