Back Where It Started: Avon and Othmann Return to Peterborough to Hit the Ice With the Petes

By Scott Arnold

Two members of the 2023 OHL championship winning Petes were back at the Peterborough Memorial Centre Tuesday morning for a skate with their former team.

J.R. Avon, left, Brennan Othmann, right, and Petes Director of Player Personnel and Assistant Coach Patrick O’Connor catch up at the Peterborough Memorial Centre Tuesday morning. (photo via instagram at Petesohlhockey)

For J.R. Avon and Brennan Othmann, the road since helping the Peterborough Petes win the J. Ross Robertson Cup in 2023 has taken them into professional hockey. But on Tuesday morning, they were back where a significant part of their careers took shape.

The pair returned to the Peterborough Memorial Centre for a practice with the Petes, reuniting with members of the coaching staff and organization that helped guide them to an OHL championship.

For Avon, the return had an added local connection. The Peterborough native played his minor hockey in the city before spending three seasons with the Petes. He appeared in 179 regular-season games, recording 63 goals and 77 assists for 140 points, before adding nine goals and seven assists in 27 playoff games during his Petes career.

The 2023 championship capped his time in Peterborough before he moved into the American Hockey League, spending two seasons with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and then last season with the Coachella Valley Firebirds after being traded there for his former championship teammate Tucker Robertson.

Othmann arrived in Peterborough early in the 2022-23 season and quickly became an important part of a championship team. He recorded 18 goals and 25 assists for 43 points in 40 regular-season games with the Petes, then added eight goals and 17 assists in 23 playoff games as Peterborough captured the OHL title.

That same season, Othmann also represented Canada at the IIHF World Junior Championship, helping Canada win gold.

Since leaving the Petes, Othmann has continued to climb the professional ranks, splitting time between the New York Rangers and Hartford Wolf Pack before joining the Calgary Flames organization last season. He played two NHL games for Calgary, scoring once and adding an assist, while also appearing in 14 games with the Calgary Wranglers.

Avon and Othmann have moved on to the next stages of their careers, but Tuesday morning offered a reminder that some hockey relationships last well beyond the final game in a Petes jersey.

Scott Arnold is a Journalist and Content Creator at PTBOCanada Media Inc

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