The Jr. A Colts have announced that top prospect Josh Barnes has committed to NCAA Division I Penn State University, starting in 2020.
And that the still-just 15-year-old will be suiting up with his hometown Colts, beginning in the 2018-19 Central Canada Hockey League season.
“It’s great news,” Colts head coach Ian MacInnis said on Tuesday. “I’m real happy, the players who’ll play with him should be happy, the fans should be happy.”
Barnes was made a second round selection (24th overall) in early April by the Owen Sound Attack in the Ontario Hockey League’s 2018 Ontario Priority Selection draft event.
But the Grade 10 student at St. Joseph’s Catholic Secondary School will be going in a different direction, choosing to play college hockey with the Nittany Lions.
“He’s had a lot of different (NCAA) schools (interested) in him,” MacInnis said. “I think the (Barnes family likes) the way Penn State has treated him, Josh has a pretty good feeling about Penn State.”
Owen Sound general manager Dale DeGray said just after the OHL draft “nobody would have been too surprised” had Barnes been made a first-round pick.
MacInnis thinks Barnes has the talent to play in either the OHL or NCAA – and he’s thrilled the prospect has chosen the latter.
“It’s fun for me as a coach to go to the rink when you have someone like him to teach,” MacInnis said. “He’s a very dedicated kid, he works at it. He’s grateful for everything he gets, he doesn’t take anything for granted.”
MacInnis thinks Barnes will be one of the best all-time talents to skate in Cornwall at the junior A level, and while there is a small sample size with the Colts at this point, the body of work is an eye-opener.
Barnes, who doesn’t turn 16 until late in September, was close to a point-per-game player, with six points in seven contests in a first-round playoff loss to Hawkesbury in March.
During the season in seven games with the Colts, Barnes had three goals and two assists.
Barnes in 2017-18 led the U18 AAA Colts with 52 points in 39 games.
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