Colts Name New Team Captain
September 24, 2015 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Barrie Colts News Release
Barrie, ON - Barrie Colts Head Coach Dale Hawerchuk announced today that the team has named veteran Michael Webster as team captain for the 2015-16 season.
Webster, 20, is in his fourth season in the Ontario Hockey League, all with the Barrie Colts. The overage defenceman becomes the 17th captain in franchise history and only the 7th d-man all-time to wear the "C". "Obviously this is a huge honour," said Webster after being named the teams new captain. "Especially after former captains who I have played with the last couple years like Ryan O'Connor, Aaron Ekblad and Joseph Blandisi. They were all incredible teammates and very successful players."
The Toronto, Ontario native has appeared in 190 career OHL games with the Colts registering 9 goals and 51 points with a Plus/Minus rating of plus 48. While he said he looked up to the leaders he had, Webster hopes to bring the same thing to the table as his former captains.
"I really hope to bring good leadership first and foremost to the hockey club, but also good communication amongst my teammates and really mentor our young players to get ready for the season so we are all on the same page," added Webster. "I am very excited to see how things shake out and to see how our team performs. We want to hit the ground running on Kingston in Friday."
This past summer Webster was also the recipient of the 2015 CMHA Community Award for his outstanding work with the March Mullet Campaign, raising over $18,000 in the past three years.
"Michael has been in the organization for a while and he was really a unanimous decision amongst the coaches and management," said Head Coach Dale Hawerchuk. "We see how much the players respect him and how hard he worked over the summer. He has really elevated his game and taken on a big leadership role. We are excited he is going to be our captain this year"
The Barrie Colts also named forwards Justin Scott and Andrew Mangiapane as alternate captains of the team.
Scott, 20, has spent his entire career with Barrie, skating in 184 career OHL games with the Colts. The overage forward is coming off an impressive year last season setting career highs in goals, assists and points while finishing with a Plus/Minus rating of +26, the second highest on the hockey club.
"Justin has been with the organization for a while and has always been a good citizen on and off the ice," said Hawerchuk. "He brings a hard working game every night and is definitely one of the leaders of our club."
Mangiapane, 19, will enter his third OHL season with the Colts after signing as a free agent in September 2013. Last season the Bolton, Ontario native finished 8th in league scoring with 104 points and became one of only 8 players in franchise history to reach the 100-point plateau.
"Andrew is a small guy who has worked his tail off while earning a ton of respect from his accomplishments in his couple years with Barrie," added Hawerchuk. "He is someone his teammates look up to."
The defending Central Division Champion Barrie Colts will open the regular season on the road this Friday, September 25th when they visit the Kingston Frontenacs. Game time is 7:00pm.
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