From breaking a franchise scoring record in his rookie year to being named the youngest captain in Attack history, Owen Sound Attack captain Colby Barlow has had a huge impact on this team since day 1. We’ve collectively cheered him on as he played for Team Canada, celebrated as he wore the C at the Kubota CHL Prospects game and collectively lost our minds as he walked across the stage in Nashville last spring as the 18^th overall draft pick of the Winnipeg Jets. After being sidelined with an injury for nearly two months this season, I finally had the chance to sit down with Barlow to talk about backyard rinks, keeping your head up, the Attack season, bumps in the road and the never-ending work required to take the ice as a Winnipeg Jet.

First off, a huge welcome back. We are all so happy to have you back in the lineup. You must be pumped too.

Oh yah. I sure am.

I figured we’d start at the very beginning. Tell us a bit about your earliest hockey memories and how you got started in the game?

I started skating when I was three or four years old. My dad and my mom would rent the ice for me and bring me out early mornings. We lived up in Severn Bridge at that time. I remember I started skating and then decided to pick up a stick pretty shortly after that. I had an older brother that played with his buddies and they all lived in our neighborhood. We’d always play road hockey and garage hockey. All I wanted was to play with them. They were pretty tough on me. My brother is six years older than me. So if I wanted to play with them I was either playing goalie or getting hit (laughs).

When I started playing minor hockey in Orillia, I played up a couple of years because there wasn’t anything for my age group. As I got older, I played with my own age. After rep hockey, I started playing Triple AAA with the North Central Predators. That was the centre for Orillia and up north. I ended up playing in the Brick Invitational Tournament when I was 12 with the Toronto Bulldogs and I did well there. I met a lot of people from Toronto at that tournament and I got asked to play in Toronto. It was a big decision but it was a family decision. That’s when my dad and I made the move. It was a tough one at a young age—to move away from my brothers and my mom. But my dad was working in Beaverton and he had a bit more flexibility to commute and my mom was teaching in Orillia. So my dad moved down with me. For the first few years it was just me and my dad until I moved in with the Bertucci family.

So was the Brick Invitational Tournament the first time you and your family had thoughts of pursing hockey as a career?

Yes, but it’s even tough to say that then. You’re still so young. It’s everybody’s dream but the reality of it is, it’s such a slim chance for all these kids.  Everybody wants to play in the NHL. It was definitely my goal and my dream. I didn’t know right away that it could actually be a reality but I was working as hard as I could and working towards it. The Brick tournament was probably the breaking point where my family and the people around me started to believe it was possible. They gave me the best opportunities they could and then I had to do the best I could to put myself out there.

You grew up with brothers and a backyard rink I believe. What are some of the best stories you have from those years?

When I was really young, we were living in the suburbs and we were just playing a lot of street hockey and garage hockey. We never had a rink there but when my mom moved to the lake, we always had a rink right in our backyard. My older brother and his buddy were definitely pretty tough on me when I wanted to play with them. They’d always say you need to learn to play with the big boys. I remember playing on our backyard rink and just having fun. The game started to pick up and I had my head down and my brother just dropped his shoulder. He buried me. He told me after that he didn’t even feel bad. He just looked me in the eye and said, ‘keep your head up’. And that’s when I learned to play with my head up (laughs). There were some good lessons out there. Those were good times.

Your family has always been super supportive of your hockey career. What are some stories that stand out for you about what they’ve done to support you and sacrifices they’ve made to this point?

My dad making the move was a big one obviously. His commute to work was not pretty. He drove two hours every single day and was leaving at 5 a.m and at 7 p.m. They were long days for him for a couple of years there and I’m super grateful for what he did. But I think it was my mom who had it the hardest—letting her little boy go at such a young age to play hockey. I know it was tough on her. I was still just a little kid to her at that point and she couldn’t see me every day. I think it was just as tough for her to let me go to pursue my dreams. And then on the weekends they were driving to the rinks to watch me play. My family has always been super supportive. It’s a lot of money to play hockey and they did everything they could to get me into the best position, into the best tournaments with the best equipment possible. That’s something that gets overlooked a lot—just how expensive it is. Especially with two brothers that are playing as well. They went above and beyond, not just me, but for all three of us.

