Mooseheads' Justin Barron selected by Colorado in first round of NHL draft

Halifax Mooseheads captain Justin Barron heard his name called Tuesday night during the first round of the NHL's virtual draft.

The Colorado Avalanche made Barron the 25th overall pick.

"Getting drafted is something you dream about as a kid and for that moment to unfold is pretty special and I'm super excited," he told CBC following an on-ice workout at the RBC Centre in Dartmouth Wednesday morning.

Barron is the 12th player (the first defenceman) in the history of the Halifax Mooseheads to be taken in the first round of the draft. He joins Mooseheads alumni Nathan MacKinnon in the Colorado organization. MacKinnon was the first overall pick in the 2013 NHL draft.

Barron, who is 18 and from Halifax, missed much of last season after he was diagnosed with a blood clot in his arm that required a medical procedure to fix.

He did not dress in the Mooseheads' first two games of this season, but is expected to be back in their lineup soon.

Barron's older brother Morgan Barron, 21, was also an NHL draft pick. He was selected by the New York Rangers in the 6th round of the 2017 draft and played three seasons at Cornell University. He signed a contract with the Rangers this summer.

The Avalanche, made by oddsmakers last week as the favorites to win the Stanley Cup next season, now have five Nova Scotia players in their system.

Cole Harbour's MacKinnon and Yarmouth defenceman Ryan Graves are mainstays in the Colorado lineup. Shane Bowers of Herring Cove played last season with the Avalanche's AHL affiliate the Colorado Eagles, and Matt Steinberg of Halifax finished his first season as a member of the Cornell University hockey team.

"It's pretty cool to see five of us there," Barron said. "I think the Maritimes sometimes get overlooked but there are a lot of great players coming out of here. I got a text from Nathan MacKinnon after the draft."