Michael Barron felt a lot more comfortable in his second stint with the Dubuque

Fighting Saints. And, before too long, he hopes to make the Dubuque Ice Arena more of a permanent home. The Saints called up Barron from its United States Hockey League affiliates list this weekend to add depth while dealing with a rash of injuries. And the 5-foot-6, 152-pound forward from Canton, Mich., fit right in, skating on the third line with center Shawn O’Donnell and left wing Mikey Burchill.

“It helps that I’ve been here before and I knew what to expect,” said Barron, who played four games with the Saints in December. “I came in with a lot more confidence and I wanted to keep that rolling. It’s a great opportunity to get my feet in the water, so, hopefully, I can make the team full-time next year. “Any time I can play in Dubuque, it’s special, and being called up is a big honor to me. Hopefully, I’ll be back again for the playoffs. Even if I don’t get a chance to play, I know all learn a lot by practicing and being around the guys who understand what it takes to be successful at this level.”

Dubuque selected Barron in the fourth round of the USHL Futures Draft of 2006- born players last spring. The Futures Draft gives teams a chance to draft younger players, track their development and get them in the system for a year or two down the road. “It’s awesome to have that at this level,” Saints coach Kirk MacDonald said. “We’re not just calling up a guy to fill a spot. This is part of the development process for Michael, and, hopefully, he uses this opportunity as a springboard for next year.

“He looks like he belongs in the league right now, doesn’t he? He made some prolevel reads this weekend that really impressed me. They were reads that older guys sometimes have trouble with at this level. But he comes to us from a program with a former NHL player as his coach, and I have to give him a lot of credit for teaching the right things.” Barron has accumulated eight goals and 14 points in 15 games at the 16U level for Detroit Compuware and head coach Pat Peake. “Getting the chance to play in Dubuque in December gave me so much confidence when I went back to Compuware,” Barron said. “I learned that you always have to keep your feet moving and your brain working. You can’t afford to slow down,

and you always have to keep rolling.” And Barron showed that this weekend in a physical home-and-home series against Cedar Rapids, one of Dubuque’s biggest rivals. RoughRiders defenseman Bryce Montgomery, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound 20- year old, had the younger,  smaller Barron lined up for a big hit. “Montgomery stepped up to hammer him, and he just rolled off it,” MacDonald said. “Michael is so strong on his skates, and he’s so smart. He reminds me a lot of (former NHLer) Nathan Gerbe. I love the kid. I’m not so sure I want to send him back to Compuware.”