The Islanders have picked up two affiliates each from the Fredericton St. Louis Bar and Grill Royals, two from the Chatham Miramichi Honda Ironmen, and one from the Moncton Dixie Lee Mets ahead of the national tournament taking place from Thursday to Sunday. They’ve also added a junior-aged player from the Fredericton Tim Hortons Altimax Royals.
The senior Royals will be represented by pitcher and second-baseman Colby Lyle of Oromocto and import pitcher and centre-fielder Nathan Van Putten of Monkland, Ont. Charlottetown’s affiliates from the Ironmen are centre-fielder and pitcher Mike McKay and pitcher Zach Newman of Miramichi.
Short stop and pitcher Justin Cormier of Saint-Anne-de-Kent will join the Islanders from the Mets.
The Islanders’ pickup from the junior Royals is short stop and second-baseman Max Grant of Fredericton.
Grant, 22, recorded a .321 batting average in 18 total regular-season and playoff games this year with Fredericton’s junior squad while also affiliating with the senior club in the province’s capital. He’s one of the youngest players on Charlottetown’s Nationals roster.
Grant recorded 18 hits in 56 at-bats, along with two home runs, 18 runs batted in, 20 runs, and eight stolen bases. In the pitching department, he went 0-1 with a run, a hit, a walk, and a strikeout in two-thirds of an inning June 19 against the Saint John Doiron’s Sports Junior Alpines.
Lyle, 29, hit at a .365 pace this year in the senior league, with 19 hits in 52 at-bats, as well as nine runs, eight RBIs, and a stolen base. On the mound, he logged a 2.12 earned-run average after scattering 19 runs on 36 hits, striking out 21, and walking 13 while adding a 3-3 win-loss mark in 39-plus innings over an eight-game span.
Van Putten, 24, had a .306 batting average in 28 games with the Royals this year, with 22 hits in 72 at-bats. He accumulated eight RBIs, two homers, and two stolen bases. On the bump, his line included a 4.47 ERA, 40 runs on 55 hits, 37 free passes, 58 strikeouts, a 3-4 record, and two saves in 56-plus innings in 12 games.
McKay, 27, placed fourth in Chatham’s regular-season batting ranks with a .330 average (29 hits in 88 at-bats). He put up a dinger, nine RBIs, and 12 stolen bases. His 3.68 ERA on the bump was also good for fifth in the Ironmen bullpen after the regular season, with his pitching stats including 13 runs, 25 hits, nine walks, 13 strikeouts, a 2-1 record, and a save in five games.
Newman, 25, finished the year with a 3.97 ERA, 27 runs on 44 hits, 49 strikeouts, 13 walks, and a 3-4 record in eight games on the hill for the Ironmen.
Cormier, 31, notched a .323 average at the dish for Moncton, with 31 hits in 96 at-bats. He had seven RBIs and stole six bases. On the mound, he recorded a 3.85 ERA, 39 runs on 70 hits, 51 strikeouts, 28 walks, a save, and a 2-3 record in 60 innings over 11 games.
The Islanders also dressed Miramichi athlete Max Jardine during the regular season, as the 19-year-old stayed on Prince Edward Island for the summer after jumping to the Charlottetown Islanders major-junior hockey program from his hometown Miramichi Timberwolves junior A team midway through the 2023-24 campaign.
Jardine isn’t listed on the baseball Islanders’ Nationals roster, as he’s currently attending his first Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League training camp in Charlottetown. He ended the baseball season with a .333 average (11 hits in 33 at-bats) and an RBI in 19 games, along with a 1-0 pitching record after allowing three hits, handing out two free passes, and sitting down four opposing hitters in five-plus innings of work.
Former Ironmen import Jack Kraft also suited up for the Islanders again this year, but the New Jersey product isn’t eligible to play at Nationals as he isn’t a Canadian citizen.
Rounding out the Islanders’ roster for Nationals are Scott Harper, Logan Gallant, Cole MacLaren, Jordan Stevenson, Jonathan Arsenault, Jake Beck, Ben MacDougall, Josh Myers, Ryne MacIsaac, Tyson McInnis, Duncan Picketts, Tyler Taylor, Logan MacDougall, Nick MacPhail, and Brody McDonald. Coaches will include Doug Hines, JP Stevenson, Jack MacKenzie, and Ethan Smith, with Chuck Grady serving as chef de mission.
After the opening ceremonies Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and the home-run derby at 8 p.m., Charlottetown will face Team Quebec Thursday at 11 a.m. and Team Newfoundland and Labrador at 5 p.m., then hit the field for a date with Team British Columbia Friday at 6:30 p.m.
The Islanders’ round-robin schedule will wrap up Saturday in an 11 a.m. showdown with the host Team Ontario.
The quarterfinals are set for Saturday at 7 and 8 p.m., followed by the semifinals Sunday at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. The bronze-medal contest is at 5 p.m., with the championship game set for 8 p.m.
All game times are listed in the Atlantic Daylight Time zone.
The Islanders are fresh off their second consecutive regular-season pennant after going 17-11 in league play this year. They punched their ticket to the Canadian tournament after beating the Royals in the 2023 league final.
The rest of the senior circuit will be idle until after Charlottetown returns from Nationals.
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