Before he even set foot on NHL ice, Aaron Ekblad had already earned the kind of respect most young defensemen only dream of. Tall, poised, and commanding the game like a veteran, Ekblad stood out as a teenager in the Ontario Hockey League—and then somehow did it again as a rookie in the NHL.
He’s one of the few players in hockey history to win Rookie of the Year honors in both the OHL and the NHL. And for anyone who watched him closely during his time with the Barrie Colts, it came as no surprise.
Ekblad joined the Colts after being granted Exceptional Player Status in 2011, becoming just the second player in OHL history—after John Tavares—to enter the league early. He had been a dominant presence with the Sun County Panthers minor midget team and was selected first overall in the 2011 OHL Priority Selection. Barrie coach Dale Hawerchuk saw something rare from the very beginning.
“He played the game like a 25-year-old from day one,” Hawerchuk said during Ekblad’s draft year. “He was calm under pressure, already running our power play, and the guys trusted him. That’s not something you usually see in a 15-year-old defenseman.”
By the end of his rookie year, Ekblad had earned the Emms Family Award as OHL Rookie of the Year. His combination of size, skill, and smarts made him the backbone of the Colts’ blue line through deep playoff runs. Even in the most intense games, he looked like a seasoned NHLer.
In the 2014 NHL Draft, the Florida Panthers selected him first overall. He stepped into the NHL and delivered immediately—winning the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league’s top rookie. He logged big minutes, made smart plays, and handled the transition like someone who had been preparing his entire life for that moment.
“Aaron always carried himself like a pro,” former Barrie GM Jason Ford said. “From how he trained, how he studied the game, how he spoke with the media—he was ahead of his time.”
He’s since grown into a leader on the Panthers’ blue line, helping guide the team to a Stanley Cup Final and earning the respect of teammates and opponents alike.
As Barrie coach Dale Hawerchuk once said,
“Some players take a few years to find their game. Aaron came into the league already knowing who he was.”
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