Two NLL Teams Are Gone, Leaving a Long List of Peterborough Lacrosse Connections Looking for New Homes

/

By Scott Arnold

The Ottawa Black Bears and Philadelphia Wings are gone from the National Lacrosse League, and that leaves a long list of Peterborough lacrosse connections waiting to see where they land next.

The Ottawa Black Bears and Philadelphia Wings are gone from the National Lacrosse League, and that leaves a long list of Peterborough lacrosse connections waiting to see where they land next.

tracey kelusky (left) and Paul day (second from right) are two of peterborough natives affected by the announcement of the philadelphia wings ceasing operation in the national lacrosse league. Also pictured are mike Hasen (holding mann cup) and bobby keast far right. (photo courtesy of Peterborough lakers)

The National Lacrosse League announced Thursday that both the Ottawa Black Bears and Philadelphia Wings have discontinued operations and will not take part in the 2026-27 season.

The league will move forward with 12 teams for its 40th anniversary season, but the decision has a very local impact.

Philadelphia had several Peterborough connections throughout its organization.

Peterborough native Paul Day was the Wings' general manager, while fellow Peterborough native Tracey Kelusky was the team's offensive coach.

The Wings also had three Peterborough natives on the roster in Dylan Hutchison, Dustyn Birkhof and goaltender Deacon Knott.

Two members of the Peterborough Lakers, Alex Pace and Liam Patten, were also part of Philadelphia's organization.

Ottawa had its own strong Peterborough ties.

Lakers leading point-getter Rob Hellyer was part of the Black Bears, along with fellow Lakers player Justin Sykes. Former Lakers Tyler Carlson and Cole Begley were also part of the Ottawa organization.

Now, all of those players are left waiting to see where their NLL careers continue.

The league has combined the Ottawa and Philadelphia player pools for a single dispersal draft, which is scheduled for September 15th at 4pm ET.

The Oshawa FireWolves will have the first selection, followed by the Las Vegas Desert Dogs, Rochester Knighthawks, Calgary Roughnecks, San Diego Seals, Halifax Thunderbirds, Colorado Mammoth, Georgia Swarm, Buffalo Bandits, Saskatchewan Rush, Vancouver Warriors and Toronto Rock.

The draft order is determined by regular-season winning percentages over the past two completed seasons, with the most recent season weighted at 70 per cent.

Following the dispersal draft, teams can sign selected players and negotiate with selected unrestricted free agents, subject to league rules.

For the Peterborough players involved, next week's draft could quickly change where they spend the upcoming season.

For Day and Kelusky, the situation is different. Their coaching and management experience could lead to opportunities elsewhere as NLL teams continue preparing for the 2026-27 season.

There is also an obvious local connection at the top of the draft.

The FireWolves, who play their home games at the Tribute Communities Centre in Oshawa, will have the first opportunity to select from the combined Ottawa and Philadelphia player pool.

So while two NLL franchises have disappeared, the impact of that decision could be felt much closer to home than it might initially seem.

For a group of Peterborough players, coaches and lacrosse executives, September 15th will be an important day as they wait to find out where the next chapter of their NLL careers will take them.


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

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