Barrie Picking

The team to beat in the Eastern Conference - the Barrie Colts - boast three scoring lines and plenty of size. Coach/GM Marty Williamson along with his scouting staff have done a good job of rebuilding. The Colts will need to address their backend but have plenty of picks and prospects to draw from should a trade need to be made. The goaltending is solid but lacks an established backup should Peter Di Salvo succumb to an injury. The Colts acquisition of forwards Cameron, Pither and Burmistrov in the off-season gives them the most depth at the forward position in the OHL.

McKeen's Director of Scouting David Burstyn, looks at several players from the Barrie Colts, including Peter Di Salvo, Ryan o'Connor, Michael Sgarbossa, David Mazurek, Alexander Burmistrov, Kyle Clifford and RyanStrome.

Peter DiSalvo (2010), G, Barrie

Overlooked last season at the NHL entry draft, he was quickly snapped up by the St. Louis Blues and participated in the Traverse City rookie tournament .. won in his only appearance, however was not signed by the Blues .. won the starting duties following an off-season trade of Hutchinson to London .. has done a better job in his conditioning, as he came into Barrie this year in his best shape yet .. has struggled out of the gate but the Colts are such an offensive juggernaut that he has a strong winning record even though his personal stats have suffered .. a sizeable goalie with decent mobility .. he could move better laterally, as he relies on his size too much .. he stays centre in the net but in fairness to his game, he angles well so he can limit his movement .. could work on his rebound control .. glove hand is very quick and he teases shooters to go there as he keeps it low only to flash it .. an ok puckhandler, but he understands when to play the puck .. decent down low coverage but the book is to go high on him, as his butterfly style lends him to go down too early .. should he taste some success this season he could hear his name called on NHL draft day.

Ryan O'Connor (2010), D, Barrie

Made the U18 Hlinka team, capturing gold and played a very reliable, offensively fuelled game .. not a fluid skater, which will hinder his draft stock .. he is not crisp in his pivots nor does he explode up the ice, as his stride is somewhat clunky .. his game lends itself to mistakes because he is not able to recover and constantly pushes for offensive opportunities .. he is a smart defender and does not jump into the play without thinking, however at times, he over gauges his position and underestimates the opposition and the pace of the OHL .. his offensive game is mature .. he has confidence in his shot and will use it often .. he can take and receive passes and is not afraid to creep off the line into the slot in PP situations .. he could stand to move his feet more on the PP, as he can become complacent .. his hand/eye coordination is very good .. defensively he is in tough .. he lacks size and his lateral agility is merely average making it hard for him to stay with forwards .. he does not always keep his head up and has a tendency to throw away the puck .. O'Connor has a good skill set but is it enough.

Michael Sgarbossa (2010), C/W Barrie

A naturally talented centre, Sgarbossa has been playing the wing, which has robbed him of his creativity .. he quietly put up 43 points last season and should crush those stats this year playing on the second line on one of the deepest teams in the OHL .. while the focus will be on Barrie's top line to shutdown, Sgarbossa should benefit from better matchups and be able to take advantage of that on the score sheet .. an average skater, he has improved his agility and appears to be smoother in his turns this season .. he is a gifted playmaker who sees the ice incredibly well .. his lack of a separation gear is not exposed because he reads the play well and the puck is off and on his blade in an instant .. able to manufacture offence in the neutral zone due to his deft one-touch passes .. the chemistry he has established with Burmistrov has been good, however he is forced to play the wing .. very relaxed and composed with the puck .. when he is contributing on the offensive side of the puck and gets in a game early he can dazzle .. however, he does not do much away from the puck .. he will try to defend but he is simply unaware of where he needs to be and not strong enough to contain players .. Sgarbossa's biggest issue at this point is his strength, as too easily he is pushed off the puck .. he will lose puck battles down low simply because he is not strong enough to battle .. his puck protection skills could also be refined .. Sgarbossa is in the right environment to hone his offensive game (especially when Cameron returns), however he will need to focus on a better two-way game if he wishes to be a high NHL draft pick.

