The new Collingwood Colts, an affiliate of the Barrie Colts, have been busy in recent weeks preparing for their inaugural season.
On Saturday, the team announced it had assembled the group tasked to built the new Junior A hockey club.
Collingwood Colts president David Steele announced that Dermot Anderson (general manager), Nick Ricca (associate coach) and Greg Johnston (head coach) have been hired to stickhandle the club’s inaugural season.
“We’ve done a lot of work since March 11 when we won the bid and one of the big jobs we had to do was establish a bench staff,” said Steele.
Johnston played over 200 games in the NHL between 1983 and 1992 with the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Barrie native grew up in the local hockey system and recently coached the Barrie AAA squad to a record of 24-7-3. Johnston knows the communities that surround not just his hometown, but also the town of Collingwood.
“I’ve been coaching hockey in the minor levels for both girls and boys for quite a while,” Johnston told BarrieToday. “I have three daughters so I was obviously involved with the Barrie Sharks to start with and took a little time off when my kids went off to university for hockey and track and field in the US.
"The opportunity to be the first coach in Collingwood is very special and something I can’t wait to get started on.”
Collingwood will play in the Ontario Junior Hockey League and be a farm team for Barrie's OHL team, allowing local talent to grow and shine within the region.
Johnston said it is too early to know exactly what players will don the Colts jerseys in Collingwood, but he vowed the team will play hard every game.
“It is going to be an exciting brand of hockey,” said Johnston. “The game has to be played fast but I believe you have to have grit and we see that more and more as teams work at putting those two together.
"You have to be able to compete; you have to be able to battle but you don’t go looking for the physical play because it will present itself," said Johnston. "you don’t need to run around like a chicken with its head cut off. It’s still early when it comes to players on the team, but as for play we will finish our checks, we will play physically and battle in corners."
As the new team in town, the Colts will have to get out and recruit fans to cheer them on at the Eddie Bush Arena.
The club has initiated a Founders Club ticket campaign and will host some summer camps, but Johnston knows it takes visibility from the team to get fans involved.
“That’s important for any team but particularly for us as we start a new season, we will definitely be seen in the community,” said Johnston. “My wife and I have long loved going to Collingwood and now to be a part of this beautiful town is very exciting to us. This team will be active in the community not just because that’s what clubs are expected to do, but because Collingwood deserves that.”
More information for the Collingwood Colts can be found at their website.
