Barrie Colts have reinforcements at the ready: OHL Burning Questions

Starting from the top of last season's standings, it is time for OHL Burning Questions. For your consideration, the Barrie Colts.

Last season went like — After coming within a pinged crossbar in Game 7 of the OHL title, Barrie stayed up with pack in its conference thanks to a certain NHL No. 1 pick-to-be and a 49-goal, 95-point season from Andreas Athanasiou (who's also gone now). Their youth caught up to them by Round 2, though.

2013-14, by the numbers — 37-28-1-2, .566 point pct., 261 GF/216 GA. Third, Eastern Conference. Lost 4-2 to North Bay in conference semifinal.

On the junior-or-pro bubble — Sorry, Aaron Ekblad is not walking through that door. No NHL first overall choice has returned to junior since 1996.

Drafted — LW Brendan Lemieux (Buffalo Sabres, second round), LW Kevin Labanc (San Jose Sharks, sixth).

2015 NHL Draft watch — G Mackenzie Blackwood was the only OHL 'tender on NHL Central Scouting futures list released in August; D Rasmus Anderson (6-foot, 210) and RW Roy Radke (6-2, 200) are expected to have an impact quickly.

1. How many points can Blackwood steal for the Colts?

After watching Ekblad and Lemieux last winter, scouts will be heading up Hwy. 410 to peruse over the 6-foot-4,  215-pound Blackwood, who's vying to join Pittsburgh Penguins prospect and Soo Greyhounds grad Matt Murray as an answer in the future Jeopardy! category of "Tall Goalies Out Of Thunder Bay." The former fifth-rounder in the OHL priority selection posted a 2.98 average and .902 save percentage on a team that occasionally found itself in some shootouts. Blackwood will not have Ekblad logging 30-minute workloads in front of him, but the sophomore has good control of his legs for a goalie of his age and height and is learning how to use his size to its full benefit.

With four of their top five scorers gone, Barrie might find itself in more tight games. Still, the franchise is likely to make it 19 playoff trips in 20 seasons.

2. Who will replace Athanasiou (and Zach Hall; and Mitchell Theoret; and that Ekblad fellow)?

Barrie, save for 2010-11, has always restocked well. There likely isn't a game-breaker on the level of Athanasioiu (or Mark Scheifele the season prior when the Colts came oh so close to the OHL championship), but there are plenty of hands to form an offence by committee. Labanc and undrafted gem Andrew Mangiapane had the composure and puck handling wherewithal to be trusted as penalty killers as rookies a year ago; they'll have to score more now. Lemieux is more of a two-way type than someone who puts up guady point totals, but 30-plus goals from the agitator is possible.

Overage Joseph Blandisi, whom the Sabres brought to the Traverse City prospect tournament, is an X factor. The former Colorado draftee showed flashes of being a pure goal scorer as a 17-year-old, but has been traded in each of the past two seasons and was injured and sick at playoff time. He's not someone to sleep on.

3. How much more vitriol will Colts fans have toward the OHL office by season's end?

Relax; that's just a funny of way of pointing out that two of the newbies, Radke and 16-year-old first-rounder Givani Smith, love to take the body in a league that tries to maintain a fine line on contact to the head. Their presence, along with having Andersson come over from Sweden to fill in on the Ekblad-less blueline, should help the Colts have some balance in their roster.

The suspensions the 2013 team incurred to Lemieux, captain Ryan O'Connor and Antbony Camara riled up the "Commissioner David Branch Seems To Hate [My Favourite Team Here]" crowd. That is hardly confined to one fanbase. Hey, if people weren't allowed to irrational about player safety rules that have a rational basis when it hurts their team, well, there would be no sports. 

 Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.