I read a great story on Orillia Matters with a quote from your mom about you keeping an actual notebook about Auston Matthews when you were younger and watching games. Tell us about those years?

Oh yah, I remember doing that. I probably still have that notebook somewhere in my mom’s house (laughs). I just remember trying to find ways to be different. I’d watch the other guys play and my dream was always to be there. Matthews was my favorite player growing up and obviously he’s got a great shot and he’s a fantastic player. It’s pretty funny my mom mentioned that because it’s definitely true. I was just trying to learn more and take as much as I could from watching the games instead of just watching for fun.

Last year, you were recognized by both the OHL and the CHL. You became the first Attack player to win the Bobby Smith Trophy. How do you see academic success and hockey success fitting together? What advice do you have for your teammates juggling it all?

It’s tough. We’re on the road so much and we have some pretty hefty travel at times. It was important for me to do well in school. Life can switch directions at the snap of a finger so it’s always good to have a backup plan and a good education behind you. My mom’s a teacher so she and my dad always encouraged me to be good in school. If you’re using your brain and solving problems and stuff all day at school, it’s going to translate to smarter play on the ice . You can’t just put school aside. My parents preached that. Sarah, the teams educational assistant, helped me a lot with learning how to balance it all. You can be on the road and still have exams to deal with. And I spent a lot of time with Larry (laughs). I wasn’t the greatest in math so I spent a lot of time with Larry our math tutor. It’s a lot of extra work but you just have to try and get it all done when you can and not leave it to pile up. You just have to be a good student to the best of your ability.

At 17, you were named the youngest Attack captain in franchise history. What did that mean to you?

That was pretty special. I didn’t know that it was going to happen until I was named captain. It was pretty surreal. It was a little nerve-wracking my first few weeks. I’m still learning so much. But as a 17-year-old and with 20-year-olds in the room, it can be kind of daunting. But the guys in the room, since day one, have helped me along and it’s been unreal. They’ve always supported me. We’re all just a big family in there which makes it so much easier. We’re all buddies and, honestly, everybody’s a leader in there. We all help each other which has made my job as captain way easier.

You would have played a year with Mark as Captain before that. In your opinion, what makes a good captain?

It sounds cliche, but it’s just trying to do the right things always and being a good person. It’s understanding all the different kinds of personalities and how to deal with certain situations. It can be tough. If you go on a losing streak or things aren’t going well, the leadership group can be called upon to find solutions. You get a lot of support but I think it’s just being level headed through it all and learning from other people. I learned so much from Mark as captain, especially living with him. It’s the little things. To always be early rather than on time, to work hard every single night, to try and set the tempo for practice. All of those little things add up in the end.

Let’s talk a bit about draft day. Can you describe what that day was like and how it felt to hear the Jets call your name 18^th overall?

That was a pretty crazy day as you can imagine. When the day came. it didn’t even feel real. I woke up and I wasn’t nervous. I didn’t even believe it was real until I was putting on my suit. Then I was starting to sweat and get nervous and a bit shaky and stuff. Once you’re sitting in your seat, and the first name gets called, it’s crazy. It was a nice day leading up to it . Mack Guzda, who I played with my first year in Owen Sound, lives in Nashville. A few of the guys came down to support me, Ethan Burroughs, Nolan Seed, Mark Wooley and Guzda were all there. So it was nice to have those guys there and have some support. We all went over to Guzda’s house during the afternoon and it took my mind off things. But once you sat in your seat, it was pretty crazy. You’re watching guys walk up on the stage. And then it’s just a boatload of emotions when my name got called, not just for me, but for my family. Like I said, all of the sacrifice and everything that’s been put in to seeing me take that first step, it’s paying off. Getting drafted is one thing, getting a contract is another step but playing is a whole other thing. We’ve got that first step out of the way and now it’s time to work hard, as hard as I’ve worked my entire life, to start playing there.

