Jets sign 2023 first-round pick

Barlow spent the 2022-23 season with the Owen Sound Attack of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). The “man child,” as he is often referred to, notched a team-leading 46 goals and 79 points in 59 games while captaining the Attack. He would add three goals in four OHL playoff games. His 46 goals accounted for almost 20% of the Attack’s goals this season. In two seasons with Owen Sound, Barlow has tallied 76 goals and 50 assists for 126 points in 118 games.

He was named to the OHL’s first All-Star team and also took home both the OHL and CHL’s scholastic player of the year. Barlow represented Canada on two different occasions on the international stage, once at the U18 World Championships in Switzerland, where he tallied three goals and four points to capture a bronze medal; he also donned the Canadian sweater at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, scoring five points and winning a gold medal.

The Orillia, Ontario, product is a member of a rising prospect pipeline that features Chaz Lucius and Brad Lambert, to name a couple of players. It is assumed that he will return to major junior and resume his captain role with the Attack for the 2023-24 season.

Barlow made his Jets debut at the 2023 Young Stars Classic in Penticton, British Columbia, which featured teams like the Jets, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks. He scored one goal and added four penalty minutes in three games for Winnipeg.

The Jets open up their preseason on Sunday against the Edmonton Oilers.