Colby Barlow Earns World junior camp invite
Winnipeg Jets’ top prospect Colby Barlow will be heading to Team Canada’s World Junior Championship summer evaluation camp in Windsor, ON. from July 28 to 31.
Barlow is the lone Jets prospect to be invited to a World Junior camp so far, as other participating nations reveal their rosters. Jets’ second rounder Alfons Freij was not invited by Sweden.
Team Canada will be playing an intersquad scrimmage before playing USA, Sweden, and Finland in Windsor.
Barlow is no stranger to the maple leaf and the Hockey Canada Program of Excellence, having been a part of the U-17 and U-18 levels, most recently having success at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and the IIHF World Under-18 Hockey Championships, winning three golds and one bronze medal.
At the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, Barlow put up two goals and three assists in five games en route to a gold medal. Then, at the 2023 IIHF World Under-18 Hockey Championship, he captained Canada to a bronze medal, playing six games with three goals and one assist.
It’s looking like Barlow will return to Owen Sound of the Ontario Hockey League next season, where he battled injuries this past year. He still put up very respectable numbers in 50 games played, with a 40-goal campaign and another 18 assists.
He is a born goal scorer, and as a 19-year-old prospect, Barlow still has plenty to work on, but his release and goal-scoring ability is something that has already translated over to the AHL and hopefully the NHL.
Barlow still ranks as one of the Jets’ top prospects despite a weird season after his draft. He suited up for three AHL games with the Manitoba Moose after his season ended with Owen Sound, putting up one goal and two assists, looking very promising while doing so.
Seeing an improvement in his skating and his playmaking ability would make an immense difference between making the NHL roster and getting sent back to Owen Sound for the 2025/26 season.
He is a near lock for 30-40 goals a season, but an assist drop-off from 36 to 18 over the last two seasons is a touch concerning.
Despite his offensive talents, Barlow’s spot in the World Junior lineup is not guaranteed by any means, as Canada will have to strategize its roster after a disappointing fifth place finish last January.
Comments