Barrie Colts round out team ahead of return to the ice
After a two-day draft like no other, the Barrie Colts say they are more excited than ever to return to the ice.
The draft for the 2021-2022 season was held virtually this year due to the pandemic. Acting general manager Marty Williamson says while it was different than previous years, it is the highlight of his job.
"It really is the best part," Williamson says to CTV News. "We go through a lot of stress in making the picks, and then you hop on the phone call, and you hear how excited the families are and the player is, and it really is the rewarding part of the job."
As its first pick coming 19th in the first round, the Colts drafted Beau Akey from the Waterloo Wolves. By Saturday afternoon, all fifteen rounds of the draft were complete, with Williamson feeling confident moving forward.
"It's one of the few drafts we kind of said if this was a dream if we could get this guy, this guy and this guy we'd be really happy and we got just about everybody we wanted," says Williamson.
After a year of being forced to the sidelines, Williamson says they are preparing for the start of the next season. The team will gather for a month-long training camp the first week of September.
"We thought we were going to have a good year this year," says Williamson. "This year coming up, we think we can have a great year. We think our team is very special. I think we'll be considered one of the top teams in the OHL."
The OHL season is scheduled to start on Thursday, October 7.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.