Peterborough Petes Reflect On Historic Championship Season As Off-Season Begins
/After winning the OHL Championship and finishing third at the Memorial Cup, the Peterborough Petes head into the offseason preparing for a title defence while looking back on their historic year.
Photo by Samantha Bianco.
The Petes won the OHL Championship in six games against the London Knights on May 21. The team won their first J. Ross Robertson Cup since 2006 when they ironically swept the Knights.
“That meant the world to me,” explained Shawn Spearing, Petes’ captain. “Five years with this team, it's been unbelievable and I've loved every second of it. There's no better way to cap it off, I can't even explain that feeling, it's surreal.”
“Nobody gave us a shot except for us,” said Rob Wilson, Petes head coach. “We felt about three-four weeks before the end of the season, we were starting to come together. We made a lot of changes and it was quite the battle. The way worked for each other, (I’m) just super proud of them.”
Petes goaltender Michael Simpson was named OHL Playoff MVP for his efforts.
The following was the Petes playoff run:
Eastern Conference quarterfinals: Peterborough Petes def. Sudbury Wolves, 4-0 series
Eastern Conference semifinals: Peterborough Petes def. Ottawa 67’s, 4-2
Eastern Conference finals: Peterborough Petes def. North Bay Battalion, 4-2
OHL Championship: Peterborough Petes def. London Knights
The OHL Championship win qualified the Petes for Memorial Cup in Kamloops B.C. They were joined by Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League, the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League.
The Petes had a rough start, losing their first two games to Seattle and Kamloops but rebounded with a much-needed win against the Remparts to force a tiebreaker game for a semifinal spot.
Peterborough won two straight, defeating Kamloops in a revenge game to advance to the semifinals but lost out to the Thunderbirds and be eliminated from the tournament.
“A wonderful effort by the boys,” said Dave Pogue, Petes president. “Some lows and some highs but they definitely showed the resilience that they showed time and time again during the playoffs and we couldn't ask any more of them.”
The following were the Memorial Cup results for the Petes:
Round Robin: Seattle Thunderbirds def. Peterborough Petes, 6-3
Round Robin: Kamloops Blazers def. Peterborough Petes 10-2
Round Robin: Peterborough Petes def. Quebec Remparts, 4-2
Tiebreaker game: Peterborough Petes def. Kamloops Blazers, 5-4 OT
Semifinals: Seattle Thunderbirds def. Peterborough Petes, 4-1
The Petes roster will need retooling as 10 players are graduating from the team with only three overage (OA) spots available for next season. Gavin White, Avery Hayes and Spearing were the team’s OAs this year and will move on from the Petes. White signed an entry-level contract with the Dallas Stars of the NHL on Mar. 2.
The following are the team’s graduating players becoming or are already OAs and their NHL prospect teams if applicable:
Samuel Mayer
Michael Simpson
J.R. Avon (Philadelphia Flyers)
Cam Gauvreau
Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers)
Connor Lockhart
Chase Stillman (New Jersey Devils)
Jax Dubois
Tucker Robertson (Seattle Kraken)
Gavin White* (Dallas Stars)
Avery Hayes*
Shawn Spearing*
*denotes an overage prior to the season’s start
The Petes added some hometown talent during this year’s OHL Priority Selection in first-round pick defenseman Carson Cameron (Bobcaygeon) and sixth-round pick, goaltender and hometown boy Masen Johnston. The team added 13 players including eight forwards, four defencemen and a goaltender.
The following are the Petes draft results:
First round, 13th overall: Carson Cameron, D, Central Ontario Wolves
Fourth round, 76th overall: Joseph Cadorin, F, Toronto Marlboros
Fifth round, 88th overall: Liam Ladds, D, Elgin-Middlesex Canucks
Sixth round, 112th overall: Masen Johnston, G, Peterborough Petes
Seventh round, 133rd overall: Chase Del Colombo, F, Toronto Nationals
Eighth round, 153rd overall: Gavin Lock, F, Detroit Little Caesars
Ninth round, 173rd overall: Easton Lynds, F, Mississauga Senators
10th round, 193rd overall: Calum Hartnell, D, Ottawa Jr. Senators
10th round, 196th overall: Thanasi Marentette, D, Toronto Nationals
11th round, 213th overall: Francis Parish, F, Central Ontario Wolves
12th round, 234th overall: Aiden Lee, F, Markham Majors
13th round, 253rd overall: Brody Leet, F, Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs
14th round, 273rd overall: Joshua Kaufman, F, Kitchener Jr. Rangers
15th round, 293rd overall: Kaiden Thatcher, D, Ajax-Pickering Raiders
