2025-26 Season Preview: Barrie Colts

The Barrie Colts (42–22–2–2) reached the Eastern Conference Finals last spring, but the offseason brought heavy turnover. The departure of top scorers Anthony Romani, Dalyn Wakely, Owen Van Steensel, Beau Jelsma, and Riley Patterson, along with defensive anchors Beau Akey and Tristan Bertucci, leaves a significant hole to fill.

Even so, Barrie remains a competitive force. With Cole Beaudoin leading up front, Emil Hemming poised for a breakout, recent first-rounder Kashawn Aitcheson manning the blueline, and Ben Hrebik stepping into a true starter’s role in net, the Colts will rely on a mix of returning talent and emerging prospects. If enough of those pieces come together, Barrie has the potential to stay in the playoff hunt and make noise in the Eastern Conference once again.

 

Recent Transactions

*- denotes conditional draft pick

DATE	TEAM	TRANSF.	TO	TEAM	TRANSF.
Aug. 27	BAR	Riley Patterson		NIAG	BAR 2 2026 WSR 3 2027 NIAG 6 2027 NIAG 3 2029 NIAG 4 2029
Aug. 23	BFD	Calvin Crombie		BAR	BAR 10 2027
Jun. 10	BAR	Grayson Tiller		NIAG	Alex Assadourian SAR 5 2027

 

Futures Watch – a list of some of the new faces fans should be keeping an eye on as the team prepares for the upcoming campaign.

 

Five Questions Heading Into 2025-26:

After a run to the Eastern Conference Finals last spring, the Barrie Colts enter a new season with plenty of fresh faces and unanswered questions. To get a sense of what’s ahead, we asked two media members who cover the team closely to weigh in on the biggest storylines for 2025–26.

 

1. Who is your breakout candidate?

Gene Pereira (Colour commentator, Rogers TV): Emil Hemming – It took Finnish import winger Emil Hemming a while to adjust to the OHL after joining the Colts last season. The first-round selection of the Dallas Stars had just five goals through the pre-Christmas schedule before helping Finland win a silver medal at the world juniors and continuing his strong play in the second half with Barrie to finish with 18 goals and 48 points through 60 games. Hemming and his big shot will be counted on to fill the net more often this season, and there will be no adjustment period this time around. The tools are all there for him to be one of the more dominant forwards in the league.

Mike Poirier (Play-by-play, Rogers TV):  Evan Passmore – With more ice time and responsibility on the blueline, Evan Passmore seems primed to take that next step.

 

2. What’s the Colts’ biggest question mark entering 2025-26?

Pereira:  Scoring – who will help fill the void on offence after a large exodus of offensive talent this offseason? Top-scoring forwards Anthony Romani, Dalyn Wakely, Owen Van Steensel, Beau Jelsma, and Riley Patterson, along with defensive quarterbacks Beau Akey and Tristan Bertucci, are all gone. Barrie will need a group of players to step things up offensively, spearheaded by Cole Beaudoin, Emil Hemming, Alex Assadourian, Carter Lowe, Bode Stewart, Brad Gardiner, and Kashawn Aitcheson.

 

Poirier: Scoring – with the graduation of the North Bay line, who is going to step up when it comes to goal scoring up front?

 

3. Who will the Colts’ top NHL Draft prospect be by the end of the season?

Pereira: Ethan Armstrong – he got a small taste of OHL hockey late last season after leaving the BCHL for Barrie. The Minnesota State commit got into 14 games and showed flashes of being a strong blueliner at both ends of the ice, finishing with a goal and three points. He’s expected to receive a top-four role on the point this season, and the six-foot-two, 172-pound right-handed shot is certain to draw the attention of plenty of NHL scouts looking to add a mobile defenceman with good size.

 

Poirier: Jaiden Newton

 

4. Which new addition are you most excited to see?

Pereira: Eamon Edgar – he received some pretty high praise from GM Marty Williamson before the opening of training camp, and it’s been easy to see why with his play so far. The 2025 OHL second-round pick reminds Williamson of former captain and Winnipeg Jets star Bryan Little. While Williamson admits he’s a little hesitant to make the lofty comparison to arguably the franchise’s most popular player, he sees so much of Little in Edgar with his ability to do so many things so well on the ice. “Edgar is an all-around player,” said Williamson. “I get a little vision of Bryan Little. I don’t want to put too much on him because I hold Bryan Little really high, but Edgar is one of those guys you might not say he’s great at something, but he’s good at everything, and I really like that.”

 

Poirier: Calvin Crombie – he is a playoff player, and looking forward to seeing what he brings as an overage leader for this group.

 

5. Who will the Colts’ MVP be in 2025-26?

Pereira: Ben Hrebik – while the Colts will lean heavily on Cole Beaudoin and Kashawn Aitcheson for major minutes, goaltender Ben Hrebik will be a major key to any success they have. An unknown heading into last year, he earned the trust of the coaching staff early and worked his way into sharing the net with veteran Sam Hillebrandt. When the team struggled in the second half, it was Hrebik who kept them in many hockey games. With plenty to prove after being passed over in the NHL draft, Hrebik will need to be sharp for a team that has lost a large chunk of its scoring and will need him to keep things close this season. He’ll be at the heart of any success Barrie has on the ice this season.

Poirier: Cole Beaudoin – He is a player who hates losing and leads by example both on and off the ice.