MAJOR DEVELOPMENT: Evan Barratt controls the puck during his career with the Hun School boys’ hockey team. Barratt, who played at Hun from 2013-15, moved on to the U.S.A. Hockey’s National Team Development Program. Last month, Barratt, who has committed to play his college hockey at Penn State, was chosen in the third round of the NHL draft by the Chicago Blackhawks as the 90th pick overall. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

For Evan Barratt, it was the opportunity of a lifetime.

After helping the Hun School boys’ hockey team win the state Prep title and its second straight Mercer County Tournament crown during his sophomore season in 2014-15, star forward Barratt was asked by U.S.A. Hockey to try out for its National Team Development Program.
“As soon as I got to tryouts and started playing pretty well, I was thinking this could be it, this could change my life dramatically,” said Barratt.

Barratt made the program and has enjoyed a dramatic rise up the hockey ladder. Last winter, he was a member of the U.S. National U18 Team, which captured the Gold Medal at the 2017 World Junior Championships. He also committed to attend Penn State and play for its men’s hockey team. To cap things off, last month he was chosen in the third round of the NHL draft by the Chicago Blackhawks as the 90th pick overall.

Barratt readily acknowledges that joining the development program helped him grow on and off the ice. The daily schedule involved school from 7:50 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and then it was off to the rink for training and skating until dinner time.

That immersion in the game paid dividends when the U.S. squad hit the ice for a challenging slate of games. During the 2016-17 campaign, Barratt appeared in 63 contests for the U.S. program, scoring 56 points on 18 goals and 38 assists.
“I wouldn’t be where I am today, if it wasn’t for that,” said the 5’11, 170-pound Barratt, who lived in Ann Arbor, Mich. near the USA Hockey facility in Plymouth.

“Playing with the best kids in the country in your age group, going through adversity while you are there, playing older guys, three, four, and even five years older, and playing college teams, makes you a better player on the ice. It makes you mature much quicker than a normal 18-year-old would when you are playing against these guys and living away from home and doing things on your own. The national program is the best thing that could have happened to me.”
One of the best things that has happened to Barratt in his hockey career came when he helped the U.S. U18 team win gold at the 2017 World Junior Championships it topped host Canada in the final on a shootout after the teams tied a 4-4 through regulation and overtime.

“We knew we had a great group of guys, we were all so close,” said Barratt.

“It was funny because all of the teams in the past that won, all won with a very top guy. We were just a group of a bunch of good, steady players that knew how to win together. We needed every piece and every guy on our team to win every game.”

When the U.S took to the ice to play Canada in the gold medal final, Barratt sensed that the team wasn’t going to be denied.

“As soon as we got to that championship game, there was no way we were going to lose it after coming that far,” said Barratt, who tallied a goal and five assists in the tournament.

“We had been through so much in the past two years together. It was icing on the cake.”

For Barratt, being able to help the U.S. win an international competition is something he will never forget.

“Any time you get to represent your country on the biggest stage, it is so humbling for everyone that takes part in it,” said Barratt, who hopes to play for the U.S. in the 2018 World Junior Hockey Championship which is being held in Buffalo from December 26 to January 5.

“To be able to come out with a gold for your country, you can’t put it into words.”

As Barratt considered his college options, he quickly concluded that he wanted to be part of the Penn State program, which is guided by former Princeton University men’s hockey head coach Guy Gadowsky.

“For me, Penn State was a no-brainer, the coaches have built such a good program in just five years,” said Barratt, a native of Bristol. Pa.

“Guy is awesome. They called me once a week and it seemed like they cared about me as a person and wanted to help me get through school. I give it to them for helping me with all of that. I was looking at many schools but when I came here, it felt right. It is three hours from home.”

Before starting at Penn State, Barratt went through the NHL draft process in early June, looking to convince pro teams that he was worthy of consideration.

“I was lucky enough to be invited to the NHL scouting combine,” said Barratt.

“I talked to 15 teams there, trying to tell them why they should pick me. It was the most stressful week of my life.”

Dealing with the stress, Barratt believed he made a good impression. “Talking to teams and having conversations with them, I felt very confident that this could actually happen,” said Barratt. “It wasn’t just a dream any more.”

Barratt had confidence that Chicago would make his dream come true.

“I talked to Chicago multiple times during the year and we had a great relationship,” said Barrett.

“I knew if anyone was going to take me, it would be Chicago. I thank them every day. I can’t believe it. They are such a stored franchise, an original six team, and that makes it that much more special. They want you and they want what is best for you. It is fantastic.”

Having recently taken part in the Blackhawks development camp, Barratt believes he is ready to excel on the college level.

“I was lucky enough to play some college teams while playing for the national team with the schedule that we have; I know what it’s like,” said Barratt, who is taking two courses at Penn State this summer.

“Now I am playing in the Big 10 against good teams every night. It is going to be a lot harder than it has been. I am excited to get things started.”

It appears that Barratt will be a good fit for Penn State’s exciting brand of run-and-gun hockey, which helped propel the Nittany Lions to the NCAA quarterfinals this past winter.

“For a guy who likes to score, there is nothing wrong with that,” said Barratt with a chuckle.

“It is going to be a lot of fun this year, learning a new system and how everything is going to work out. I am very excited; it is going be a good year.”