Barrie Colts facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Barrie Colts
City	Barrie, Ontario
League	Ontario Hockey League
Conference	Eastern
Division	Central
Founded	1946 (Jr. B.) May 6, 1995 (OHL)
Home arena	Sadlon Arena
Colours	Navy blue, yellow, red and white
General manager	Marty Williamson
Head coach	Dylan Smoskowitz
Website www.barriecolts.com

The Barrie Colts are a junior ice hockey team from Barrie, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), which is a top league for young hockey players. The Colts play their home games at the Sadlon Arena.

The team joined the OHL in 1995. Before that, they played in lower-level junior hockey leagues. A big moment for the Colts was during the 1999–2000 OHL season when they won the J. Ross Robertson Cup. This win allowed them to compete in the 2000 Memorial Cup, a major championship for junior hockey teams in Canada.

Team Achievements

The Barrie Colts have won several important championships and titles throughout their history.

OHL Championships

The OHL is a very competitive league, and the Colts have had some great success.

J. Ross Robertson Cup

This is the championship trophy for the Ontario Hockey League.

• 1999–2000—The Colts were champions! They won against the Plymouth Whalers.
• The team also reached the finals three other times: in 2001–02, 2009–10, and 2012–13.

Bobby Orr Trophy

This trophy is awarded to the champion of the Eastern Conference in the OHL playoffs. The Colts have won it four times.

• 1999–2000—Champions against the Belleville Bulls.
• 2001–02—Champions against the Toronto St. Michael's Majors.
• 2009–10—Champions against the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors.
• 2012–13—Champions against the Belleville Bulls.

Emms Trophy

This trophy goes to the winner of the Central Division. The Colts have won this title nine times, showing their strength in their division.

• 1998–99—They earned 105 points, the most in the Eastern Conference.
• 1999–2000—They had 93 points, again first in the Eastern Conference.
• 2006–07—They scored 97 points, leading the Eastern Conference.
• 2009–10—A fantastic season with 116 points, the best in the entire OHL!
• 2012–13—They finished with 92 points.
• 2014–15—They earned 85 points.
• 2015–16—They had 89 points.
• 2017–18—They finished with 89 points.
• 2024–25—They achieved 88 points.

Hamilton Spectator Trophy

This trophy is given to the team with the best overall record in the entire OHL regular season.

• 2009–10—The Colts won this trophy with an amazing 116 points.

Junior B Championships

Before joining the OHL, the Barrie Colts also had success in the Junior B league.

Sutherland Cup

This is the championship for Junior 'B' hockey.

• The Colts won this cup in the 1934–35 and 1992–93 seasons.

Division Titles

The team won the Central Junior 'B' division title multiple times:

• 1984–85, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1992–93.

Team Leaders

Behind every great team are dedicated coaches and general managers.

Coaches

The head coach guides the team during games and practices.

• Bert Templeton was the first coach for the OHL Colts, starting in 1995. He was also recognized as the OHL Executive of the Year in 1995–96.
• Other coaches have included Bill Stewart, Bud Stefanski, Marty Williamson, Dale Hawerchuk, Warren Rychel, Todd Miller, and currently Dylan Smoskowitz. Marty Williamson has coached the team for multiple seasons.

General Managers

The general manager is in charge of building the team, including drafting players and making trades.

• Bert Templeton was also the first general manager for the OHL Colts.
• Other general managers have included Bill Stewart, Mike McCann, Greg Carrigan, Jason Ford, and Marty Williamson.

Star Players

Many talented players have worn the Barrie Colts jersey, with some even going on to play in the National Hockey League (NHL).

OHL Award Winners

Several Colts players have won individual awards in the OHL:

• Jack Ferguson Award (First overall draft pick): Daniel Tkaczuk (1995), Aaron Ekblad (2011), Ryan Suzuki (2017).
• OHL Goaltender of the Year: Brian Finley (1998–99), Paulo Colaiacovo (2003–04), Mackenzie Blackwood (2015–16).
• Wayne Gretzky 99 Award (Playoffs MVP): Brian Finley (1998–99).
• Emms Family Award (Rookie of the Year): Sheldon Keefe (1998–99), Bryan Little (2003–04), Aaron Ekblad (2011–12), Andrei Svechnikov (2017–18).
• Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy (Scoring Champion): Sheldon Keefe (1999–2000), Kevin Labanc (2015–16), Aaron Luchuk (2017–18).
• Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy (Top Scoring Right Winger): Sheldon Keefe (1999–2000), Kevin Labanc (2015–16).
• Memorial Cup All-Star Team: Erik Reitz and Sheldon Keefe (2000).
• Max Kaminsky Trophy (Most Outstanding Defenceman): Erik Reitz (2001–02), Aaron Ekblad (2013–14).
• Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy (Overage Player of the Year): Bryan Cameron (2009–10), Joseph Blandisi (2014–15), Kevin Labanc (2015–16), Aaron Luchuk (2017–18).
• Mickey Renaud Captain's Trophy (Leadership Award): Michael Webster (2015–16).
• William Hanley Trophy (Most Sportsmanlike Player): Evan Vierling (2022–23).

CHL Award Winners

The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) is the umbrella organization for the OHL and other major junior leagues.

• CHL Top Draft Prospect Award: Andrei Svechnikov (2017–18).
• CHL Sportsman of the Year Award: Evan Vierling (2022–23).

NHL Alumni

Many former Barrie Colts players have gone on to play in the National Hockey League, the top professional hockey league in the world. As of the 2024–25 NHL season, 72 former Colts players have played in the NHL.

