When Marty Williamson learned that 2026 seventh-overall OHL Priority Selection pick Declan McNally had declared himself defective and refused to report to the Guelph Storm, the Barrie Colts general manager knew he could not afford to wait.
Williamson moved aggressively and on Wednesday morning landed the high-upside, 6-6 defenceman for a substantial package of six picks. Guelph will receive second-round picks in 2028 (Sarnia) and 2030 (Barrie), third-round picks in 2028 (Brantford) and 2030 (Barrie), a fourth-round pick in 2029 (Barrie) and a fifth-round pick in 2027 (Sault Ste. Marie).
For the Barrie GM, jumping on the opportunity to add a key “corner piece” to the young, rebuilding team was an easy call.
“We were very quick to jump on this,” Williamson said. “(Storm general manager) George Burnett and I worked hard. We found out it was happening and [McNally] declared himself defective on Monday.”
Williamson knew there would be plenty of interest in the young, talented blueliner, and he made sure he got right down to business.
“George saw how serious we were,” the GM told Barrie 360. “I think there were 19 other teams that wanted this guy, and we feel very lucky we got him.”
With the Storm set to host this year’s Memorial Cup, the Western Conference team has been in an all-in directive, adding several veterans to the lineup. With ice time a question for the young defenceman in Guelph this season, McNally and his agent felt he would have a better opportunity to play elsewhere.
“He fits our needs, and we fit his needs,” said Williamson. “We’re a young team that’s rebuilding, and he’s a corner piece of it.”
McNally, a LaSalle native who took part in Canada’s National U17 Development Camp in July, was dominant for the Don Mills Flyers U16 AAA program last season, registering 33 points (7 goals, 26 assists) in 59 regular-season games alongside 4 points in 5 games at the OHL Cup.
For the Colts, adding the left-shot blueliner fits directly into a long-term plan to build a deep, formidable defensive corps alongside young talents Lucas Matheson, Marc Ruggere, and Aiden Mowrey.
“It’s a belief of the organization that if you want to be a hard-to- play-against team, you need a blueline that’s diverse, has offensive guys, big, strong, tough guys,” said Williamson. “We’re putting together a young defence that is just going to be elite in the coming years. I’m just unbelievably excited with the potential of this blueline.”
McNally arrived at Colts training camp on Wednesday and was on the ice for afternoon scrimmages, ready to step directly into Barrie’s blueprint for the future.
