Happy 4th of July - A look at American born Barrie Colts. #OHL

Happy 4th of July to all our American followers!

Yes, the Barrie Colts are an Ontario Hockey League team in the Canadian Hockey League but that doesn’t limit the league to Canadian talent. In fact, some of the top players in Colts history are American born!

Let’s look at some of the American born talent the Colts have been lucky to have in the organization over the years and their production.


Kevin Labanc – Brooklyn, NY
No American born member of the Barrie Colts has ever put up the points than Kevin Labanc. Over 3 seasons in Barrie he scored 81 goals (3rd most among American born Colts/10th all-time for Colts), 188 assists (most among American born Colts/3rd all-time for Colts) for a total of 269 points (most among American born Colts/4th all-time for Colts).

What is most ridiculous about his point totals is he didn’t even play 200 games with the Ponies. In 198 games, he still managed to keep his name with the all time great Colts. Hunter Tremblay has only 5 more points than him all-time but that is over 119 more games. His 188 assists are 3rd most all time for Barrie Colts players, trailing Bryan Little and Daniel Tkaczuk who both only have 1 more than him with 189. Incredible when you consider that Little played in 49 more games and Tkaczuk played 40 more than Labanc.

Labanc would go on to get drafted by the San Jose Sharks 171st overall at the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. In 2016-17 he would play 55 games in his rookie season with the San Jose Sharks. He scored 8 goals and added 22 assists and went on to be named the teams rookie of the year!


B.J. Crombeen – Denver, CO

In the history of the Barrie Colts, only 3 players have played more games as a Colt than B.J. Crombeen but none from the good ol' US of A. His 248 games played is the most among American born Colts. Hunter Tremblay (317), Michael Webster (254) and Justin Scott (251) are the only players to appear in more games with Barrie.

Over 4 seasons in Barrie, B.J scored 86 goals (most among American born Colts/7th all-time for Colts), 84 assists (3rd most among American born Colts/22nd all-time for Colts) for a total of 170 points (2nd most among American born Colts/14th all-time for Colts).

Crombeen was drafted at the 2003 NHL Entry Draft where he was selected 54th overall by the Dallas Stars. He only played 23 games with the Stars before going to St. Louis for 4 seasons. He would also play with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Arizona Coyotes. Over 445 NHL regular season games, B.J. would score 34 goals, 46 assists for a total of 80 points.


Here is a look at the top 5 American born Barrie Colts players all-time for Goals, Assists, Points, Games Played and Penalty Minutes.

Most Goals (American born)

1. B.J. Crombeen - 86
2. Brendan Lemieux - 83
3. Kevin Labanc - 81
4. Vladimir Nikiforov - 59
5. Roy Radke - 51

Most Assists (American born)

1. Kevin Labanc - 188
2. Vladimir Nikiforov - 100
3. B.J. Crombeen - 84
4. Mark Langdon - 61
5. Brendan Lemieux - 58

Most Points (American born)

1. Kevin Labanc - 269
2. B.J. Crombeen - 170
3. Vladimir Nikiforov - 159
4. Brendan Lemieux - 141
5. Mark Langdon - 99

Most Games Played (American born)

1. B.J. Crombeen -248
2. Kevin Labanc - 198
3. Eric Reitz - 192
4. Ed Hill - 179
5. Brendan Lemieux - 175

Most Penalty Minutes (American born)

1. B.J. Crombeen - 516
2. Eric Reitz - 416
3. Brendan Lemieux - 370
4. Ed Hill - 209
5. Chris Feil - 209

And finally, a look at the top 10 point producers with full stats while in Barrie and with birthplace.














We have been so lucky to have many great American born players here in Barrie. Thank you to our American friends for sharing your talent with us and HAPPY AMERICAN DAY!