Orillia hockey standout Colby Barlow will be representing his country later this winter.
The 16-year-old Owen Sound Attack rookie forward was named to the Team Canada roster for the new Capital City Challenge. The event is a one-off replacement for the World Under-17 Challenge, and will feature three teams made up of the top 2005-born players from across Canada, as well as the Canadian women’s national team.
For Barlow, this be his first taste of Canada’s Program of Excellence, which provides an opportunity for players to showcase their skills against others in their age group.
“It’s a huge honour to play for your country,” said Barlow. “I’m super grateful for this opportunity, and excited to get to Ottawa and represent Hockey Canada.”
Barlow, who was selected eighth overall by the Attack in the OHL draft this summer, has shown great offensive instincts already this season as he has tallied seven goals in his first 11 OHL games.
On Saturday night, Barlow had two goals and an assist in Owen Sound’s 4-1 win over the Kitchener Rangers and was subsequently named one of the OHL’s three stars on Saturday.
The Attack rookie has also shown some strong defensive awareness with “timely stick lifts and a strong presence of being on the strong side of the puck,” noted a release from the Attack.
That would come as no surprise to those who watched him play as a youth — first with the North Central Predators 'AAA' team based in Rama and then with the vaunted Toronto Marlboros.
Barlow and his other fellow select players will compete in the Capital City Challenge at TD Place Arena in Ottawa beginning Nov. 26. The gold medal game is set to be played on Dec. 1.
