Peterborough Petes Sign Austrian Import Draft Pick to Standard Player Agreement

The Peterborough Petes have signed 2025 import pick Leon Kolarik to an OHL Standard Player Agreement (SPA), announced on Thursday afternoon.

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Petes.

“We’re very happy to be able to add Leon Kolarik to our team,” said Michael Oke, general manager and vice president of operations. “Leon is a player who brings experience playing at the highest professional level in Austria. We believe that his game is a great fit for the OHL and we look forward to having him join our group.”

“It’s always been a dream of mine to play in the CHL,” exclaimed Kolarik. “I knew Peterborough was the right spot when I spoke to Tommy Purdeller, who only had great things to say about the organization. It feels amazing to be a part of the Petes.”

The 2007-born forward from Vienna, Austria, was selected by the Petes in the second round, 63rd overall, of the 2025 CHL Import Draft. He featured in 36 games for the RB Hockey Juniors in the AlpsHL last season, scoring 10 goals and adding 13 assists for 23 points. He also played in seven games for EC Salzburg in the ICEHL (Austria’s top league), scoring once and adding two assists for three points. In the playoffs, Kolarik led EC Salzburg U20 in scoring, with eight goals and six assists for 14 points in eight games.

“We are excited to announce the signing of Austrian Leon Kolarik to the Peterborough Petes,” said Patrick O’Connor, Petes assistant coach and director of player personnel. “Having spent extensive time in Europe ahead of the Import Draft with Coach (Rob) Wilson, we had already identified Leon as a highly skilled and competitive player. We feel his skillset and drive will contribute well with our new look team, while we also work to continue his development ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft.”

Kolarik has also represented his home country of Austria at multiple levels. This past year, he had seven points in five games at the U18 World Championship Division 1A, while also picking up four assists in five games at the U20 World Championship Division 1A.

Kolarik is the third and final import player to sign with the Petes ahead of the 2025-26 season, after Peterborough signed 2024 first-round pick Adam Novotný on July 9 and 2025 second-round pick Yanis Lutz on July 25.

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