Brantford has loaded up, Ottawa has loaded up; it was time for the Barrie Colts to make a move, and they made two. 

In two separate transactions, the Colts have added a couple of members from the Brampton Steelheads’ leadership group: captain and overage forward Mason Zebeski and defenseman Parker Von Richter. Both players are committed to the NCAA’s University of New Hampshire upon completion of their OHL careers. 

Below are the combined full trade details:

Barrie Colts Receive:

LW, Mason Zebeski (2005) - 38GP, 13G, 15A, 28PTS
RHD, Parker Von Richter (2006) - 38GP, 4G, 21A, 25PTS 

Brampton Steelheads Receive:

LW, Sam Black (2007) - 8GP, 0PTS
2027 2nd round pick
2029 2nd round pick
2027 3rd round pick
2027 3rd round pick (WSR)
2027 4th round pick (BFD)
2029 5th round pick

The Steelheads come away with a former fourth-rounder from the 2023 draft, and minor hockey teammates with Brady Martin, Sam Black, and six draft picks for two players who are expected to move to the NCAA next season. Von Richter and Zebeski have been incredibly important to Brampton’s roster this season, providing the offensive support they needed after all the departures they suffered from last year’s roster. 

GM James Richmond traded away the team’s top scorer, Gabriel Chiarot, to the Kitchener Rangers recently, meaning that the top three scorers on their roster have now been moved. There’s going to be a ton of ice time available in Brampton for their young stars to slot into and take advantage of. 

This move for Barrie addresses two glaring issues. Their roster had been missing a top-six left winger, one who ideally can slide between their two stars: Cole Beaudoin and Emil Hemming. I would assume Zebeski will slot right on the top line with those two. 

The other issue was on the blueline, where outside of Kashawn Aitcheson and 2008-born rookie Cole Emerton, the team lacked offensive support and defenders who can move the puck quickly and accurately against the forecheck. 

Von Richter has come into his own this season. The Toronto Marlboro alumni is on pace for a career-high season and looks incredibly confident with the puck on his stick. Factor in the 6-foot-1, 195-pound frame, Barrie has another top-four defenseman who can hold his own in the defensive end. 

Shoutout to Emerton, who has come in as a rookie and been terrific for Barrie. But if the Colts want to contend against the powerhouse Brantford Bulldogs, they needed to add a defenseman who would push him down to the third pair. 

“Having coached against both Parker and Mason for several years, it’s been evident they fit the Barrie Colts mould. They’re relentless competitors who lead by example and play the game the right way,” said Barrie Colts Head Coach Dylan Smoskowitz. 

Barrie is most likely done now in regard to trades. They have only one second-round pick and two thirds remaining for the next four years. They don’t have much capital to work with, so they are banking on these two moves putting them over the edge. 

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