Barrie Colts After 20 Games | 2021-22

(Terry Wilson | OHL Images)

The Barrie Colts currently sit in 3rd place in the Central Division (6th in Eastern Conference) with a record of 11-7-2-0.

Leading Scorers.

Barrie has had solid point production through the roster. However, when you look at the OHL points leaders, you won't see any Colts in the top 25 scorers. While it would be nice to see some of the team's leaders climb the overall rankings, it has been nice to see guys contributing throughout the roster.

After 20 games this season, Colorado Avalanche prospect Oskar Olausson has steadily led the Colts points race. He has 12 goals and 13 assists (25 points) through 20 games. Olausson has been consistent all season, and you shouldn't be surprised that if he improves upon his current 1.25 points, he is averaging each game.

Los Angeles Kings prospect Brandt Clarke has been outstanding this season. The Colts captain sits in second in team points with five goals and 18 assists (23 points). Clarke is producing at an incredible rate with an average of 1.28 points per game. After averaging .67 PPG in his rookie season, it will be interesting to see if Brandt can continue this pace.

Barrie Colts 2021-22 Points Leaders

Forwards:

Barrie has produced from all positions this season. As noted above, Oskar Olausson leads the team in points while defencemen Brandt Clarke and Nathan Allensen are runner-ups. 

San Jose Sharks prospect Ethan Cardwell has had a solid start to the season despite a drop in production since his last campaign in Barrie. Cardwell has shown a strong work ethic and appears to have really improved his speed. While he is almost a point per game player with 12 assists and 16 points in 18 games, there is still room for improvement. In addition, look to see his goal numbers improve as he looks to get closer to the .42 goals per game he managed when he first joined Barrie. 

(Terry Wilson | OHL Images)

Evan Vierling is in a similar spot as Cardwell. He has had a good start to the year but is not quite where he could be. However, his effort is there, and he has been one of the more consistent players; just look for him to benefit more from his efforts. In 2019-20, he averaged 1.21 points per game in 28 games with Barrie. After 20, he sits at .80 today. As the season progresses, there is no reason to expect that he won't get closer to those numbers. 

Defence:

Colts' defence has been strong most of the season. It all starts with captain Brandt Clarke who has been outstanding. To no surprise, Clarke has been a threat offensively, as mentioned, but also in his own zone. Clarke is a +9 and does a great job preventing scoring chances. He has been great at being hard to play against while staying disciplined. Clarke has only served four minutes in penalties. You can see that his discipline has translated throughout the rest of the team. 

(Terry Wilson | OHL Images)

OA defenceman Nathan Allensen has had a strong season as well. He might not have the same expectations as Clarke, but offensively he has exceeded any expectation. His 13 assists and 17 points are the third-most on the team. He currently sits halfway to his career-high of 33 points set in 2019-20. He has also shown signs of a more disciplined game this season. In 2019-20 he averaged 1.11 penalty minutes per game. He is down to 0.78 this year which has been refreshing. 

Overall, the defence has been solid for Barrie. Artur Cholach has been a lot of fun to watch. He has shown great potential with this team. Same with Beau Akey, who has shown an ability to make good decisions and throw some good hits. Matthew Sredl has also shown great improvement and could be the hardest hitter. One area change could be considered is giving Grayson Tiller more chances. He has had some decent games out of his three appearances. Allowing him to fill in for a struggling Ian Lemieux is something the staff should consider. 

Goaltending: 

It is no surprise that early this season, Barrie struggled in goal. The team allowed 43 of their 76 goals against in their first ten games. While they still hope to improve, there is no doubt that they have improved since acquiring Mack Guzda.

TRADE Barrie Colts Acquire Mack Guzda from Owen Sound Attack.

Matteo Lalama and Matthew Sbrocca really couldn't find any traction at the start of the season. Guzda has been a great addition. Not only does he bring experience and skill, but he brings stability. Lalama is in a spot now where he knows his current role; he can focus on his games and develop his game. Guzda can start most games, and the team can expect consistency in the net.

Guzda has the second-best save percentage at .911 in the league. Through four games in Barrie, he is .897. This number should improve as he gets more games under his belt since he had one rough performance that hurts this number. He also had a 2.90 GAA average in that time, which is an improvement from the 3.20 he had through 10 games with Owen Sound. His impact and ability to make saves in key moments have been massive and allowed the team to open up their game.

Rookies:

Beau Jelsma (Terry Wilson | OHL Images)

If you have regularly watched games, you are probably excited by Colts rookies this season. Hunter Haight and Beau Jelsma have been outstanding for Barrie. Haight has five goals and six assists through 18 games. Haight has shown a lot of confidence which is noticeable. He can make plays and create opportunities for teammates.

Beau Jelsma has also been off to a hot start. His seven goals have him in the top-10 league-wide among rookies. In addition, Jelsma has the ability to force plays. He has a lot of confidence and drives the net hard, which has contributed to his producing and other team opportunities.

Special Teams:

Special teams have been an area the team will want to improve on. Their power play has them in the middle of the pack league-wide with a 22.2% success rate. However, the man advantage at home VS on the road has been a very different story. Their 29.5% on the road is second-best in the league. At home, they sit in 15th at 15.8%.

Penalty killing has been a similar struggle for the team. They have a 75.0% (16th in the league) on the kill. On the road, they have killed 79.3%. At home, they are 71.8%. Only Windsor has a worse home percentage.

(Terry Wilson | OHL Images)

One helping factor here is Barrie has been disciplined. The team has a total of 192 penalty minutes. Only the Windsor Spitfires have fewer penalty minutes at 187. Staying out of the box is an area Barrie generally struggles with. So it has been refreshing to see them play a more disciplined game.

What have you thought of the team so far? Be sure to let us know in the comments.