‘The pro level is so fast and physically demanding,’ says Barlow, who is in his first full season with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, the farm team of the Jets

Orillia’s Colby Barlow, a step away from realizing his NHL dream, is working hard at “building” his game in the American Hockey League (AHL).

Barlow, the 18th overall pick by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2023 NHL entry draft, is in his first full season with the Jets’ AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose.

At the halfway point of the season, the six-foot, 195-pound winger has three goals and five assists in 37 games.

“The pro level is so fast and physically demanding,” Barlow says in a video posted to the Moose’s social media account.

Barlow, who signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Jets on Sept. 22, 2023, says his first year in Manitoba has been fun.

While he concedes there are many “learning curves,” the 2022 Orillia Athlete of the Year says he is happy with his progress to date.

“I think I’ve grown my game from training camp to now,” he said, stressing the goal is “to keep building, building and building.”

Barlow, who turns 21 on Feb. 14, played minor hockey in Orillia and then graduated to the region’s AAA program, where he played with the North Central Predators.

He was the eighth-overall draft pick of the Owen Sound Attack in 2021 and went on to become the youngest captain in team history. He won the OHL’s Scholastic Player of the Year award in 2023 and terrorized goaltenders with his lethal shot. He has said he tries to emulate Leafs sniper Auston Matthews and plays a similar style game as the Toronto captain.

After three stellar seasons in Owen Sound, he was traded to the Oshawa Generals and helped the Gens advance to the OHL championship last winter.

He is the highest-ever NHL draft pick from Orillia. That was no surprise to his agent, John Walters, who represents notable current players such as Dallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin and Florida Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe.

“His competitive nature and juices are amongst the elite of anybody that I’ve ever been around,” Walters told OrilliaMatters prior to the NHL draft in Nashville. “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.”

That was evident after Barlow won Orillia’s top athletic prize for his standout year in 2022. At the Athlete of the Year ceremony, he said it’s a special feeling to have youth from his hometown looking up to him. He hopes his accomplishments continue to inspire youth to follow their dreams.

“I want to be a role model for the kids,” he said. “Hopefully, I can help those kids when our paths cross.”

— With files from Tyler Evans