The Barrie Colts minor midget 'AAA' program certainly made the best of an uncertain year with seven players drafted by Ontario Hockey League (OHL) teams.
The OHL Draft was held virtually on June 4 and saw some of the best 2005-born hockey players drafted to the province’s premier hockey league.
The local 'AAA' organization had players drafted from the third round to the ninth, with one player being picked up by the hometown Barrie Colts.
The seven players selected were:
- Round 3 — 51st pick to Kitchener — Cameron Mercer
- Round 4 — 63rd pick to Barrie – Nicholas Lamont
- Round 5 — 85th pick to Niagara — Jax Wismer
- Round 5 — 91st pick to Ottawa — Gavin Ewles
- Round 6 — 117th pick to Guelph — Aidan Amidovski
- Round 7 — 125th pick to Peterborough — Sam McCue
- Round 9 — 160th pick to Sudbury — Noah Cochrane
Barrie midget 'AAA' player Owen Johnston was also selected in the second round (23rd overall) by the Oshawa Generals in the OHL's Under-18 Priority Selection.
Lamont is heading to Grade 11 in the fall at Barrie’s St. Joan of Arc Catholic High School. The 16-year-old was drafted by his hometown — and favourite — team and hopes to crack the Colts' lineup at some point in the near future.
“I was watching the draft with my family and as soon as my name was called, my phone went off with people calling and texting,” Lamont told BarrieToday. “It was a super special moment to get drafted to the OHL, but for it to be the team I grew up watching, it was even better.”
Lamont says this was a challenging year for him and his team, but he says they persevered when needed.
“When we were able to last year, the 'AAA' organization set up exhibition games with an older team so scouts could see some of us and also so we could get some practice in,” said the young forward. “It was just a matter of keeping fit, staying healthy and making sure I was ready if I needed to be.”
Mercer, who is Lamont's fellow minor midget teammate and St. Joan of Arc student, was the highest drafted Barrie teen, going to the Kitchener Rangers in the third round.
Mercer acknowledged the great team he was on in Barrie and said it felt great to go first of the bunch. The 16-year-old heads into Grade 11 next year with a great work ethic, telling BarrieToday it was a tough year but he's not making excuses.
"This year has obviously been tough and at times it has been difficult to maintain motivation and hunger, especially when we weren't allowed to skate or go to the gym," he said. "Everyone was in the same boat, so I couldn't let that be an excuse.
"I woke up everyday trying to be the best I could be no matter how I felt," Mercer added. "My strength coach, Dave Blais, did a real good job at helping me and the guys that I work out with stay motivated throughout the pandemic. We had online workouts when the gyms were closed, and still being able to interact with the guys really helped us stay focused."
Barrie Colts 'AAA' vice-chair of operations Joe Rockbrune Jr. said that while the pandemic year was obviously unlike any other, it hit home for the organization from an on-ice perspective even more.
“We had a group of 2005-born players who we’ve been watching grow and become exceptionally good,” Rockbrune told BarrieToday. “We had been looking at this group come together for a while and it is a shame they were not able to do all they could have.”
The players were able to scrimmage in Toronto late last year, and between September and December, OHL scouts were able to see the players in person on the ice.
Marty Williams, acting general manager with the OHL Barrie Colts, said it was also a challenging time for junior clubs to view the players they wanted to draft.
“Some of the players we have seen before, but without seeing how far they have progressed, it was tough,” Williamson said. “There is video, a lot of video, but that doesn’t compare to seeing the players on the ice.
"We definitely listened a lot to their coaches and what they had to say about the guys," he added.
Williamson also said it was nice to pick up a local kid like Lamont.
“If things are equal between two players, I’ll for sure grab the local guy. In Nicholas’ case, I felt really good about the pick and he has a lot of qualities like (Tyson) Foerster,” Williamson said of the Philadelphia Flyers prospect.
Foerster, an Alliston native, picked up 17 points in 24 games this past season with the American Hockey League's Lehigh Valley Phantoms, which is Philadelphia's farm team.
The OHL hasn’t hosted games since announcing on March 18, 2020 that the season had been cancelled due to COVID-19.
Williamson believes OHL teams will be back on the ice in the fall and he says he's excited about the team.
“We’ll have a bigger camp than usual with a lot more kids trying out, so we’ll be busy, that's for sure,” said Williamson, who also coached the Barrie Colts from 2004 until 2010. “But I am really excited about the team we’ll be putting on the ice for next season.
"We’ll have a really good team coming back and the players will be ready to go.”
