Folks who take in next week’s Hockey Night in Barrie at the Molson Centre will see a familiar face.

Former Colts captain and junior world champion Bryan Little will be in the lineup of NHL stars, past and present, taking on a bunch of Members of Parliament, in an evening of entertainment aimed at helping build the Simcoe-Muskoka Regional Cancer Centre at Royal Victoria Hospital.

And Little, for one, is chomping at the bit to hit the ice where he had (and created) so many thrills for four years.

“When I was told I’d be playing (in the RVH game), I was pretty excited, because it meant I’d get the chance to skate on the Barrie Molson Centre ice again, and it’s for a great cause, so, I had no hesitation about heading up to Barrie for it.”

Little, drafted in 2006 by the Atlanta Thrashers, wore Colts’ livery from 2003-07, the captain’s “C” on his uniform during the last year of his OHL career, in which he scored 41 goals, and also, incidentally, the winning marker for Canada in the championship game of the 2007 world junior tourney.

Last year, just when it looked like Bryan would become a fixture in Dixie, Thrasher management decided the young forward needed a bit more seasoning, and sent him to the minors. It proved a blessing in disguise, for his destination proved to be Chicago, where the Wolves were mounting a successful American Hockey League (AHL) playoff run.

“I think it was good for me to end the year with the Thrashers, but I also think it was good to go down for the playoffs,” he tells Simcoe.com. “Any time you go that deep into the playoffs, it helps (your confidence) going into camp next year.”

After an NHL campaign that included only six goals and 10 assists in 48 games, Little managed to amass nine goals and 15 assists in 24 games in the Windy City, chipping in another eight goals and four assists in the post-season, to help the Wolves hoist the Calder Cup.

Unlike Chicago, where the din after a goal is so overwhelming only a foghorn can be heard over it, the attitude toward the good ol’ hockey game is, well, a little more casual in the Deep South. The game takes a backseat to NASCAR, the NFL’s Falcons, the Yellow Jackets from Georgia Tech and MLB’s Braves.

Little says that, too, has its good points and bad.

“It takes some getting used to,” he says. “The weather’s nicer; it stays a lot warmer later into the year. There’s not much snow around here. But it’s something you kind of miss when you come from Canada, and it gets cold, especially around Christmas time.

“It’s different, getting used to how hockey is (perceived) down there (in Atlanta). And it’s not as pressured a situation as you’d have when you go into cities like Toronto or Montreal.”  

Next month’s training camp brings two new faces into the Thrashers’ camp. One is junior sensation Angelo Esposito, acquired in a trade with the Penguins. Little shared the bench with Angelo during the Wolves’ cup run.

“He looks like a high-energy player, a good skater and good hand skills.

“But he’s also very physical, and wasn’t afraid to go into the corners and crashing it. So, he’s a good player.”

Little also looks forward to playing under new head coach John Anderson, who guided the Wolves to the cup. Mostly, Bryan likes the fire in Anderson’s eyes.

“He loves to win. Some coaches don’t show a lot of emotion, but you know that he loves to win, and, as a player, you want to win for him. He’s a player’s coach, and guys love playing for him.”

But mostly, Little acknowledges, Ilya Kovalchuk is what makes the Thrashers go, and his competitiveness is what makes Ilya go.

 “He’s fast, and you could go on and on about his skills, but (what is special about him is) there’s not a night when he doesn’t want to win and doesn’t want to be involved, and it’s that competitiveness that takes him over the top as a great player.”

Still, a part of Little’s heart remains back in Barrie, and he admits he still follows the fortunes of his old junior club.  

“I’d always be going on the Internet and onto the Colts’ website to find out how they’re doing, especially after that big trade they made (with Sarnia), because I’d played with a number of the guys involved in the trade.”

The lineup of stars taking on MP Patrick Brown and his fellow politicos includes Hall of Famer Mike Gartner, former Leafs Mark Osborne, Peter Zezel, Kris King and Dan Daoust, and current players such as Columbus sniper Rick Nash, Blues’ forward Brad Boyes, Colorado’s Wojtek Wolski, and Vancouver’s Brent Tully.

The action gets underway at 6:30 p.m., Thurs., Aug. 14, at Barrie Molson Centre. All proceeds go to support the Simcoe-Muskoka Regional Cancer Centre at Royal Victoria Hospital.

Tickets are available through Ticketmaster and are only $5 in advance, or $10 at the door.

You can also win tickets just by answering the following trivia question: Bryan Little will be working with a new head coach in Atlanta this upcoming season. Who is he?

If you know the answer, e-mail jmercer@simcoe.com. First five correct answers win a pair of tickets to the game.