Did you have any idea about Winnipeg?

I had no idea. I mean, it’s not like the OHL where you kind of know where you’re going. There were teams that I had talked and had a good feeling about but I had no idea where I was going until I was called. It’s a pretty crazy feeling. You just never know where your next chapter is going to be.

And what did you think when it was Winnipeg?

I was stoked. To be a Canadian boy and to be drafted to—and hopefully play for—a Canadian team is so special. Growing up watching hockey and the Jets and the Leafs, all the Canadian teams, as a Canadian boy you just know you want to be on a Canadian team. And in Winnipeg, the fan base and the community is just so supportive. They’ve got amazing fans and the whiteout during playoffs looks nuts. During my first trip to camp everybody was just so supportive and welcoming. All the guys were nice and the city was nice as well. They treated us second to none. I was stoked to be there.

Development camp looked fun and it looked like you and Rutger McGroarty had a pretty instant bromance?

He’s a good dude. He’s one of those guys you meet and you feel like you’ve been friends with for 10 years. It was nice getting into a friendship like that right off the bat. It was comforting. You can be nervous going into those situations, not knowing people, but the rest of the guys were great too.

The Jets are on a huge roll right now. How exciting is that for you?

It’s cool watching them and seeing how well they’re doing after being at camp with all those guys. The coaching staff and support staff and the development coaches, they support us day in and day out. So it’s just awesome to see their success and know you’ll hopefully be a part of it one day.

I know you were quite sick during training camp and couldn’t get any games in. Obviously nothing you can do about that

Yeah, that was kind of unfortunate. But, you know, I still got to skate with the guys and I still got to play the rookie tournament and that was a blast and definitely a learning experience. I was sick for a week or so which kind of put an end to things but that’s alright. It’s just a bump in the road. Nothing is perfect. You have take it with a grain of salt and get ready for the next opportunity.

How did signing your ELC feel and what was the actual moment like?

It was my first day back at practice after being sick and I didn’t really know it was going to happen. My agent called me that night and said I think we’ve got a contract in the works. But obviously there was some back and forth, figuring out specifics. I had an idea that I might be signing within the next couple of days which was pretty cool and again pretty surreal. Like I said, the draft is the first step and the contract is second. The third is to start playing. But to get that ELC is so special for my family as well. Just to watch everybody’s support paying off in these instances is pretty cool.

With your ELC in place, what’s communication like with the Jets now?

Yeah, we stay in touch. I talk to the player development coaches after every single game and they’ve came up a handful of times to watch me play. They were here last game actually. They travel around and see all the prospects, talk to them and take you out for dinner. They spend time with you and just see how you’re doing in general, not just with hockey. They are super personable guys which is nice and they feel like family already. It’s nice knowing that supports is there.

Let’s turn to the Attack now. You had a solid start to the year before an injury threw things off course. I know being on the sidelines was brutal for you. But I guess recovering from injuries is part of what you have to learn to handle to have a career in the sport. How did you cope with it all?

Well, it wasn’t a short injury that’s for sure. It was almost two months so it’s obviously tough watching. I learned that I don’t like watching my team play and not being out there. It sucks. It was a lot of work—getting healthy. I was just doing physiotherapy, doing a lot of modified workouts, doing everything I could do to get back to playing. It took the time it needed, I guess, but I’m feeling good now and I’m back to 100% so that’s good.

How good did it feel to score that one-time power play goal in your first game back?

It’s tough being off for so long so getting right back into it and being fortunate enough to score a goal in the first period was pretty nice. It was nice to get that out of the way. To get it out of my mind and just try to continue where I left off. Now I can play with a clear mind not worrying about my health or anything.

I thought I saw some extra smiles during the warmups that first week back

Yep, I was just so happy to be back out there. The whole thing felt way longer than it was.

