The youth movement may be on with the Barrie Colts, but it doesn’t mean the push to lock up a playoff spot will take a back seat if Thomas Stewart has anything to do with it.
Acquired by the rebuilding team from the Oshawa Generals earlier this week at the OHL trade deadline, the overage defenceman is determined to do all he can to help the young club get into the playoffs.
“I think we can get more out of our young guys,” said the fourth-year defenceman after a 4-1 loss to the Niagara IceDogs, Thursday night, at the Meridian Centre. “They can step into roles that we need them to fill in terms of helping us to win games.
“I feel I just got to be a leader back here and kind of lead by example.”
Colts general manager and head coach Marty Williamson said that’s exactly what Stewart did in his return to Barrie after being drafted by the club in the eighth-round (147th overall) of the 2019 OHL Priority Selection.
“For a kid that has played one game for us, I thought he was fantastic,” Williamson said of Stewart who was acquired along with third-round (2025) and sixth-round picks (2027) for Connor Punnett. “The communication with him on the bench was outstanding and the communication with his teammates was outstanding. He’s just a great young man.
“He’s going to be a nice guy to help us kind of finish the season out. He’s a character type player and I was awfully happy with him. I thought what a great first impression a player can make on his coaches and team.”
Stewart paired with Kashawn Aitcheson on the blueline and saw major minutes.
“I felt comfortable,” Stewart said. “There was a bit of an adjustment, but the guys made it easy to adjust. They’re talkative, so you hear them on the ice, and they help lead you to the right play.”
Blueliner Blair Scott and forward Kyle Morey, who came over from Kitchener in a deal along with eight picks for Eduard Sale and Olivier Savard, made their debuts in yet another tough night on the road for the Colts.
It was Barrie’s ninth-straight loss away from home. The Colts are now a league-worst 3-14 on the road and haven’t won a game away from Sadlon Arena since a 3-1 decision on Nov. 10 in Mississauga.
“There’s a lot of new pieces you’re trying to put in, but it’s been hard to win on the road,” said Williamson. “I thought for the most part the guys gave me a good effort, and we just couldn’t execute on our chances. At the start of the third, (Beau) Jelsma hits one right off the post. We had some good looks, and we just couldn’t get the puck over the goal line and that makes the game difficult.
“A couple of mistakes and they found ways to score goals and that was the difference tonight. I thought we were the better team for chunks of the game.”
Matthieu Paris broke a scoreless draw just 1:55 into the second period before Zach Wigle evened things for Barrie (15-20-1-0) with just over three minutes in the frame.
The IceDogs (11-25-5-1), who moved to within three points of Barrie with the win, would storm right back with goals by Williams Stewart and Mike Levin, on the power play, a little more than two minutes apart late to take a 3-1 lead.
Gavin Bryant put the game away for Niagara with an empty-net goal with just 39 seconds remaining.
“Just a real poor goal after,” said Williamson of Stewart’s goal 28 seconds after Barrie had tied it. “That shift is so important. We both basically put fourth lines on the ice, and we just made two big mistakes and then the kid scores his first goal of the year. Then really a poor penalty to take and a fundamental miss on our penalty kill.
“We got some guys playing different roles, and they’re taking on different challenges than they had before, so I got to live with that a little bit. I thought the effort was good and for the best part of it we had more scoring chances than they had. It’s one of those nights. It’s kind of been the story for us on the road. We just haven’t been too successful.”
Williamson knows with some new faces in the lineup and players taking on new roles, there’ll be a bit of an adjustment period.
“I thought Scott did a good job on the back end for us,” he said. “He’s a big strong kid that does everything hard. Morey is in a tough spot, we got him playing his off-side right now. He’s got to learn it a little bit. We got to grow him a bit with Wigle.
“Until we get (Chris) Grisolia back, we’re short of bodies and kind of got to move guys around. We’ll see how his game can grow a little bit.”
Barrie’s other addition at the trade deadline won’t be joining the club. Williamson said overage forward Brenden Sirizzotti, who came over from the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in a deal for Jacob Frasca, will not finish his OHL career in Barrie.
“He’s decided to go to school,” said a disappointed Williamson. “Apparently, he informed them and didn’t inform us. I think the league is going to look into it.”
The Colts return home Saturday night to host the Brantford Bulldogs. Game time at Sadlon Arena is 7:30 p.m.
ICE CHIPS: Ben West stopped 26 of 29 shots in goal for Barrie. Owen Flores kicked aside 34 of 35 shots for Niagara. . . The Colts were scoreless on four power-play chances, while the IceDogs were 1-for-2. . . Rookie forward Nolan Newton, who signed with Barrie in early November and then returned home last month, is back with the Greater Sudbury Cubs of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League. Newton had one goal in 13 OHL games with Barrie. He was a fifth-round pick of Barrie in the 2022 OHL Priority Selection. . .The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) announced the rosters Thursday ahead of the 2024 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game and Barrie Colts forward Cole Beaudoin will suit up for Team Red. The game, which features Team Red vs. Team White, will be held at the Avenir Centre in Moncton, New Brunswick, on Wednesday, Jan. 24 at 7:30 p.m. . . Scott drew an assist for his first point with Barrie.
banner image - Thomas Stewart, Barrie Colts
