Nothing sends a bench boss to the Old Coaches Retirement Home faster than mediocre performances.

Barrie Colts head coach Marty Williamson witnessed enough of those efforts during the 2008-2009 Ontario Hockey League season to last him a lifetime.

But with the dawn of a new hockey campaign just around the corner, Williamson is dying to get on with a new adventure.

“The inconsistency of a team is something that drives a coach a little nuts, so yes I am anxious to get this season going so I can forget about last year a little bit,” said Williamson.

With the recent departure of Colts associate coaches Drake Berehowsky and Jeff Beukeboom, Williamson is still trying to get his coaching staff in place.

Berehowsky recently accepted an assistant coaching job with the Peoria Rivermen of the American Hockey League, while Beukeboom has moved north to join the Sudbury Wolves coaching staff.

Barrie finished the 2008-2009 regular season in fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings with 65 points and a record of 30-33-3-2.

In the post-season, the Colts could only generate one win in a disappointing first round loss to Mississauga, a series that sent the final two games into overtime.

“There were times last season when our young guys showed brilliance and then there were times when we showed we were young. That inconsistency ate at me a bit. It was the same thing in the playoffs against Mississauga,” he said.

Now entering his fifth year with the club, Williamson has grown accustomed to the ebb and flow of a hockey season.

“I was very fortunate in that when I joined the club just over four years ago I inherited a pretty good hockey team and we had a pretty good run. Two years ago we realized we were in a rebuild situation and we knew it would probably be tough. But we surprised some people by finishing seventh and ended up knocking off Brampton in the first round,” said Williamson.

Not willing to mortgage the team’s future for short-term gain, Williamson and team president Howie Campbell decided to stick with younger players, even though they knew the sledding would be tough.

“If we could have added a veteran player or two around them we might have been able to make the team a little more stable. But we felt the price it was going to cost us was too much,” said the coach.

On Aug. 6 the Colts signed Ryan Strome, a 16-year-old from Mississauga and their first-round selection in the May, OHL Priority Selection Draft.

“Ryan Strome is a really complete hockey player and I am so excited that we’ll be able to have him here for the next three to four years. He does everything well and I don’t see a lot of weaknesses in his game,” said Williamson.

Strome was one of 15 players Barrie selected in the spring draft.

“In the five years I have been with the team, we’ve never been in as strong a position with assets as we are now. When I first joined the team we didn’t have draft picks because we had traded them all away to get veteran players,” said Williamson.

Earlier this summer, Barrie traded netminder Michael Hutchinson to the London Knights in exchange for a significant number of draft picks.

Last season, Hutchinson and Peter DiSalvo were locked in a battle for the No. 1 netminding  job. Now DiSalvo must prove he is worthy of holding down the job, Williamson said.

While Dalton McGrath will be given every opportunity to assume the backup role, Williamson said 2009 draft choice Clint Windsor could surprise and make the club in his rookie season.

With the draft choices they obtained in the Hutchinson trade and the excitement over their selection in the 2009 OHL Import Draft, the future looks bright, Williamson said.

“We think we are on the upswing of a good two or three year run,” said Williamson.

With the 12th overall selection, Barrie claimed Russian forward Alexander Burmistrov.

“We think we hit the jackpot with our selection, but I don’t want to say too much until I see him on the ice in a uniform. But from what the NHL people are telling me, they say he is a special player.”

Coming off a spine-tingling 2008-2009 season which saw him win world gold with Canada’s national junior team, Stefan Della Rovere is one player Williamson is hoping will once again find his offensive stride.

“Stefan struggled after he came back from the world championships and his second half to the season wasn’t what he wanted it to be. He had a phenomenal first half to the season and got himself on the hockey radar. He made Canada’s national junior team and won the gold medal,” said Williamson.

Luke Pither, a six-foot, 195-pound veteran with 240 OHL games behind him is another bright spot for the Colts.

Pither collected 72 points last season splitting his time between Guelph and Belleville and collected 19 points last spring in the playoffs for the Bulls.

“When he (Pither) was traded to Belleville, he was averaging two points per game. We think we can surround him with similar players who will make him strong offensively this season,” said Williamson.

Alex Hutchings, Della Rovere and Josh Brittain provided strong offensive numbers season and will be called upon to once again lead the Colts in points.

Training camp begins Aug. 25 at the Barrie Molson Centre.