Building Blue: A Healthy Anthony Romani is Excited and Prepared for Fourth Run at OHL Playoffs

Anthony Romani played in 36 OHL playoff games before this year, and his experience will be leaned on this season as he gets his first run at the OHL playoffs with his new team, the Barrie Colts.

The speedy forward led the OHL in goals last year and finished second in the league with 111 points in 68 games played. He was healthy and thriving, and now, he feels confident that he can be even better as he prepares for his first postseason with his new club.

Romani was traded to the Colts in January, following an impressive three-year-plus run with the North Bay Battalion. His Battalion teams made the OHL conference finals in the past three seasons that Romani was with them.

This past year has been full of new experiences for Romani.

He was drafted into the NHL when the Vancouver Canucks selected him 162nd overall in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. He was invited to skate with Team Canada at the World Junior Summer Showcase. And he was sidelined for 98 days with a broken clavicle bone.

“The injury is obviously something to work through. It sucked that it was at the beginning of the year, but I think it allowed me to have time to work on different stuff, like getting bigger and stronger and being in the gym more. I was able to do that at the beginning of the year, gaining a couple of pounds and some muscle,” said Romani.

Dinners and phone calls with Canucks Development Coaches Mikael Samuelsson and Mike Komisarek through the injury were immensely helpful in him keeping a positive outlook.

Having an injury and being out for an extended period can wear on your mind when you want to be out on the ice. Still, Samuelsson and Komisarek helped Romani set his sights on improving his future self daily through rehabilitation while also focusing on becoming stronger mentally.

Now that Romani is back playing, he is looking to continue finding his scoring touch and iron out the defensive side of his game as the playoffs approach. He has his mind set on doing anything he can to help the team win and knows that producing offence is where he thrives in the OHL.

Romani has picked up three goals and six points in his last three games and has 11 goals and 16 points in his 20 games with his new OHL team.

“Coming off an injury, I think the first couple of games and weeks, you’re just trying to get back into game shape and feel good on the ice. Lately, I’ve been finding my groove a little better. I’m used to the new systems and everything around me, so I think feeling good about my game and now just trying to get into a good groove going into playoffs here.”

He and his Colts teammates are immersed in their upcoming playoff run. Romani is one of the players on the roster who has made deep runs in the OHL’s postseason and is trying to share his wealth of experience with his new team.

“The playoffs and the playoff runs are the best feeling in the world. I love having a good team and knowing you have a chance of winning a championship. Right when I got here, you could see the excitement with all the guys in the room, and we all know what kind of group we have and what we’re capable of doing,” said Romani.

“We’re all super excited for this playoff run. We’re trying to prepare and do our best to win these last few games and get a good seed going into playoffs. We have a winning group, and the only thing on our mind in the room is winning a championship.”

One of Romani’s teammates is fellow Canucks’ draft pick from the 2024 draft, Riley Patterson.

Patterson had an impressive rookie season in the OHL last year and has taken strides in his second year with the Colts. Patterson leads the Colts with 25 goals and 58 points through 56 games and was Romani’s roommate at Canucks’ development camp this past summer.

“He’s a great player, and he is dialed in each day. He’s the one you want to be around because he will push you to get better,” said Romani. “We push each other on and off the ice, and we have that same goal of being a pro player soon and winning with the Colts this year. It was amazing to come in and know someone and have him teach me about the culture on the team and what type of team I’m going into.”

After the trade, one of the things that the Colts’ General Manager and Head Coach Marty Williamson wanted from Romani was for him to be a leader in the room and help the young Colts team understand what was coming for them in the postseason. Romani’s three consecutive deep runs in the OHL playoffs helped him learn a lot, and he is ready to pass on the knowledge to his new teammates.

Romani spoke about how the playoffs taught him how to keep an even-keel attitude in the playoffs and approach every game with the understanding that no matter the scenario, they can win the night and stay alive. That staying alive mentality was something Romani picked up last season when his North Bay team was down 3-0 in a series and battled back to force game seven.

With a healthy body and mind and a hunger for more playoff victories, Romani cannot wait for his team to get going in the playoffs later this month.

He and fellow Canucks prospect Riley Patterson will be two of the drivers for the Colts, and the two friends are ready for the pressure that is coming their way with the postseason action.