Rumours of being traded come as no surprise to Evan Passmore.
The overage captain of the Barrie Colts was well aware coming into the season that the rebuilding OHL club was focusing on the future and that, in all likelihood, a contender would come knocking for the New York Rangers blueline prospect’s services.
Yet, after playing in his 200th game with the Colts on Sunday at the Sudbury Community Arena — a 6-3 loss to the Wolves — Passmore’s focus was squarely on the task at hand.
All that matters right now is that he’s a Barrie Colt and trying to do whatever he can to help his team win hockey games.
“I just don’t think about it,” said the 20-year-old of rumours of a possible deal to the Guelph Storm, hosts of this year’s Memorial Cup. “I’m the captain of this team. My job is to play for this team, so I don’t think about rumours. I don’t think about stuff like that. I go out there and battle with these guys every game.”
Whatever rumours are out there, Dylan Smoskowitz never has to worry about his captain. He knows Passmore’s focus is right where it should be.
“He’s never come to us and talked about anything other than what he can do to help the Barrie Colts,” the Colts head coach said of his team leader. “When you get a guy like that, he’s a no-brainer decision to be a captain of our team. He’s beloved by teammates, beloved by coaches, beloved by the community.
“I don’t know if there’s one thing that kid has ever done wrong in his tenure here with the Barrie Colts. So much credit to him for how hard he works, and how committed he’s been, and I bet you he’s going to be playing pro hockey for a long time.”
Passmore has come a long way since the Colts selected him in the eighth round of the 2022 OHL Priority Selection. The rugged six-foot-five, 217-pound Elmira native has blossomed into one of the league’s top shutdown defenders.
Asked to reflect on his milestone and what it means to put on a Colts jersey for four seasons, Passmore doesn’t hesitate.
“It’s meant everything,” said the Rangers’ sixth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. “It’s been very special being a Colt and continuing to play for this team, and getting to play 200 games is great.”
Passmore just missed putting the cherry on top of his big day when he came close to tying the game in the third period. With the Colts trailing 4-3, Passmore pinched in off the point and found himself alone in front of Bjorn Bronas, but he couldn’t get the puck past the Sudbury goaltender.
“I got the puck in a good spot,” he said. “I was just trying to get it to the net, and the goalie made a good save.”
Barrie (3-13-3-0) had several good chances to draw even in the final frame, including Jonah McCormick’s breakaway attempt that he fired over the net, but they couldn’t find the equalizer.
Jean-Christoph Lemieux would then score twice to put the game away for the Wolves (12-5-1-0), who have now won all four games between the Central Division rivals.
“We didn’t play our best defensive game, and that kind of caught up to us,” said Colts forward Eamon Edgar. “We also had a tough start, and we have to overcome that.”
First-period goals by Kingston Harris, Brayden Bennett, and Ivan Belikov put Barrie in a 3-0 hole just past the midway mark of the opening frame. William Schneid cut into that lead just 1:07 later, before Genc Ula restored Sudbury's three-goal cushion midway through the second.
The Colts drifted away from their physical, tight-checking style and paid the price for opening things up, a far cry from the previous night. On Saturday, Smoskowitz watched from a Toronto hotel room (after coaching Team White at the U17 World Hockey Challenge) as the Colts held a strong Soo Greyhounds team to just a pair of goals in a 2-1 loss.
“We were playing tight, and we weren’t giving up much,” said Smoskowitz, who returned to the Barrie bench after flying to Sudbury on Sunday morning. “Yeah, we didn’t produce much offence, but we can win games like that. Today was a different story.
“Do I commend the guys for battling back from 4-1? I do, but we were way too loose today. We made way too many mistakes. We played way too soft. If you let in six even-strength goals, you’re never going to win in this league like that.”
The Colts, as they’ve often done most of this season, were still in the game heading into the third period. Goals by Lexi Kert — his first in the OHL — and Carter Lowe, scored just 47 seconds apart late in the second, brought Barrie back within one.