It’s been said a lot, this team on paper has all the pieces needed to go all the way. And with some recent moves made as well, what’s your belief in this time like?

Well, we’ve made some moves and stuff at the deadline and like you said, we’ve got a really good team on paper. I think we just have to figure out our home record. That’s been killing us this year. I don’t think are we even near 500 at home. We definitely have a way better road record. It’s nice to win on the road; those are big games. But for the fans and the community, it’s nice to be just as good or better at home. So I think that’s just something we’ve got to sort out moving forward. I think everybody in this room is special, so we’re just going to keep rolling and try to get better as a team.

There’s actually been a huge thread on the Attack fan pages about what the fans can do to help. What can they do?

I don’t know. They’ve been packing the barn. They’re loud and they’re supportive. I think they’re doing all they can do right now. This one is on us now.

We have some talented over-agers on this team. What’s it like playing with Ethan Burroughs, Sam Sedley and Deni Goure?

They’re unbelievable. They’re just as great of people as they are players. They’re so supportive in the room and great with the younger guys. We all have great relationships in the room. They are all having great years too which is awesome to see. It’s their last year in the league and they’re playing for contracts. I’m really happy for them and the success they’ve had this year. I’m rooting for them and I hope they continue to play strong and hopefully get contracts.

You’ve had some international experience with Team Canada already in your career. How does it feel to wear a Team Canada jersey?

It’s definitely special. That’s another surreal feeling. I grew up watching the NHL but a big thing for our family was watching World Juniors and watching Team Canada play. My first U17 tournament was pretty cool but it was a little different because of COVID so we only played against each other. But my U18 tournament where we won was pretty special. It was a great group of guys and a great hockey team. Then my second was just as cool, going to Switzerland, and we had a great team again. It’s just so fun playing for your country and with guys you don’t see every single night right when the whole world is your competition.

You would have been in the conversation for World Juniors this year if not for your injury. How do you focus on next year and World Juniors in Ottawa?

I’m just focusing on the rest of this year with the Attack and then just having a big summer with the Jets.  I don’t know what would have happened if I was healthy enough to give my best shot to be on that team this year. I will never know. Unfortunately it didn’t work out, but like I said earlier, there’s are always bumps in the road. You won’t have smooth sailing throughout your whole career. So I will focus on the rest of this season and Jets camp but, in the back of my mind, World Junior will always be there. I’m always going to be working towards that.

Carter George is headed to the Top Prospects game later this month. And several of your teammates are eligible for the draft this spring. What advice do you have for Carter and Ben and the others on their game play and focus in their draft year?

I was just talking to Georgie about all this. He’s playing a lot right now, he’s still at school and there’s a lot of weight on his shoulders as a young kid. We talk about some of the pressures you feel. You have to balance so many things and then you’ve got the draft coming up too. I told him just focus on playing and being the best you can. I told him to not put too much pressure on yourself. The beginning of last year, I had a bit of a slow start because there was just so much going on. You have to try and put it in the back your mind and play the best you can. What’s meant to be will be. You can only worry about the things you can control and the rest of it will fall into place.

On to the really important stuff. What’s your favourite pump up music?

Rap and really whatever Steener throws on is okay with me.

What’s one talent you wish you had?

To be good at playing the guitar.

What’s the best advice you ever been given?

My dad always told me be myself. To be a good person above everything else and that good luck will come back to you at some point in your life. Be a good person, always be helpful, always be welcoming and always be trustworthy. The rest will take care of itself.

Do you have an NHL player you’d like to model your play after?

I’ve always watched Auston Matthews and when I was growing up my dad always loved watching Lemieux. He was fantastic.

What’s your favourite pre-game meal?

Fish, sweet potato and broccoli.

What’s your favourite post-game meal?

Anything I can get my hands on.

What’s one thing you’d want people to know about you?

I’m an open book really. But it’s evident that I can grow facial hair pretty easily (laughs).