Junior B Colts Alumni

• Drake Berehowsky
• Shayne Corson
• Bruce Gardiner
• Mike Hoffman
• John Madden
• Mike Prokopec
• Craig Rivet
• Darren Rumble
• Darrin Shannon
• Darryl Shannon
• Shayne Stevenson

OHL Colts Alumni

• Rasmus Andersson
• Andreas Athanasiou
• Darren Archibald
• Ryan Barnes
• Mackenzie Blackwood
• Joseph Blandisi
• Darryl Bootland
• T. J. Brodie
• Evan Brophey
• Brad Brown
• Jan Bulis
• Alexander Burmistrov
• Ethan Cardwell
• Brandt Clarke
• Kyle Clifford
• Richard Clune
• Jeff Cowan
• B. J. Crombeen
• Mike Danton
• Stefan Della Rovere
• Jake Dotchin
• Aaron Ekblad
• Brian Finley
• Tyson Foerster
• Daniel Girardi
• Jet Greaves
• Ryan Hamilton
• Ben Harpur
• Michael Hutchinson
• Sheldon Keefe
• Kevin Labanc
• Dan LaCosta
• Brian Lashoff
• Brendan Lemieux
• Bryan Little
• Andrew Mangiapane
• Mike Minard
• Oskar Olausson
• Adam Payerl
• Tanner Pearson
• Brendan Perlini
• Jakub Petruzalek
• Alex Pietrangelo
• Dalton Prout
• Eric Reitz
• Zac Rinaldo
• Mark Scheifele
• Michael Sgarbossa
• Denis Shvidki
• Arturs Silovs
• Martin Skoula
• Givani Smith
• Nick Smith
• Ryan Strome
• Ryan Suzuki
• Andrei Svechnikov
• Joey Tenute
• Daniel Tkaczuk
• Tyler Tucker
• Alexander Volchkov
• Mike Weber

Team Captains

The team captain is a leader on and off the ice. Here are some of the players who have been captains for the Colts:

• 1995–96 Brad Brown, Jeff Cowan
• 1996–99 Daniel Tkaczuk
• 1999–2000 Sheldon Keefe
• 2000–01 Matt Dzieduszycki
• 2001–02 Eric Reitz
• 2002–04 Jeremy Swanson
• 2004–05 B. J. Crombeen
• 2005–07 Bryan Little
• 2007–08 Tomas Marcinko
• 2008–10 Stefan Della Rovere
• 2010–11 Dalton Prout
• 2011–12 Colin Behenna
• 2012–13 Ryan O'Connor
• 2013–14 Aaron Ekblad
• 2014–15 Joseph Blandisi
• 2015–16 Michael Webster
• 2016–17 Cordell James
• 2017–19 Justin Murray
• 2019–20 Jason Willms, Luke Bignell
• 2021–23 Brandt Clarke
• 2022–23 Declan McDonnell
• 2023–24 Connor Punnett
• 2024–25 Beau Jelsma

Retired Numbers

The Barrie Colts have honored three special people by retiring their jersey numbers. This means no other player on the team will ever wear these numbers again.

• Bryan Little (number 18) is the team's all-time leading scorer.
• Kyle Clifford (number 13) won the Stanley Cup twice in the NHL.
• Dale Hawerchuk (number 10) was a legendary player and coached the Colts for nine seasons.

Team History and Seasons

The Barrie Colts have played in different leagues over the years.

• From the 1960s to 1978, they were in the Mid-Ontario Junior B League.
• From 1978 to 1993, they played in the Central Junior B League.
• From 1993 to 1995, they were in the OPJHL Junior A league.
• Since 1995, they have been a part of the OHL.

Playoff Highlights

The Colts have had many exciting playoff runs:

• 1969–70—Won the George S. Dudley Trophy Super "C" championship.
• 1992–93—Won the Sutherland Cup.
• 1999–2000—Became OHL Champions! They defeated the Plymouth Whalers in the finals. They also made it to the Memorial Cup championship game but lost to the Rimouski Océanic.
• 2001–02—Reached the OHL finals, losing to the Erie Otters.
• 2009–10—Reached the OHL finals, losing to the Windsor Spitfires.
• 2012–13—Reached the OHL finals, losing to the London Knights.
• The OHL Playoffs in 2019–20 and the entire 2020–21 season were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Team Look

The Barrie Colts have a distinct look with their uniforms and logo.

Uniforms and Logos

The team's logo features an angry horse holding a hockey stick, surrounded by a horseshoe. The Colts' main colors are navy blue, yellow, red, and white.

• Their home uniforms are white with red, navy blue, and gold trim.
• Their away uniforms are navy blue with red, white, and gold trim.
• They also briefly used a red third jersey.
• For the 2007–08 season, they introduced a new navy blue third jersey with "Colts" written diagonally across the front.
• In the 2009–10 season, they started wearing the Rbk Edge uniforms.

Home Arenas

The Colts have played in a few different arenas over the years.

Barrie Arena

The team played at the Barrie Arena during their Junior B and Junior A days. They also used it for part of their first OHL season. This arena was torn down in 2008.

Sadlon Arena

The Barrie Molson Centre was completed during the 1995–96 season and became the Colts' new home. Its design was used as a model for many other new OHL arenas. This arena has been renamed a couple of times and is now known as the "Sadlon Arena" since the 2021–22 season. It is located near Park Place and Highway 400.

Images for kids

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  The official logo of the Barrie Colts.

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  A Barrie Colts uniform.