On the opening day of Barrie Colts training camp a year ago, Dylan Smoskowitz sat up in the stands, watching the action on the ice below.
The Colts’ second-year head coach didn’t like what he was seeing, and it wasn’t long before Smoskowitz was out of his seat.
“I ran downstairs because I didn’t really love the effort and the compete in the first scrimmage, and I just started screaming, saying, ‘This is life or death, fellas. You’re either going to live and play in this league, or you’re going to die and play in some other league,’” Smoskowitz recalled telling them. “I said, ‘You guys better start to show us that you want to choose life instead of death.’
“You then start to see the energy and the intensity pick up, but that’s really what it is.”
The message remains the same heading into the opening of this year’s training camp on Monday morning at Sadlon Arena.
With a young, rebuilding club, plenty of job openings are available. With a franchise-record 75 players attending this week’s camp, competition is expected to be fierce.
Smoskowitz reminds players to be themselves, but also to take their game to another level, as there is a short window to make a real impression.
“I’ve got no Cole Beaudoin this year, where he’s going to be your first-line centre. There’s no Kashawn Aitcheson, where he’s going to play 35 minutes a night for me,” said the head coach. “There are jobs for the taking here, and the guys who come ready to steal a job from someone else are the ones who are going to end up with that job.”
With the departure of key veterans such as Emil Hemming, Ben Wilmott, Parker von Richter, Beaudoin, and Aitcheson, the opportunity is wide open compared to the last couple of camps, which featured an extensive list of returning players.
“It’s right there,” Smoskowitz said of the opportunity for a new wave of prospects to make their mark. “It’s not the guy who scores the most goals, not the guy who is the most well-spoken, or the guy who is 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds. It’s the guy who never gives up on a battle. It’s the guy who wins the battle when the odds weren’t in his favour. It’s the guy who is a good teammate on the bench. It’s the guy who is willing to stand up for a teammate.
“It’s the guy who, every shift you look, and it’s like, ‘Man, that guy never stops working. That guy is really hungry for pucks.’ Those are the guys I want to coach. Those are the guys you get to the OHL finals with.”
Free and open for all fans, training camp offers a chance to see the next wave of Barrie talent. That includes first-round pick and Barrie native Lucas Matheson, along with highly touted prospect blueliners Aidan Mowery, Marc Ruggere, and Luke Howard.
Young prospects to watch up front include last year’s first-rounder Aleksandr Sementsov, 2026 draft picks Cale Scott, Roman Shtefan, and Brady Nash, import picks Elias Matousek and Maxim Shirochenkov, along with signees Tate Collins and Phillip Shargorodsky.
Recent acquisitions Luca Testa, Dylan Tsherna, and Mason Wray will pull on a Barrie jersey for the first time. Import goalie and NHL prospect Matvei Nikonovich will join camp later after attending the Pittsburgh Penguins rookie camp.
“You’ve got to give (General Manager) Marty Williamson a ton of credit for the internal competition he’s created across all of our positions,” said Smoskowitz. “We’ve got a bunch of defencemen coming in this year who are fighting for spots. We’ve got an ample number of forwards—probably the most forwards we’ve ever had at camp.”
In total, the Colts will field four teams consisting of 11 forwards, six defencemen, and two goalies each.
“You never know which prospects are going to come in, impress, and come out of nowhere,” said the Barrie bench boss. “I remember Sam Hillebrandt came up from Florida as a free agent, and the next thing you know, he signs a contract and he’s our starter going into the playoffs.
“It’s a really fortunate situation I’m in to be able to pick from so many great players and help this team get back to where we want to be.”
With changes to NCAA eligibility rules leading to more players heading north from south of the border, the larger camp roster will mean an extended evaluation period.
Normally, major cuts are made after two days of scrimmages on Wednesday and following the traditional Blue and White game on Thursday evening. However, this year’s camp will run through Sunday night, with the Colts hosting a four-team pre-season exhibition at Sadlon Arena featuring the Brantford Bulldogs, Owen Sound Attack, and Oshawa Generals.
“We’re not bringing anybody to camp who is just filling a spot,” said Smoskowitz. “Every person at camp has been identified as a player who has the potential to help this team win. Whether it’s our management, our scouts, or our coaches who identified these guys, everyone is here for a reason.
“It’s never been a harder time to make the OHL.”
Development will once again be the central focus. Last year, Smoskowitz noted that the team rarely talked about winning, choosing instead to focus on “stacking good days” and “winning the day.”
That development process resumes on Monday.
“This year, our goal is getting one per cent better, and if the results don’t show it, so be it,” said Smoskowitz. “If we’re not getting one per cent better, that’s where I’m going to be concerned. I’m not going to be concerned if we lose a couple of games. As long as the guys are trending in the right direction—and I really feel that every single day with the work they put in the gym, in the video room, on the ice, and in their preparation, diet, and sleep patterns—if we’re getting one per cent better every day, I’m just going to trust the results.”