David Mazurek (2010), RW, Barrie

Mazurek lost a year of development last year, as he was unable to play a regular shift with the Jr. B Brantford Golden Eagles .. he signed with the Colts after Christmas, spending the majority of the year in the press box (played in only three games) .. a similar fate may be in store for Mazurek this year, pending a trade, as the Colts' depth is just too much for him to crack a roster spot even on the fourth line .. Cameron and Archibald have yet to play this year, which would effectively bump Mazurek to the press box yet again .. does not touch the puck but does play a spirited game .. his skating is sluggish but he does achieve good levels of speed .. he uses his edges ok but his balance suffers as he constantly falls down .. employed as an F1 on a deep fore check, as his rangy frame and reach can help break up plays or steer them in an opposite direction .. he is very active in puck pursuit and makes his presence felt in that regard .. tends to slow down with the puck, as his decision making is a direct result of a lack of confidence from not playing last season .. sadly, will not see the ice much this season but should be an impact player next year.

Alexander Burmistrov (2010), C/W, Barrie

First round Import pick has added another layer of offensive skill to an already dominant team .. plays centre but is a better winger .. he literally flies all over the ice that it makes him very unpredictable to both the opposition and even his own linemates to know where he is going .. his skating is sublime, as his first step and stride are aided by a strong lower body that propels him into all three zones .. he is incredibly talented, his hand skills, release and accuracy are all elite skills that are NHL ready .. the fact that he is constantly moving his feet makes him near impossible to cover .. he wants the puck all the time which is encouraging, but he can be too flashy and gives up the puck .. needs to make the simple play and adopt more of a North American-style-of-game .. nonetheless, coach Williamson has done a good job of allowing him to be creative and play his game even if he tries to force things .. rather slender (6-0, 170), he will need to add some weight .. he has assimilated nicely since coming over to the CHL, however he could improve his body language in certain situations .. his sheer ability to create out of nothing and hunger to produce offensively will make him a highly coveted NHL draft pick .. he has a Semin-like disposition to him.

Kyle Clifford (LA), LW, Barrie

Clifford transformed his game completely following a successful U18 last spring which led to his second round selection by the Kings .. adored by everyone within the Hockey Operations department of the Kings, he signed a three year deal before returning to junior .. participated in a handful of exhibition games, scoring while playing alongside Brayden Schenn and also got involved in a few fights .. a thick, industrial-type-of-player who oozes character .. he does many little things that add to team success whether it is a chip play up the ice, a hit along the boards or screening a goalie in front .. plays in all situations and is a regular on both the PP and PK .. his defensive awareness sets him apart, as he knows where to go, is savvy in establishing position and is so strong that he is near impossible to budge anywhere on the ice .. opponents who try to hit him literally bounce off him .. his experience at NHL camps has helped his overall offensive skills .. his passes are crisper, faster and accurate .. he processes the game better now and moves to areas where the puck should be, as he has adopted more of a pro-like mentality .. Clifford is not opposed to getting his hands dirty and he will score many goals as a direct result due to his competitive nature .. Clifford plays like a poor man's Shayne Corson.

Ryan Strome (2011), C, Barrie

The first round selection for the Colts has already established himself as a skilled player worthy of his icetime .. he is shuffled around by coach Williamson and has fit in nicely on any line .. played very well on a line with Clifford and Hutchings as his vision and passing skills helped to create scoring chances .. constantly plays with his head up, as he makes quick, accurate passes .. an average skater but he shows surprising bursts of speed .. has confidence with the puck and is not afraid to play it in deep .. needs to make some adjustments to his game with the puck, however his enthusiasm this early in his junior career is more than encouraging .. he will learn to make a quick play with the puck but for the time being he does control the play when in his possession due to his patience .. generally rookies are unable to dictate the flow of the game with the puck like Strome can, however he is an exception to the rule .. he will be a superstar in the league it is only a matter of time and his spot on the U17 Ontario team is secure.