Time for some thin air. Colorado is up. And their prospect pool when it comes to OHL players is also thin (after trading Kyle Wood and releasing Nick Magyar).
1. Travis Barron - Ottawa 67's
Only one OHL'er in the system right now and that's the recently drafted Barron. Colorado's 7th rounder, Barron was well worth a selection at that spot (and I expected him to go earlier). Currently, he's a great role player. I can almost guarantee that he gets a letter next year. He battles for loose pucks. He plays both ends. He throws his body around. But the major concern is the fact that his offensive skills just haven't translated from midget (where he was a star and the 3rd overall pick in the OHL draft). As a midget player, Barron showed a fantastic shot and many thought he would be at the very least, an excellent goal scorer at this level. Thus far in the OHL, that hasn't been the case as he's struggled to create and finish scoring chances and just hasn't shown the high end hockey sense to find scoring lanes consistently. BUT, it's still early. Sometimes the light bulb goes off. Sometimes it's a conditioning thing or a confidence thing. At the very least, Colorado has a guy who could be another Cody McLeod for them. And at most, Barron's offensive game could greatly improve. Ottawa should be a middle of the pack team in the OHL next year, perhaps higher depending on individual improvement and returning OA's. I would definitely expect his numbers to improve, likely into the 20/30 (50 point) range at the very least.
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