| Player Development |
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Life as a Hockey Player for the Barrie Colts
Frequently Asked Questions
1) Where will my son live when playing for the Barrie Colts?
All Colts players are billeted with families throughout the community of Barrie. These families are handpicked through an interview process by the hockey club. We currently partner with 15-20 billet homes, so some players will be paired up with a teammate, and some live by themselves with their respective billet family. The club ensures that each player has their own bedroom, is set up with proper nutritious meals on a daily basis, and has access to a computer to do homework. The Colts have several billet families that have housed players since the club’s inception into the OHL during the 1995-96 season. The club also employs a billeting/educational co-ordinator, Kevin Collins, whose job is to liase with the players and billets on a regular basis, so as to ensure the players are comfortable in their homes away from homes. Overall, we select homes that have a sound family setting, and where the player is comfortable in terms of home life, but also respectful to the specific billet family’s rules and surroundings. 2) Where will my son go to school when playing for the Barrie Colts? Players still in high school have the option to attend a catholic, French or public high school located in the community. The majority of our high school players currently attend Innisdale Secondary School, which is approximately a five minute drive from the Barrie Molson Centre. This high-school runs on a semester system, and players have the option to take up to four courses per semester if they choose. The Colts employ an educational consultant, Randy McIntyre, who is Innisdale’s Head of Physical Education. It is his role to communicate to the hockey club and the parents the academic progress of the players, and report any inexcused absences or lates. After the hockey season is over (April-May), the academic advisor communicates with the respective home school of the player so to ensure the player is on track and the proper courses match up so they can continue the remainder of the school year in their hometowns. In terms of post-secondary education, Barrie hosts Georgian College, which offers a wide variety of college courses and programs. In addition, Georgian acts as a satellite school for various universities throughout Ontario, so a player has the option to take university classes while playing for the Barrie Colts. All expenses related to post-secondary schooling are covered by the hockey club when the player takes courses while a member of the club. Our organizational objective is to ensure all of our players are active away from the arena in terms of education. The Colts had more than a dozen players at various times through the 2008-09 season enrolled in university and college classes.
As far as being excused from school, this occurs only when the team is playing a great distance from Barrie on a Friday as part of a weekend road trip. Because of Barrie’s central location, this only takes place 7-8 times over the course of the season.
3) How does my son commute in Barrie if he doesn’t have his own car? Players in this category are paired up with a player with a car, and the driver is responsible for making sure the player gets to school, arena and any other team function where they have to be present. We often pair the high-school players together, so their schedules are similar and this process becomes more efficient. We also ensure that a player giving rides is not paired up with too many players, and they live in close proximity to their player, to further reinforce a smooth process in this area. 4) Will my son have access to a gym or working out during the season?
The hockey team is currently in partnership with Mind-to-Muscle, a sport-specific training facility located two blocks behind the arena. A state-of-the-art facility with gyms also located throughout the GTA and other parts of Ontario, our players work out here in groups. The players not in high school are encouraged to work out in the morning “breakfast club” or a time that coincides with their post-secondary schedules. The high school players will use this facility either before or after a weekday practice, depending on the structure of their high-school timetables. The organization will fitness-test all roster players during September, and then test them again during the mid-way point of the season and again at the end of the season. This allows us to observe their progress throughout the season to ensure they are on the right track in this area. 5) As drafted player, where should I play if I do not make the Colts for the 2009-10 season?
Not to take you away from your focus of playing in the OHL, but this is a reality that sets in for players every season. In some cases, 16-year olds need to be more physically ready or improve on certain aspects of their game. Accordingly, we suggest you have an alternative plan should you not be with the Colts next year. The 16-year old year is an important developmental season for a hockey player, so we encourage you find the team where you will get the most playing time. In some cases Tier II Junior A or Junior B teams will stack their rosters with older players and the focus of that season will be to “run” for a division title and playoff championship. Some times when this is the case, ice time is limited for 16-year old players, so this is something to keep in mind. If not a roster member of the Barrie Colts, the Colts organization ensures that your progress will be followed throughout your playing season with several viewings and constant communication to help with the developmental process. If you do not make the Barrie Colts team in your first eligible OHL year, you are still an important factor in our organization, and are still part of our 50-man protected list. Like many other OHL teams, the Colts pride themselves on not only having 16-year olds as part of our immediate roster, but to make sure they make progress on the respective team they play on.
Looking back at the 1992 draft-class, three players made the hockey team and were a roster member for the entire 2008-09 season. Seven others played Tier II Jr. A, two played Tier II Jr. B, four played major midget and one played high school. Four of these players did also play with the Colts for several games throughout the season.
6) What about the 48-hour rule during an OHL training camp? The 48-hour rule is a term that has been used for sometime and refers to; that if a player comes in to an OHL training camp and competes at the club’s expense for more than 48-hours then he will forego his ability to accept an NCAA scholarship. The reality of the matter is that a player in fact loses his NCAA eligibility once he participates in an OHL exhibition game. This is an area that can be discussed further if needed leading up to training camp, but is a topic that a lot of OHL players and their families ask about, so we want to make sure there is clarification. |