Peterborough Petes Draft a Forward and Defenceman In the 2024 OHL U18 Priority Selection

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The Peterborough Petes have selected forward Dylan Turcotte and defenceman Cameron Martin in the 2024 OHL Under-18 Priority Selection on Wednesday night.

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Petes.

Turcotte was taken in the first round, third overall from the Ottawa Jr. 67’s U18s. The Orleans native was featured in 30 games for the Jr. 67’s this season, leading the HEO U18 league in scoring with 28 goals and 21 assists for 49 points.

He added another 15 points in 10 playoff games, leading his team to an HEO Championship and a spot in the 2024 Ontario U18 AAA Championships. In the tournament, Dylan finished tied for third in scoring with 11 points in seven games.

The 6’ forward played in four games for the Ottawa Jr. Canadians (EOJHL) this year, picking up six points, while also appearing in two games with the Ottawa Jr. Senators of the CCHL.

“Dylan is a power forward with good size who can score,” said Michael Oke, Petes general manager and vice president of operations. “He’s a proven winner, leading his team to an HEO Championship this season. We’re looking forward to seeing him on the ice at Development Camp in the coming weeks.”

Martin was taken in the second round, 23rd overall. The Minesing-born defenceman stands at 6’3 and played 32 games for the Barrie Colts U18s this season. He scored four goals and adding 13 assists for 17 points. He also played in 13 playoff games, picking up four assists.

“Cameron is a huge defenceman who moves the puck well,” said Oke. “We had an opportunity to watch him a lot this season as he played in Barrie alongside Petes prospect Francis Parish. We were very impressed with his game and are excited to see him on the ice at Development Camp.”

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What You Need to Know About the Petes 2024 OHL Priority Selection

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With a third-overall pick in hand, the Peterborough Petes will begin their quest to draft future young stars in the 2024 OHL Priority Selection that kicks off Friday.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The first three rounds will be drafted on Friday at 7 p.m. Rounds 4-15 will occur on Saturday at 9 a.m. The Petes have 15 selections in the draft, two on day one and 13 on day two.

With the Petes drafting third, it is the fifth time Peterborough has attained the spot in franchise history. They have drafted names like Jordan Staal and Matt Spencer at three.

A full list of Peterborough’s selections can be found below:

  • Round 1 (3)

  • Round 2 (32) - From Ottawa

  • Round 5 (85)

  • Round 5 (99) - From Oshawa

  • Round 6 (105)

  • Round 7 (125)

  • Round 8 (145)

  • Round 9 (165)

  • Round 10 (185)

  • Round 11 (205)

  • Round 12 (225)

  • Round 13 (245)

  • Round 14 (265)

  • Round 15 (283) - From Niagara

  • Round 15 (285)

In last year’s OHL Priority Selection, the Petes made 14 selections. They included Bobcaygeon native and 2024 Ushers Trophy winner Carson Cameron, forward Joseph Cadorin and defenceman Liam Ladds.

The following is a last from last year’s selection:

First round, 13th overall: Carson Cameron, D, Central Ontario Wolves

  • Fourth round, 76th overall: Joseph Cadorin, F, Toronto Marlboros

  • Fifth round, 88th overall: Liam Ladds, D, Elgin-Middlesex Canucks

  • Sixth round, 112th overall: Masen Johnston, G, Peterborough Petes

  • Seventh round, 133rd overall: Chase Del Colombo, F, Toronto Nationals

  • Eighth round, 153rd overall: Gavin Lock, F, Detroit Little Caesars

  • Ninth round, 173rd overall: Easton Lynds, F, Mississauga Senators

  • 10th round, 193rd overall: Calum Hartnell, D, Ottawa Jr. Senators

  • 10th round, 196th overall: Thanasi Marentette, D, Toronto Nationals

  • 11th round, 213th overall: Francis Parish, F, Central Ontario Wolves

  • 12th round, 234th overall: Aiden Lee, F, Markham Majors

  • 13th round, 253rd overall: Brody Leet, F, Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs

  • 14th round, 273rd overall: Joshua Kaufman, F, Kitchener Jr. Rangers

  • 15th round, 293rd overall: Kaiden Thatcher, D, Ajax-Pickering Raiders

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Former Peterborough Petes Konnor Smith Scores In His AHL Debut With the San Diego Gulls

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Former Peterborough Pete Konnor Smith will not forget his American Hockey League debut anytime soon as he scored his first professional goal with the San Diego Gulls against the Tucson Roadrunners at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego on Saturday night.

x Photo, San Diego Gulls.

The goal occurred with less than five minutes left in regulation. San Diego had yet to score in the contest and was facing a 3-0 deficit. The Gulls forced a turnover at the Roadrunners’s blue line, creating a three-on-one chance with Smith joining the rush.

The 6’6 defenseman tipped in a one-timer past the Tuscon goaltender for the team’s only goal.

“It was about 12 hours after my season ended in Owen Sound that I got the call up to San Diego,” explained Smith. “It was pretty crazy. I got the call, went home to my billets, packed everything up and drove home to Windsor.”

Smith had signed an amateur tryout on the same day with the club.

