Peterborough Petes Name General Manager Michael Oke to Vice President of Operations In Five-Year Deal

Peterborough Petes general manager Michael Oke had been granted extra responsibilities as he signed a five-year deal with the team to become their vice president of operations in addition to his current role announced by the team on Tuesday afternoon.

Oke has been the Petes’ full-time general manager since Feb. 14, 2013. He served as interim general manager for four months prior to being given the permenent position. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

“Coming off an OHL Championship, we needed to ensure that we had a plan in place to get back to the Memorial Cup and we believe Mike can help us to achieve that plan,” said Dave Lorentz, Petes president. “The General Manager’s duties are more than just drafts and trades; the administrative part of the job has increased year after year with new policies and issues that arise from the league. Mike has the experience to navigate through these issues as well as working with our coaching staff to draft and find the players needed to make us competitive.”

The contract will run until June 2028 as he takes over the vacant role formerly held by Burton Lee. The latter left the organization in early August to accept a position as director of game operations with the Provincial Women’s Hockey League.

“Although our intent was to look for a replacement to fill the vacant business lead role, over the last four to five weeks we were very pleased to observe the growth in our staff and their initiative to take on a larger role in their departments,” said Lorentz. “Their talent and skill levels allowed the Board to reassess the business structure and reevaluate the posting. In the end, the Board felt that with Mike’s guidance, the Business staff will grow and prosper under this new reorganization.”

“First and foremost, I would like to thank the Peterborough Petes executive board for the trust and commitment that they have shown me,” said Oke. “It’s exciting to formalize an extension with the Petes and I look forward to continuing the work we’ve been doing on the ice and in the community.”

He originally joined the Petes in 2010 as the manager of player personnel in April. Oke was promoted to director of player personnel in July of the same year.

“I would also like to thank (head coach) Rob Wilson, as well as members of our hockey operations staff for the strong relationships we’ve formed over the past number of years,” he said. “We’ve built a strong team in hockey operations with our coaching, medical, training and scouting staff. We've also built an equally strong staff with the business department and I’m looking forward to working closely with that group as well.”

The Petes have promoted Patrick O’Connor as director of player personnel/assistant Coach to assist with some of the general manager duties. Patrick has been with the teams since 2019 as an assistant coach. Along with his duties on the ice, he is now the key contact for players off the ice. Patrick will also assist with the CHL Import Draft, especially with establishing a stronger European scouting presence as a British native.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, Youtube and LinkedIn. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for our newsletter here.