One Winnipeg Jets’ prospect is off to a scintillating start to his Ontario Hockey League (OHL) season, while another is off to a slow one.
He Dominating For IceDogs
Who leads the OHL in points? He does.
No, this is not the start of a “Who’s on First?” type comedy bit. It’s a reference to Kevin He — the Jets’ fourth-round pick in the most-recent NHL Entry Draft — who is burning it up for the Niagara IceDogs early into his third season.
The highest-ever drafted player born in China, He has potted nine goals and added nine assists for 18 points in just seven games to lead his first-place team and the league. The left winger has five multi-point games under his belt already, and really popped off with a six-point afternoon against the Brampton Beast on Oct. 6 that included his first OHL hat trick.
Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff traded up at the draft table to select He 109th overall, dealing his own fourth-rounder (the 123rd-overall selection) and a seventh-rounder to the Buffalo Sabres to acquire the 109th. The 109th originally belonged to the Philadelphia Flyers, but the Sabres acquired it in a March, 2024 trade.
“We were staring at our list and when He was still sitting there, we just felt we had to be decisive there — we didn’t think he was going to be around that much longer,” Cheveldayoff said at the draft in Las Vegas.
The 18-year-old had 31 goals and 53 points for the IceDogs last season and will shatter those numbers if he maintains his current pace or anything close to it. While He — who Cheveldayoff described as a “very serious individual” and “articulate type of person” — is still a while away from turning pro full time, the organization has to be happy with what they’re seeing. His early-season success comes after enjoying a strong training camp and participating in the Young Stars Classic in Penticton, B.C. in September.
Barlow Struggling In New Surroundings
Barlow, meanwhile, has not had a good time so far with the Oshawa Generals club he was dealt to as the centrepiece of a massive trade earlier this month. The 18th-overall 2023 selection is pointless in six games and has a minus-5 rating.
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For the past two seasons, Barlow captained the Owen Sound Attack, posting 79 and 58 points, respectively, and notching 40-plus goals in each campaign. His skill and wicked shot are not in question, but it appears it’s taking him some time to get adjusted to his new teammates and a new coaching staff.
Barlow is well-known for his maturity and work ethic and the organization is high on him as a potential future leader. They likely aren’t panicking about struggles through a six-game sample size — especially given his track record and that he’s fired 29 shots on goal this season — but Barlow is likely feeling some pressure to start producing sooner than later.
In late 2023, Barlow suffered a back injury that quashed his chance of playing for Canada at the 2024 World Junior Championship (WJC.) The Orillia, Ontario product had a chance to showcase his stuff at Canada’s World Junior Summer Showcase in late July and early August, but certainly won’t want an extended early-season slump to cast any doubt on his worthiness to join Canada in their quest for gold in Ottawa at the 2025 WJC over the holidays.
Barlow, who made his professional debut last spring by playing three games for the Manitoba Moose after the OHL season ended, may have been better off in the American Hockey League than the OHL this season, but he was not eligible to join the Moose. Any Canadian Hockey League player who is not 20 by the end of a calendar year cannot join an AHL team full time (he doesn’t turn 20 until February, 2025.)
He & Barlow Continue OHL Season This Weekend
Barlow and the Generals (3-5-1) play next on Friday night (Oct. 18) at home against the Peterborough Petes. Kevin He and the IceDogs (6-1-0) are also back in action Friday night on the road in Kitchener. He will attempt to keep the good times rolling while Barlow will look to get off the schneid.