The OHL’s lowest-scoring team can ill-afford to give up big early leads, but they found a way back into this one.
“It’s really tough, but at 4-1, the game could have got away from us. It could have been 6-1 or 7-1, but the guys stuck in,” said Smoskowitz. “Obviously, the line of Schneid, Lowe, and Edgar was fantastic tonight and carried the load for us offensively. But again, even if the other lines aren’t producing offensively, we can still win games.
“However, we can not win games when we don’t commit to defence, and today we didn’t commit to defence. We made way too many careless plays that just fuelled Sudbury’s offence, and until we learn how to really manage games, we’re not going to have a lot of success.”
While the Colts hung tough, Smoskowitz noted they have to find a way to turn these close games into wins.
“You have to improve,” he said. “Today was our 19th game, and that’s 19 games now where the guys understand the pace of the league. They understand the physicality of the league. They understand how crucial it is. The margin of error is not very big, and the margin between winning and losing is very, very small.
“But again, you’ve got to start learning how to manage games. If teams are better than you, and if they outwork you, and they make nice plays, you can tip your cap to it. So be it. But when you give teams those open looks and breakaways, leave guys unmarked, and turn pucks over at inopportune times, you’ve got to start learning. Our guys have to start learning.”
It seemed like only yesterday that Passmore was a young defender learning his way, listening to veterans on ways to get better. Now, Passmore is the one doing the mentoring.
“Obviously, you always think back to your first or second year, and how those were great moments,” said Passmore. “Now other guys are going through that. It’s just a cycle, but yeah, I always think about those days sometimes, too.”
Kert’s first wasn't, then it was
Lexi Kert had to wait a little while before the league officially credited him with his first OHL goal. The floater through heavy traffic in front, and past Sudbury’s Bronas, was originally credited to Schneid.
“I’m really happy for him,” said Smoskowitz. “He’s a heart-and-soul kind of guy. Shows up to work every day, never complains, does what he’s told. If there was one guy you’re cheering for to score a goal, maybe it’s Luc Gauvreau, but right behind Luc is Lexi Kert.”
Colts hoping for lineup boost Wednesday
The Colts played shorthanded this weekend, but they could see a significant roster boost in Owen Sound.
While rookie defencemen Lucas Matheson and Declan McNally are set to return from the U17 World Challenge, the Colts could also have Maxim Shirochenkov and Ben Lombardi back in the lineup.
“We’re hoping that Shirochenkov comes back for Wednesday night’s game in Owen Sound,” said Smoskowitz.
Lombardi, who has been battling an illness, is feeling better.
“If [Sunday] was a home game, we would have got him here,” said Smoskowitz. “He might have been able to play, but there were a couple of days he was in real rough shape with a high fever and probably didn’t eat too much and lost some weight.
“So, we’ll get him on the ice for tomorrow and, hopefully, he’s ready for Wednesday as well.”
Forward Dylan Tsherna won’t be back for certain. The veteran centre is out with an undisclosed injury and is expected to miss at least a couple of weeks of action. The Colts were also without defenceman Ryan Yurkiw.
Up next for Colts
Life on the road continues for the Colts this week, with stops in Owen Sound on Wednesday night and Kitchener on Friday. Puck drop is 7 p.m. for both.
After the games at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre and the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium, Barrie will have played seven of its last eight games away from Sadlon Arena.
“The guys have to stay positive,” said Edgar. “Our coaches are giving us the best things for us to succeed, and we’re just going to come to work tomorrow.”
Barrie wraps up a busy week at home on Saturday night when they host the Brampton Steelheads for the first time this season. Game time is 7:30 p.m.
Ice Chips: Hagan Bach made 23 saves in the loss to the Wolves, while Bronas stopped 27 shots… Barrie was 0-for-1 on the power play, while Sudbury was 0-for-2… Rowan Henderson, Jan Chovan, and Hudson Martin had two assists each for the Wolves… Edgar had three assists and now leads the Colts with 16 points in 19 games (4G, 12A), matching the rookie point total he accumulated in 49 games last season.
