Ben Wilmott has been an assassin on the ice since his arrival in Barrie, and he’s doing it all with a big smile.
The Colts were looking for an offensive boost when they acquired the Seattle, Wash. native from the London Knights at last month’s OHL trade deadline, and the hired gun is certainly delivering the goods.
Wilmott’s latest offensive outburst came Friday night when he scored twice and added an assist to help lead Barrie to a 4-1 win over the Brampton Steelheads at CAA Centre.
The six-foot-one, 190-pound forward, who was named the game’s first star, now has nine goals and eight assists for 17 points in just 12 games as a Colt.
“It seems like he has ice in his veins, whether it’s a big lead or you need a goal, or it’s a tight game,” Colts’ head coach Dylan Smoskowitz said of Wilmott, who has 21 goals and 30 assists for 51 points in 49 games overall this season. “You feel pretty good when Ben Wilmott is on the ice and doing his thing out there.
“He’s a gamer, and he does it all with a smile on his face. That’s why the coaches and I like him so much, because we have never seen the kid not smile.”
With the OHL season heading into the stretch drive, Wilmott is heating up with four goals and seven points in his last three games. He was a seamless fit on Barrie’s top line with Cole Beaudoin and Emil Hemming and has been just as productive since recently jumping on the left wing with Brad Gardiner and Joseph Salandra.
“I tell a lot of guys, I have a lot of people call me and say, ‘Cole Beaudoin and Emil Hemming really elevated Ben Wilmott,’ but I would challenge that,” said Smoskowtiz. “I think Ben Wilmott elevated those two guys. Now, with him playing with Brad Gardiner and Joe Salandra, it gives us a nice 1-2 punch.
“We feel very confident in those top six forwards, and a lot of that has to do with the element of skill and speed, and hockey IQ that Wilmott brings to the team.”
Beaudoin, who added a pair of assists, and Mason Zebeski, against his former team, also scored for the Colts (33-11-2-4), who moved to within three points of the Brantford Bulldogs atop the Eastern Conference standings.
Wilmott broke a scoreless tie 1:29 into the third period when he moved into the slot and fired one top shelf over the glove-hand of Brampton goaltender Zach Bowen.
Sean Matthew Goyette evened things up on a shot from the point that found its way past Ben Hrebik a little more than five minutes later, but the Colts responded within 1:19 when Kashawn Aitcheson teed one up for Beaudoin, who hammered it in from just outside the left faceoff circle for what proved to be the game-winner.
The ability to come right back after getting scored on in the third period has been a consistent theme for Barrie all season.
“They scored that goal to tie it up, and it’s a loud building, and their bench is obviously all excited and happy, but our bench is staying positive,” said Smoskowitz. “We’re going to get the next one, keep working hard, all that kind of cliché stuff. You don’t think it needs to be said, but it really does.
“It lifts guys up, and then the five guys you throw over the boards in Beaudoin, Hemming, Wilmott, Aitcheson, and von Richter, those guys are leaders. They know that next shift, whether they score or not, they know that’s a big shift for us, and that’s exactly what they gave us.”
Wilmott added to the lead when he one-timed a back-handed cross-slot feed from Beaudoin at 12:39, before Zebeski sealed it less than three minutes later when he walked in and fired one over the right shoulder of Bowen.
A free agent signing of the Knights this offseason, Wilmott is ranked 165th overall in the NHL’s Mid-Season Draft Rankings.
With his forward’s ability to read the ice, Smoskowitz admits he’s surprised the 19-year-old has yet to be drafted by an NHL team.
“When you can think of the game at that level, and you pair that with his size and strength and skill, that’s when you see a hockey player who is going to dominate at the highest levels,” he said of Wilmott. “For his age, playing at the highest level, he’s been dominating.
“It really is beyond me why he hasn’t been drafted yet. I’m shocked that NHL teams aren’t having meetings after coming out to watch him and say, ‘How did we miss out on this guy?’”
Despite outshooting the Steelheads 29-8 over 40 minutes, the Colts needed a big third to put them away.
Still, Smoskowitz was happy to see his team shut down Brampton through most of the contest,
“We talk about defence first,” said the Barrie bench boss, whose club outshot Brampton 46-22 in the game. “Defend, defend, defend. We rarely talk about offence and talk about how our offence comes from our defence. We liked that we limited them tonight.”
“They pushed back in the third. . . and in the first two periods, even though it was 0-0, we really did like how little we gave up. It’s something that this group takes a lot of pride in, and it’s something that we know if we’re going to win down the stretch, it’s something that we have to focus on.”
UP NEXT
The Colts host the North Bay Battalion Saturday night, before wrapping up a busy three-in-three weekend Sunday afternoon in North Bay.
“As soon as you get on the bus, this one is behind us, and now we’re focused on North Bay, who just had a really big comeback win over Windsor on Thursday night,” said Smoskowitz. “They’re always a tough out. So, we’ll get on the bus and enjoy a post-game meal, and then it’s right to work on North Bay and how to win that one.”
Meanwhile, the Steelheads host Sarnia on Saturday afternoon
ICE CHIPS
Nicholas Desiderio sat out the second of a two-game suspension on Friday.
Justin Handsor (upper body) did not play on Friday. “Our doctor said he could use an extra day, so expect him to be back for the weekend games,” said Smoskowitz.
With his three points, Beaudoin (20-41-61) sits ninth overall in OHL scoring. With his two assists, Aitcheson (22-26-48) is second in scoring among defencemen. The New York Islanders prospect also sits second in plus-minus with a plus-33, behind only Brantford’s Cooper Dennis (plus-34).
ADD. OHL
Kitchener 6 Guelph 2
London 5 Niagara 4 (OT)
Kingston 5 Owen Sound 3
Sarnia 5 Oshawa 3
Saginaw 4 Erie 1
Windsor 5 Sudbury 2
Flint 5 Soo 1
