Barrie decided this season that they are all in on pursuing their first OHL Championship since 2000. They have most certainly built a roster capable of doing so.

Last season, the pursuit for first place in the Eastern Conference was an extremely close race, with ultimately the Oshawa Generals taking the crown.

The Generals continued their dominance into the playoffs, defeating the North Bay Battalion in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, but faltered to the mighty London Knights in the OHL Championship Series. 

This year, Oshawa is right there again, in the race for the top spot in the east, boasting a roster that could once again take them to the OHL Finals. 

However, it's an extremely tight race, and the Barrie Colts — who are tied with Oshawa for first in the east as of today, Feb. 12 — provide maybe the strongest competition to dethrone the Generals.

After finishing eighth place and getting bounced in six games by those Oshawa Generals, Colts Head Coach and GM Marty Williamson made an executive decision to spend a ton of assets to improve his roster for the 2024-25 season. 

He started by trading for Dallas Stars defense prospect Tristan Bertucci, in a three-team deal in the summer involving Niagara and Flint. 

One week later, he traded for another Dallas Stars prospect, Ottawa 67's centerman Brad Gardiner.

In September, they acquired the big, rugged, physical Ottawa Senators defense prospect Gabriel Eliasson from the IceDogs. 

Early into the season in October, Williamson traded away one of the team's best young star players, Shamar Moses, in exchange for Edmonton Oilers prospect Dalyn Wakely. 

Wakely is tied with Barrie captain Beau Jelsma for second on the team in points with 42 and has been a difference-maker on both special team units, scoring six powerplay goals and three shorthanded goals. 

And then the big splash before the trade deadline. Barrie again had to part ways with one of their best young players, 2024 sixth overall pick Parker Vaughan, but it helped them acquire Vancouver Canucks sniper prospect Anthony Romani and overage forward Owen Van Steensel from North Bay. 

In total, Williamson traded away the following in exchange for Bertucci, Gardiner, Wakely, Romani, and Van Steensel:

D, Jack Brauti '06
D, Blair Scott '05
RW, Shamar Moses '07
RW, Parker Vaughan '08
C, Zach Wigle '04
3 second-round draft picks
3 third-round draft picks
4 fourth-round draft picks
2 fifth-round draft picks
1 sixth-round draft pick
1 seventh-round draft pick
1 15th-round draft pick

Barrie's Remarkable Depth

Barrie has eight NHL-affiliated prospects on their roster. What's special about this team is that they are far from a one-line team and their depth on paper is as good as the first-place London Knights. 

This is the lineup they ran out within their last game on Saturday, Feb. 8, in their 4-2 win against the Greyhounds:

Van Steensel - Wakely - Romani
Jelsma - Beaudoin - Patterson
Stewart - Gardiner - Hemming
Lowe - Newton

Aitcheson - Akey
Eliasson - Passmore
Tiller - Bertucci
Handsor

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLJh_MEyX_c[/embed]

Did you know, Barrie doesn't have a player inside the top 30 in league scoring? Vancouver Canucks prospect Riley Patterson leads the team in points with just 49. He also leads in goals with 21. 

Finnish import right winger Emil Hemming is a first-round draft choice by the Dallas Stars but plays on the team's third line because of how deep they are. And he hasn't had a poor season by any means — 14 goals and 36 points in 44 games. 

This team has seven players with 15 or more goals. Van Steensel and Hemming are right behind with 14. Also, they have 10 players with 30 or more points. 

If their opponents game plan to shut down the "North Bay Trio" line, they will have to figure out how to deal with Beaudoin and Hemming's lines. 

On the blueline, they have a great mix of puck-movers, offensive-minded, and big, physical shutdown defensemen. 

Each of Akey, Aitcheson, and Bertucci have 10 powerplay assists. Top 2025 NHL draft prospect Aitcheson has taken his offensive game to another level this year, posting 17 goals (seven on the powerplay), and leading Colts blueliners in points with 39. 

Defensively, a pairing of 6-foot-7 Eliasson and 6-foot-4 Passmore isn't a pleasant duo to go up against in the dirty areas of the defensive zone if you play for the other team. Expect their physical presence to really stand out and flourish in the playoffs. 

Lastly, they have operated a tandem between the pipes with Sam Hillebrandt and Ben Hrebik. 

Second-year netminder Hrebik has posted the better numbers between the two. He has the league's best save percentage (.932%) and third-lowest goals-against average (2.33). 

His strong play in the crease has been recognized by NHL Central Scouting, who ranked him as their 10th-best North American goalie in their midterm rankings. 

Hillebrandt has the experience over his partner and was excellent in their playoff series against Oshawa last year, recording a .938 save percentage and a 2.48 goals-against average in the series. 

The Colts are surging at the moment. They are 9-0-1 in their last ten games. This came after a rather disappointing stretch of four games where they went 1-3 and suffered losses to Peterborough, Owen Sound, and North Bay. 

They have a big test in their next game against the London Knights on Thursday, Feb. 13, which will be what every hockey analyst loves to call — the ultimate test.  

Bookmark The Hockey News OHL site to never miss news, interviews, and any updates around the league.