It's been a long time coming, but the Barrie Colts will start a new chapter tonight when they host the Niagara IceDogs to open the 2021-22 Ontario Hockey League season.
The Colts will have some new faces in the lineup in what is expected to be a big year.
The team announced this morning on Twitter that Swedish forward Oskar Olausson has arrived in town. The 18-year-old was selected 28th overall by the Colorado Avalanche in this summer's NHL Entry Draft. After a strong training camp, including a goal in Colorado's first exhibition game the Vegas Golden Knights, the Avs assigned Olausson to the Colts on Tuesday night.
Morning Colts Country, how are we doing?
— Barrie Colts (@OHLBarrieColts) October 7, 2021
Oskar Olausson (@oskarolausson1) has arrived! #BackInTheSaddle | @Avalanche pic.twitter.com/XL0ILPDvEd
The Colts selected Olausson in the second round of the 2021 Canadian Hockey League Import Draft with the 118th pick. During the 2020-21 season, he scored three goals and had three assists in 11 games with Sodertalje, as well as three goals and one assist in 16 games with HV71.
Between the pipes, the Colts have also added 19-year-old goaltender Matthew Sbrocca, who was picked up in a trade last week from the Oshawa Generals.
The Colts come into this year with plenty of fanfare. In the inaugural CHL rankings, Barrie was slotted No. 5 among major junior teams from coast to coast, behind only the Kingston Frontenacs among OHL teams. The Colts are led on the back end by Los Angeles Kings first-round pick Brandt Clarke on defence, as well as a high-octane offence featuring Olausson, Ethan Cardwell (San Jose Sharks) and Evan Vierling (New York Rangers).
During the 2019-20 season, Vierling picked up 34 points (12G, 22A) in only 28 games after being acquired in a trade with the Flint Firebirds. The Aurora native was a fifth-round pick of the Rangers in 2020. He was also a second-overall pick in the 2018 OHL draft.
Cardwell, who was also traded to the Colts during the 2019-20 season following a deal with the Saginaw Spirit that saw Ryan Suzuki going the other way, was going at a point-per-game pace when he arrived in Barrie. The forward, chosen by the Sharks in the fourth round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, had 11 goals and 15 assists in 26 games to finish out the 2019-20 campaign.
Tonight's game will also see Marty Williamson's return to the Barrie bench. Williamson started his OHL coaching career with the Colts when he was named head coach ahead of the 2004-05 season before later moving on to the Niagara IceDogs. He returned to the Colts' hockey operations department in 2019. In July, the Colts announced Williamson as their new head coach and general manager. following the death of longtime coach and Hockey Hall of Famer Dale Hawerchuk and departure of former GM Jason Ford.
This week, the Colts also announced some moves in their hockey operations department heading into the season. Sudbury resident Mark Seidel was promoted to director of player personnel, while Frank Carnevale takes on a new role as advisor to general manager. Meanwhile, Woodstock resident Rob Stewart returns for his seventh season as assistant GM and will again be responsible for leading team into OHL drafts.
On the scouting front, Matt Milne was hired as OMHA-SCTA regional scout, local native Wade Conrad returns for his fifth season and is responsible for the OMHA-ETA region, and Mike Dukeshire will now cover the GTHL.
“We have a strong group of scouts who have helped identify our group of players currently on the team and our prospects," Stewart said on the team's website. "We believe the additions we have added will help strengthen our staff and will play a part of our success moving forward.”
The puck is set to drop tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Sadlon Arena. The Colts are in Hamilton to take on the Bulldogs on Saturday night for their first road game.
