On Wednesday night at the NHL Entry Draft in Nashville, Orillia's Colby Barlow is expected to be selected in the first round. If that happens, he will be the highest draft pick from Orillia in the city's history. This is the first of a two-part feature on Barlow and his journey. The second part will be published tomorrow. Reporter Tyler Evans is in Nashville to provide extensive coverage of the draft.
Orillia’s Colby Barlow is one of the best young hockey players in the world, but, according to his agent, he’s an even better human being.
John Walters, an NHLPA-certified agent for The Willsports Group, has been an agent for 18 years. He represents notable current players such as Dallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin and Florida Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe.
Walters, a King City native, says the first time he saw Barlow play in an Oakville tournament four years ago, he thought he was the top forward in his 14-year-old age group.
“He stood out for his goal-scoring ability, his compete level, his intensity, and just the way he carried himself,” Walters said of the talented winger. “He was really well-spoken, mature beyond his years, and he kind of had the whole package.”
While a lot of scouts look at Barlow as a pure goal scorer, Walters sees a more well-rounded player.
“I thought his play-making ability was very underrated,” he said. “Prototypical guys who can score goals, that’s all they can do, but Colby is really good at distributing the puck as well.”
After seeing him play, Walters, 40, connected with Barlow’s father Dean, his mother Carla, and his brother Carter.
“I expressed my interest in working with Colby,” he explained. “I think they all just liked what I had to say and they decided they wanted to work with me and my group.”
Over the last four years, Walters says Barlow has evolved into a rugged winger who plays a 200-foot game; he says the 6-foot, 190-pounder plays an intense, physical game.
“He’s really grasped on to a lot of the things that I’ve told him and his coaches as well,” he said. “He’s turned into a well-rounded hockey player on and off the ice.”
While Walters has seen a lot of young players bloom into great players, he’s also seen some fail to ever reach their full potential. There has never been any doubt for him that Barlow has what it takes to translate his success in minor hockey into becoming a professional.
“He was dominant in minor hockey,” Walters said of Barlow, who grew up playing minor hockey in Orillia before playing AAA hockey for the Rama-based North Central Predators. “He stepped into the OHL and some guys take a while to adapt, but he didn’t.”
In Barlow’s first OHL season, he finished with 30 goals and 17 assists in 59 games. In year two, he was among the league leaders, posting 46 goals while adding 33 assists in 59 games.
“He just understands the game so well,” Walters said. “He knows how to find those soft areas to get open and receive passes. He doesn’t need a lot of time and space to get open and get that shot off quickly.”
During the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in August of 2022, Barlow scored his first two goals of the tournament on the penalty kill.
“Whether you want him to kill a penalty, protect the lead, score a goal, or make a play at the end of the game, he’s that guy,” Walters said.
Prior to the 2022-23 season, the Owen Sound Attack named Barlow the youngest captain in franchise history. For a lot of Walter’s clients, he said that would have been too much pressure, but not for Barlow.
“I told (general manager) Dale DeGray that I don’t think this is something that is going to faze him,” he recalled. “I think this is something that is going to push him to be better.”
Those words turned out to be prophetic.
Walters says Barlow earned the respect of the locker room's veteran players right away because he’s “the kind of player who will crawl over glass” to win a championship.
“His competitive nature and juices are amongst the elite of anybody that I’ve ever been around,” he said. “He doesn’t like to lose, and he does what it takes to win.”
Off the ice, Barlow is a true gentleman, Walters says.
“He articulates himself well and he’s a pleasure to be around,” he said. “There are some players in the NHL who I think some of their fame and how good they are gets to them, but Colby is really grounded and humble.”
Walters says Barlow has never forgotten Orillia and talks about home often.
“He talks about his memories of being home, his family, and his friends in Orillia,” he said. “Some of these guys kind of forget where they were and how they got to where they’ve got to, but Colby is not one of those guys.”
Walters says Barlow is always going to remember his roots and the people who have helped him, from billet families to the support he has had since Day 1 in Orillia.
“He genuinely cares for people, and nothing is beneath him,” he said. “This kid is going to be a top-10 pick in the world, and to watch him be humble and grateful for all the stuff he’s earned, he’s a special human being.”
