Leeds Knights forward Matt Barron intent on using his all-round game to winning effect in NIHL National

From his time in the Nova Scotia Major Bantam league right through to ‘school’ (university) at Ontario Tech, he seems to have been the proverbial go-to-guy.

His most productive year came while still in junior, from when he helped lead hometown team Yarmouth Mariners to a championship in the Maritime Junior Hockey League (MHL) in 2019.

He led the team scoring in the regular season with 31 goals and 41 assists in just 49 games, while finishing joint top in the play-offs with a further 17 points in 16 appearances, six of them goals.

The following year, as captain, he bettered his regular season output with 24 goals and 55 helpers, the play-offs ruled out - like so many hockey leagues - due to the onset of the global Covid-19 pandemic.

Covid also ruled out his first season at Ontario Tech University, but a return to action in 2021-22 brought 20 points in 19 league and play-off games, five of them goals.

A jump to pro hockey followed with Indiana-based Evansville Thunderbolts in the Southern Premier Hockey League, but after putting up 16 points up in 22 games - seven of them goals - he was sent across to Indy Fuel in the East Coast league.

It was a short stay when, after just four games, he was loaned to league rivals Trois-Rivières Lions, where he remained for the rest of the 2022-23 campaign, posting six goals and five assists in 39 games.

Barron acknowledges the dip in his points production once he made the move from school hockey to the Thunderbolts.

But he feels he learned more about developing his all-round game, making him a more attractive proposition for potential suitors. Leeds Knights were the ones who eventually landed his signature.

“In junior, I was kind of one of the top players and then went on to university and it was kind of the same thing there as well,” said the 24-year-old right-hander. “So to make the jump to pro last year and not be the top guy, there was an obvious adjustment period and then it took some getting used to - but it really helped me find areas of my game that I needed to improve on.

“I became much better defensively and the same offence wasn’t there, but I felt I became a far better, all-round player from being in that role.”

"If I’m honest, offence has been the biggest part of my game over the years, but I never wanted to try and cheat for that and be offence first, I wanted to be good in the defensive zone and make that lead to good offence.

“I’m just looking to get to Leeds and be a good, 200ft player – play every area of the ice well and, if I can do that, we’ll hopefully have success.”

Knights head coach Ryan Aldridge already had a head start on recruiting Barron, having briefly overseen him when head coach of the Okanagan Hockey Academy in Swindon. A close friendship with Barron’s dad Laurie – head coach at Okanagan immediately prior to Aldridge – meant Leeds was not a hard sell.

"Matt is a hard-working player, added Aldridge. “I saw him when he was perhaps 15 or 16 – he’s intelligent and can play both ends of the rink.”