By the Numbers Prospects: Seth Barton

By the Numbers will highlight the on-ice accomplishments in the 2019-20 season for the Detroit Red Wings' prospects. Twice a week during the offseason, By the Numbers will profile a different player in the system, focusing on his statistical highs. This week we focus on defenseman Seth Barton.

There are some players who realize that they will need a little more time to develop before they turn professional.
Defenseman Seth Barton is one of those players.
The Red Wings took Barton in the third round, 81st overall, in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.
Already 6-foot-3, Barton was a slight 174 pounds when he arrived at development camp that summer so he understood he would need to gain a lot more strength.
Going to college at UMass-Lowell afforded him that time and he is now up to 185 pounds with more room to grow.
It has also enabled Barton to learn in the classroom, where he is majoring in business.
Barton has made the Hockey East All-Academic Team in both of his first two seasons at UMass-Lowell.
Barton, who turned 21 on Aug. 18, is set for his junior season but is uncertain when that will begin as the Hockey Commissioners Association announced Thursday that the start of the Division 1 college hockey season would be delayed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

30 - Barton played 30 games for the River Hawks last season after playing in 33 his freshman year.
3 - Barton recorded three goals in his 30 games, one more than the previous season. His first came in a 3-3 tie with Boston University on Oct. 25; the second was in a 6-4 victory at RIT on Jan. 10; and the third was in the final game of the season, March 6, a 3-1 win over Connecticut. Barton also had a career-best three assists on Jan. 18 in a 6-4 win over Merrimack.

12 - With 12 assists, Barton passed his first-year total of eight. He was tied with Andre Lee, Kenny Hausinger and Chase Blackmun for second on the team in that category. Matt Brown led with 18.
15 - Barton's 15 points ranked seventh overall on the team, tied with fellow defenseman Jon McDonald, a sophomore from Livonia, Mich. The only River Hawks defenseman with more was Blackmun with 17. Brown led with 24.
13 - In 22 Hockey East contests, Barton registered 13 points (2-11-13), tied for 10th among league defensemen.
52 - Barton took more shots as a sophomore, with 52, 12 more than he had the previous season. He was sixth on the team in shots. Brown led the team with 89.
5 - Five of those 52 shots came in a 2-1 loss at Northeastern on Feb. 15. That was a career-high mark for Barton.
29 - Barton was third on the team in blocked shots with 29. McDonald and Anthony Baxter tied for the team lead with 41 apiece. Blackmun had 35.
4- On Jan. 24 in a 5-0 loss at Boston University, Barton had a season-high four blocked shots. Ironically, two of the goals in that game came from Red Wings prospects, Robert Mastrosimone and Ethan Phillips, with each one assisting on the other's goal.

Quotable: "I think Seth played some real good hockey toward the end of the year. Not that he didn't at the start of the year, I just think he really, really kind of got himself dialed in and was playing really, really good solid hockey at the end of the year. He's a good defender, he's got good size, he can skate. I think one thing is the offensive side of his game is starting to come a little bit more, he's getting more pucks to the net, he's jumping up in the play more, becoming more of a well-rounded defenseman. But he's relied upon at UMass for big minutes. He's only in his sophomore year, he's got two more years of eligibility yet. I know he wants to have a big summer this year and hopefully have a big year next year and make a decision." -- Shawn Horcoff, director of player development and assistant director of player personnel