One familiar face Colts fans will see at camp is New York Islanders prospect Kashawn Aitcheson, who will look to get in some extra ice time before heading off to NHL camp in Long Island.
“I think it’s going to be hard to keep Kashawn away from camp this year,” Smoskowitz said with a big grin. “He did promise me he’s not going to hit anyone that hard, but I don’t think I’ll be able to keep him off the ice.”
Any chance he’ll make the team?
“Whatever he wants,” said the head coach, before laughing out loud. “If he wants to play net for this team, I’d even put him in net.”
ICE CHIPS: Williamson said goaltender Arvin Jaswal is slated to miss more than a month after sustaining an off-season injury. . . Camp invites included former Niagara IceDogs forward Eric He, the younger brother of Winnipeg Jets prospect Kevin He.
TRAINING CAMP SCHEDULE
Monday, August 24 – Fitness Testing & Practice Camp opens with players divided into four squads — Navy, Gold, White, and Red — who will rotate through fitness testing and on-ice practice sessions in shifts throughout the day at Sadlon Arena.
Tuesday, August 25 – Intra-Squad Scrimmages
- 9:00 a.m. – Navy vs. Gold
- 10:45 a.m. – White vs. Red
- 2:15 p.m. – Navy vs. White
- 4:00 p.m. – Red vs. Gold
Wednesday, August 26 – Intra-Squad Scrimmages
- 9:00 a.m. – White vs. Gold
- 10:45 a.m. – Red vs. Navy
- 2:00 p.m. – 3rd Place vs. 4th Place
- 3:45 p.m. – 1st Place vs. 2nd Place
Thursday, August 27 – Annual Blue and White Game The Colts’ top prospects will take the ice at 6:00 p.m. for the club’s annual Blue and White Game at Sadlon Arena.
Friday, August 28 – Practice Time to be determined.
Saturday, August 29 & Sunday, August 30 – Barrie Showcase Training camp concludes with a two-day pre-season event at Sadlon Arena featuring the Owen Sound Attack, Oshawa Generals, and Brantford Bulldogs.
- Saturday, August 29 (1:00 p.m.): Oshawa Generals vs. Owen Sound Attack
- Saturday, August 29 (7:30 p.m.): Brantford Bulldogs at Barrie Colts
- Sunday, August 30 (12:30 p.m.): Oshawa Generals vs. Brantford Bulldogs
- Sunday, August 30 (7:00 p.m.): Owen Sound Attack at Barrie Colts
Tickets for the Barrie Showcase are $10 and will be sold at the door. Schedule subject to change.
TRAINING CAMP ROSTER
Participants are divided into four squads — White, Gold, Navy, and Red — each led by its own coaching staff.
WHITE
- Coaches: Connor Cadaret, Mike Smoskowitz
- Forwards: Nicholas Desiderio, Owen Miehm, Colton Sarrazin, Harrison Kaszubowski, Masen Wray, Charlie Gage, Cruz Cassels, Elias Matousek, Luke Hartman, Kale Mace, Jason McDonald
- Defencemen: Teague Vader, Kaelen Rudyk, Romeo Di Biase, Ethan Armstrong, Aiden Mowrey, Braeden Begley
- Goaltenders: Hagan Bach, Ethan Anderson
GOLD
- Coaches: Kyle Finch, Jason Ford
- Forwards: Luca Testa, Luc Gauvreau, Cruz Ferguson, Thomas Paleczny, Tate Collins, Phillip Shargorodsky, Presley Allain, Chase Martin, Sebastian Mogull, Aleksandr Sementsov, Rico Champagne
- Defencemen: Owen Devlin, Trevor Bodie, Aiden Bianchini, Evan Passmore, Noah Barton, Rowan Schachter
- Goaltenders: Nico Armelin, Camden Walser
NAVY
- Coaches: Nick Porter, Shane McCarthy
- Forwards: Carter Lowe, Ben Bowen, Jackson Mead, James Guiney, William Schneid, Frank Popkie, Cale Scott, Ben Lombardi, Rocco Olek, Johnathan Cirone, Eric He
- Defencemen: Luke Howard, Thomas Labelle, Lexi Kert, Marc Ruggere, Cole Roberts, Ronan Clapp
- Goaltenders: James Bronson, Lucas Thompson
RED
- Coaches: Justin Teakle, Bennett Barnes
- Forwards: Jonah McCormick, Maxim Shirochenkov, Emre Alves, Khov Long, Eamon Edgar, Roman Shtefan, Brady Nash, Dylan Tsherna, Matthew Legge, Ben Lamb, Christian Armstrong
- Defencemen: Justin Handsor, Ryan Yurkiw, Luca Bonomo, Lucas Matheson, Preston Otting, Quinlan Clair
- Goaltenders: George Zhou, Tyler Wilson
