Several Peterborough Petes Players and Staff Named to 2026 Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game

The rosters for the 2026 Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game, which includes several Petes players and staff, have been named and will be held at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Jan. 14, announced on Tuesday.

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Petes.

Rosters were selected by a committee that included representatives from NHL Central Scouting, with input from NHL General Managers, along with OHL Vice President of Hockey Operations James Boyd. Each team contains 18 skaters and two goaltenders.

The Eastern Conference features three forwards from the host Peterborough Petes, including Adam Novotny,  Adam Levac and Leon Kolarik. Caleb Malhotra (Brantford Bulldogs) and Brooks Rogowski (Oshawa Generals) join Novotny as A-rated skaters suiting up for the Eastern Conference.

They are led by hockey operations staff from the Petes including General Manager Michael Oke, Head Coach Rob Wilson, Associate Coach Andrew Verner and Assistant Coaches Patrick O’Connor and Nate Oke. Support staff includes Head Trainer and Equipment Manager Brian Miller, along with Athletic Therapist Natasha Lagacé.

The Western Conference features a quarter of A-rated skaters in defenceman Chase Reid (Soo Greyhounds), along with forwards Ethan Belchetz (Windsor Spitfires), Alessandro Di Iorio (Sarnia Sting) and Nikita Klepov (Saginaw Spirit). They also feature the highest-rated goaltender in the event, Zachary Jovanovski (Guelph Storm), who recently represented the Canadian Hockey League in the CHL USA Prospects Challenge.

The Western Conference is coached by reigning OHL Coach of the Year Jussi Ahokas with fellow Kitchener Rangers bench staff in Associate Coach Jeff Kyrzakos and Assistant Coach Brad Flynn. Long-time Head Trainer and Equipment Manager Dan Lebold joins Head Athletic Therapist Nick Lichti in providing support services to the Western Conference.