For the second straight year, the Barrie Colts will be led by a New York Rangers prospect wearing the captain’s C.
Barrie announced earlier this past week that defenseman Evan Passmore is the 28th captain in team history, taking over the role after center Cole Beaudoin served as captain in 2025-26. Beaudoin was not yet a Rangers prospect when he wore the C last season, but that changed on July 1, when New York acquired the 20-year-old in a trade with the Utah Mammoth as part of the return for Vincent Trocheck.
Now both players are in the Rangers’ system, and they were teammates last weekend in the Rookie Series against Philadelphia Flyers prospects.
Passmore earned a letter with Barrie last season as an alternate captain, and the Colts clearly see him as a steady presence. The 6-foot-5, 212-pound right-shot defenseman brings size, edge and a defensive game built on range and physicality. He can close space quickly, disrupt plays, and use his frame to win battles in tight areas.
“Everything you want in a teammate, friend, protector and a class kid, that’s Evan,” Barrie general manager Marty Williamson stated this week.
The penalties have come with that style. Passmore logged 58 penalty minutes in each of his last two seasons with Barrie. Last year, he also produced 10 points, with three goals and seven assists, while finishing plus-12 in 66 games.
Selected by the Rangers in the sixth round, No. 171 overall, in the 2025 Draft, Passmore was one of five defensemen New York took that year. The long-term outlook still points more toward the AHL than the NHL, but the organization clearly values what he brings.
This is his fourth season with the Colts, who picked him 153rd overall in the OHL Priority Selection four years ago. He has played 130 games, tied for ninth most among defensemen since the start of the 2024-25 season.
The next step matters. Passmore has one year left to convince Rangers management to sign him to an entry-level contract. If that doesn’t happen, he can re-enter the draft, move to the NCAA, or sign a minor-league contract.
Getting the captaincy is a strong early sign for a player entering a crucial year.
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