Colorado Avalanche Prospect Profile: Travis Barron

Colorado Avalanche prospect Travis Barron, who is an Avs draftee, may look to make his way on the NHL team as a character player.

The Colorado Avalanche took care of a little housekeeping at the end of March as they got down to the business of signing prospects. They signed some players who were unrestricted free agents but also some of their own draft picks.

One of the latter is left wing Travis Barron. Colorado chose Barron in the seventh round of the 2016 draft, #191 overall. They signed him on March 29, 2018, to an entry-level contract worth $741,666 at the NHL level. He’ll make $70,000 at the AHL level.

Barron is all set to attend rookie training camp and the Rookie Faceoff set to take place in Vegas starting September 8. Eventually I expect Barron will report to the AHL Colorado Eagles.

Let’s look at one of Colorado’s homegrown prospects, Travis Barron

Travis Barron Statistics

Position: Left wing
Shoots: Left
Age: 20
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 195 lbs.

Travis Barron spent four years in the OHL playing for the Ottawa 67’s. The last two years he was the captain of the team. He played the majority of each season. While he never put up awe-inspiring points, they were still respectable.

His final season with the 67’s was definitely his best. He played 67 games and recorded 57 points (21 goals, 36 assists). He also racked up 91 penalty minutes.

After signing his professional contract, Barron played two games with the San Antonio Rampage. He then reported to the ECHL Eagles for the playoffs. En route to winning a Kelly Cup with the Eagles, Barron played 20 games and earned two goals and five assists for seven points. He had 17 penalty minutes.

Here’s Barron talking about his experience in the Kelly Cup:

Side note: Doesn’t it look like the very blonde Barron should be part of House Targaryen?

Anyway, I like what Barron says about his role with the prospects — that it’s his job to guide some of the youngsters while still showcasing his skills to the “men upstairs.” There’s some leadership.

Travis Barron and the Colorado Avalanche

I think it’s safe to say the 20-year-old Travis Barron is more of a tough guy than a pure goal scorer. He’s also known for being one big hitter. And no one hits harder than ol’ Travis Targaryen.

There’s not a spot for the pure tough guy in the NHL anymore… not unless he can work some magic like Tom Wilson and also score some goals. Industriousness is prized in the Colorado Avalanche organization.

So is skating. I’d say Travis Barron’s best bet for making the team down the road is improving his skating skills. If he’s a player who can hit hard, fight, and pot in around 15 goals — while skating fast — that may just earn him a fourth line spot.

Here are some Travis Barron highlights from last season:

More about Travis Barron

More from Mile High Sticking

In case you missed it Barron recently spoke with Saber Bufton of ColoradoAvalanche.com.

Some of the highlights of the interview include the fact that he was a Toronto Maple Leafs fan growing up — Barron is from Brampton, Ontario, which is not that far from Toronto. One of his idols was the great Mats Sundin. However, Barron also greatly respects some of his hockey playing family members, including uncle Andrew Cassels, who played with six different teams in a career that spanned over 1,000 NHL games.

Barron would like to model his game on Dallas Stars’s captain Jamie Benn’s. He likes the fact that the Dallas forward is a “big leader, gritty and can score.” Travis sees his own best attribute as being physicality and an ability to separate opponents from the puck.

And our hockey Targaryen likes his meat red. While other hockey players lean toward chicken, Travis is all about the steak.

OTHER COLORADO AVALANCHE PROSPECT PROFILES:

Like I mentioned, Travis Barron will report for the Colorado Avalanche’s rookie camp and represent the team at the Rookie Faceoff. This is the young prospect’s chance to shine.