The Barrie Colts added a significant piece this week, inking goaltender Arturs Silovs to a contract.
Silovs was drafted in the sixth round of last summer’s NHL Entry Draft by the Vancouver Canucks. Silovs signed an entry-level contract with the Canucks this summer and then signed with Barrie last week; he was selected by the Colts in the first round (No. 11 overall) of the CHL Import Draft.
“The Barrie Colts are very happy to welcome Arturs to the family,” said Colts head scout Jason Ford. “Arturs is a bonafide pro prospect that is really eager to hone his skills here in North America. We think that him and Jet Greaves together is an extremely solid tandem.”
Silovs, 18, made his OHL debut this past weekend stopping 37 out of the 39 shots he faced against the London Knights. Last season, he suited up for HS Riga in his home country of Latvia and he has extensive experience playing for the U16 and U18 Latvian national teams.
The Hamilton Bulldogs added 3.5-star forward Ryan Humphrey on a standard player agreement. Humphrey was an eighth-round selection in last summer’s OHL Priority Selection Draft.
Last season, Humphrey had 52 points (22 goals, 30 assists) in 56 games for the Honeybaked 16U team.
“We are thrilled to have received a commitment from Ryan,” said Hamilton GM Steve Staios. “He has all the characteristics of what it means to be a Hamilton Bulldog. Our fans will really enjoy watching Ryan’s growth and development over the next number of years. He has a very bright future.”
Humphrey was assessed a grade of A- at this summer’s Select 16 camp by Neutral Zone scouts.
“A natural goal scorer who has slick yet sturdy hands, a balanced stride and ability to get off checks and get pucks to the net,” our scouts said. “He is physically engaged and is not afraid to get to the front of the net and fight for loose pucks. He loves the puck on his stick and it frequently found its way to him as his teammates understood his talent. He can make the puck fly off of his stick when shooting or thread the needle on a cross-ice pass to a teammate.”
North Bay signed 4.25 star defenseman Ty Hollett to a standard player agreement. Hollett spent the last season with the Navan Grads (CCHL) and previously suited up for the Ottawa Jr. 67’s.
“I had a tremendous experience at North Bay’s training camp in August and the coaching staff and players were very welcoming,” Hollett said. “What impressed me the most was getting to do the pregame skates and sharing a billet with veteran Luc Moncada.
“I feel the OHL is the best route for me because my ultimate goal is to play in the National Hockey League one day, and I feel North Bay will give me the best opportunity to get there. I am very excited to join the Battalion family and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store.”
