Jets first-rounder Colby Barlow brings character to go along with scoring prowess

WINNIPEG - It’s tough to find a box that Colby Barlow doesn’t check.

Not only is the 18th-overall pick of the Winnipeg Jets a point-producing sniper, he oozes character as the youngest captain in Owen Sound Attack franchise history.

Barlow also joins a long line of Jets players who are skilled in the classroom as the 2022-23 Canadian Hockey League Scholastic player of the year, joining the likes of Josh Morrissey and Cole Perfetti (Adam Lowry was the WHL scholastic player of the year in 2009-10).

“As a 17-year-old, being captain of 20-21-year-olds can be difficult but we have such a great team, such great connections with everybody, and friendships. It was real easy to support each other and it was a great year in Owen Sound,” Barlow told reporters in Nashville shortly after he heard his name called inside Bridgestone Arena. “I just think it's pretty important to use your smarts and stay in school and do well. That's just something I've always prided myself in and I was lucky enough to win that award.”

After scoring 30 goals and collecting 47 points in 59 games as an OHL rookie, Barlow jumped to 46 goals and 79 points in 59 games last season.

“The first two things that are going to come to light are his quick release and it’s a heavy shot. Goalies really have a hard time containing it,” Attack general manager and former NHL defenceman Dale DeGray said in a telephone interview. “But he can score in every way. He can score on dekes. He can tip. He’s a big-bodied guy and he’s not afraid of traffic. He finds a way to get to open ice and he knows that all he needs is for his stick to have an open lane - and it’s a scoring chance.

“He gets his stick in a lane, the puck is there and boom, it’s in the net. Simple. That’s what he does. He’s got a tremendous, tremendous shot.”

Make no mistake, Barlow is not a one-trick pony.

“There’s more to Colby Barlow once you start to peel back the onion than just a shooter,” said DeGray. “He gets around the ice very easily. He earns his ice. He gets to the front of the net. He’ll pay the price to earn the ice. He’s really developing into an all-around - and I hate saying it because everybody wants to be a 200-foot guy - but he blocks shots, he kills penalties, he plays the power play. You look at Hockey Canada, they put him in a defensive role a couple of years ago and he was one of the top penalty killers.”

That well-rounded game is complemented by his attitude.

“He’s dedicated and he’s humble. The kid is unbelievable on and off the ice. He leads by example, he pushes his teammates to want to win every game. He’s just one of those guys,” said DeGray. “One of the stories out there is from when his teammates were trying to get him 30 goals as a 16 year old, he stood up on the bench and said ‘guys, quit passing me the puck, just win the game. We need to win the game.

“That’s the type of player he is. He’s team first. Anybody that’s played the game loves the accolades you get, but for him it’s more about what WE can do.”

A day earlier, Jets director of amateur scouting Mark Hillier told reporters he was hopeful a player higher on their draft list might fall to them and after a few unexpected picks in the Top-12, all signs pointed to a talented forward falling into their laps - just like fellow Ontario Hockey League forward Cole Perfetti did in 2020.

Barlow joins a talented group of forward prospects that includes the likes of 2022 first-rounders Rutger McGroarty and Brad Lambert and 2021 first-rounder Chaz Lucius.

He also adds some size, as he’s listed at 6-foot-1 and 194 pounds.

Barlow figures to be heading back for his third OHL season with the Attack in the fall and should be under consideration for Canada’s world junior hockey team in December.

"I play hard, competitive, drive the net, play with some passion,” said Barlow. “I thought I had it in me. I’ve been working on my game so much and just trying to better myself as a player. I think my game really took a step forward this year.

“If you can’t be trusted in your own end, you’re not going to see the ice. I think it was just there (in his first season in the OHL), where you get your first taste of ‘you’ve got to be a complete hockey player and not just think about offence all the time.’” 

Hailing from Orillia, Ontario, Barlow is excited to be joining a Canadian team.

“It's super special to play for a Canadian team. As a Canadian boy, you grow up watching Saturday night games,” said Barlow. “It's just surreal to be a part of the Winnipeg Jets.”

There has been plenty of buzz surrounding the Jets in the days leading up to the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft.

After trading Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday for a package that includes Gabe Villardi, Alex Iafallo and Rasmus Kupari and a second round pick in 2024, Cheveldayoff will continue to field calls to see if a deal could be made for goalie Connor Hellebuyck or centre Mark Scheifele.

“They’re Winnipeg Jets. For us, they’re big parts of our organization. We’ll look at everything that comes to us, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we’re jumping at anything. Again, I saw (Hellebuyck) at the awards ceremony the other night and congratulated him on getting to be where he was to receive that nomination honour. I talked to (Scheifele’s) representatives as well over the course of the last couple of days and told them, look we’re listening, but obviously it’s got to make sense for the Jets because these are good players and these players can help us win,” Cheveldayoff told reporters. “There’s lots of conversations, obviously, at this time of the year. You can never really handicap what really transpires and doesn’t transpire, what’s available and not available. I think there’s uniqueness in the marketplace right now where we’re entering into another year of essentially a flat cap.

“I think there’s lots of things that go on. When you knew the cap was going up a couple millions of dollars, I think teams are looking at things differently in a lot of different respects. Sometimes teams need to move money, sometimes teams are flush with picks and prospects and sometimes it’s the opposite. So, it really comes down to opportunity meeting reality and if there’s something that works, then you strike.”

Cheveldayoff confirmed the Jets are considering a buyout for veteran right-winger Blake Wheeler, though all the options are being mulled over before Friday’s deadline.

“We’re obviously looking at all our options with Blake and a buyout is one of the options that we are looking at,” said Cheveldayoff. “But sometimes you can get creative in this game, as well, and you’re looking at all your options before making any final decisions.”

As the 2023 NHL Draft moves to its second day, the Jets don’t currently hold a second-rounder, but are scheduled to pick in the third round, twice in the fifth round and once in the seventh.