The Barrie Colts took a big step toward replenishing their empty draft cupboard Monday afternoon, but it came at a steep price.
With an offer that general manager Marty Williamson said just made too much sense, the rebuilding OHL club completed an early summer blockbuster trade, moving prized young blueliner Cole Emerton to the Sarnia Sting in return for six draft picks.
A pair of lengthy playoff runs over the last couple of years, including a berth in the OHL championship finals last season, took a big hit on Barrie’s draft capital, but with the Colts looking to take a step back this season and the addition of a similar undersized offensive defenceman Luke Matheson in the first round of this weekend’s OHL Priority Selection, the chance to cash in proved too difficult to pass up.
Barrie’s haul from the deal includes second-round picks in each of 2028 and 2029, third-round picks in each of 2028 and 2029, along with a fourth-round selection in 2028, and a seventh-round draft choice in 2027.
“We didn’t have any second to fifths all the way through the next three years, so it was just one of those trades you kind of had to make,” said Williamson. “We love Cole, and I told (Sarnia) it’s going to have to be a huge price tag for me to move him, but with getting Matheson in the first round and him being an undersized right-shot defenceman and Cole being a small right-shot defenceman, it just seemed like real good business that we could move Matheson in and move Cole for all the picks.”
Emerton immediately stepped into a key role on the blue line last season after Barrie drafted him in the third round (50th overall in 2024. The five-foot-11, 185-pounder quarterbacked the team’s power play and racked up four goals and 27 assists for 31 points in 66 games to earn a spot on the OHL First All-Rookie Team.
A role that Williamson would like to see Matheson take on this season in an effort to develop a young blueliner the club sees playing a leading role when the team looks to make its next run.
“If we kept both of them, then he’s not getting the power-play time that Cole would take up,” Williamson said of wanting to develop the Barrie minor midget U16 defender, who was taken 17th overall. “Cole’s got a two-year window on him, and one of the years is not really our kind of win window.
“They (Sarnia) were really looking for a quarterback, and when they start throwing around two seconds and two thirds, a fourth and seventh it just got awfully interesting for us.”
Williamson sees many similarities between the two young offensive defencemen.
“Matheson is very smart, and he skates so well,” he said. “He’s able to defend and all those good things that you want from an undersized defenceman, plus he’s an offensive machine. He was just a great fit for us.
“To be able to take Luke in the first and then be able to make a big trade like this and get the majority of our picks back, I just think it was very good for the Barrie Colts.”
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Sarnia is looking to take a big step forward in the Western Conference this season, and the addition of Emerton fills a need for someone who can log big minutes and quarterback its power play.
“Adding a player of Cole’s calibre is a significant move for our organization,” said Sarnia general manager Dylan Seca. “He was a critical piece of a very strong Barrie team last season and consistently played big minutes in every situation.
“We believe he is going to be a major part of our backend moving forward.”
Emerton, says Seca, makes plays that will put the puck in the hands of Sting forwards.
“His ability to move the puck, create offence, and impact the game at both ends of the ice makes him a player we’re extremely excited to add.”
Emerton will also be able to join friend and former Vaughan Kings teammate, Alessandro Di Iorio, who was the second overall pick in 2024.
Williamson admits it was a difficult call to make to the Oro Medonte native, who did everything he was asked of in his first season with the Colts.
“He was very classy, very grateful to us,” said Williamson of Emerton when he received the news. “As I said to him, as much as we gave him opportunity, he deserved everything because he played outstanding for us.”
Williamson said he would consider other moves over the next few weeks as the club looks to get younger heading into next season.