“I spent that night with my family and was on a flight out of Detroit at 8:30 a.m,” said Smith. “I landed in San Diego met the staff and team and checked into the hotel. The next day at morning skate was when I found out I was going to be in the lineup that night. It wasn’t expected to be in the lineup that early but I was stoked.”

He won an OHL Championship with the Petes last season and had two assists in 23 playoff games. He also had one more helper in five Memorial Cup games.

Smith was drafted 97th overall by the Anaheim Ducks in the fourth round, at the 2023 NHL Entry Level Draft in Nashville, Tenn. on June 29.

The Petes originally selected the 209-pound defenseman in the ninth round of the 2020 OHL Priority Selection out of the Windsor Jr. Spitfires program.

On Jan. 2, Smith and forward Sam McCue were traded to the Owen Sound Attack in exchange for forward Nico Addy, defenceman Martin Matejicek and a third-round pick in 2026.

“Suiting up for that game and eventually scoring my first AHL goal in the 3rd period was such an unreal feeling,” he explained. “Words can’t even describe my experience so far.”

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First Career Goal a Game-Winner For Former Peterborough Pete

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Former Peterborough Pete Akil Thomas’s first NHL goal was the game-winner for the Los Angeles Kings in a 2-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks at the SAP Center on Thursday night.

Thomas is well-known for his game-winning goal for Team Canada in the gold-medal game against Russia at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship in the Czech Republic. Twitter Photo of Los Angeles Kings.

It was Thomas’s second game in the NHL with the Kings after making his debut against the Winnipeg Jets on Monday night.

His goal came just over halfway through the first period. After winger Adrian Kempe scored for the Kings, Thomas scored 18 seconds later.

He joined teammates Pierre-Luc Dubois and Jordan Spence on the rush as they entered the offensive zone. After Spence left a drop pass for Thomas, the latter used the former and a Sharks defenceman as a screen to snap the puck past Sharks goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, making it 2-0 for the Kings.

“It felt amazing,” said Thomas. “I just wanted to have a good first (period) and to score in the first period just made the nerves go away. It just made me feel a little bit more comfortable.”

The Sharks scored late in the third period with 1:52 left in the game to make it 2-1 but could not score again. That made Thomas’s goal the game-winner for the Kings.

He was acquired by the Petes in a trade from the Niagara IceDogs in Jan. 2020 for Cameron Butler, two second-round picks (2020, 2022), one third-round pick (2022) and a fourth-round pick (2024).

He played 22 games for the Petes, scoring nine goals and 31 assists before the Ontario Hockey League was shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic. Thomas was invited back to the Peterborough Memorial Centre for Game Three of the OHL Championship against the London Knights as part of the pre-game ceremonies to pump up the fans on May 15.

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Former Peterborough Pete Makes NHL Debut With Los Angeles Kings

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It was a few years in the making but former Peterborough Petes Akil Thomas made his NHL debut with the Los Angeles Kings who took on the Winnipeg Jets at the Canada Life Centre on Monday night.

Akil Thomas skating with a young fan prior to a game. Photo courtesy of the PEterborough Petes.

Thomas got his opportunity after centreman and former Montréal Canadien Philip Danault is day-to-day with an upper body injury. Thomas got to play on the fourth line with former Hamilton Bulldog Arthur Kaliyev and rookie Alex Laferriere. Thomas only logged 3:42 of ice time and was on the ice for the Jets’s first goal of the game.

“It's kind of a crazy couple of days and a lot has to be taken in pretty quick but I'm very thankful to be here,” said Thomas.

Thomas’s parents were in attendance for the game and drove roughly 22 hours to see their son in his debut. They were unable to get a flight in time and opted to drive from Toronto to Winnipeg for the game.

“It means the world with the injuries and everything so I'm very thankful for the opportunity and obviously having people come out and support me means the world to me,” said Thomas.

Thomas has struggled with injuries in the last two years. He missed the first half of the 2021-22 season and only played 40 games. The next year, he suffered another injury on Nov. 19 that ended his year after just 13 games.

Prior to being called up to the Kings, Thomas had 22 goals and 21 assists in 61 games with the Ontario Reign (the Kings’s AHL affiliate) this season.

He was acquired by the Petes in a trade from the Niagara IceDogs in Jan. 2020 for Cameron Butler, two second-round picks (2020, 2022), one third-round pick (2022) and a fourth-round pick (2024).

He played 22 games for the Petes, scoring nine goals and 31 assists before the Ontario Hockey League was shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic. Thomas was invited back to the Peterborough Memorial Centre for Game Three of the OHL Championship against the London Knights as part of the pre-game ceremonies to pump up the fans on May 15.

Thomas is well-known for his game-winning goal for Team Canada in the gold-medal game against Russia at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship in the Czech Republic.

Thomas was drafted by the Kings in 2018 in the second round, 51st overall. Following his OHL career, Thomas spent time with the Kings’ AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign since the 2020-21 season.

The Kings lost to the Jets 4-3 with a late goal from Winnipeg in the third.

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Peterborough Petes Finish Off Last Home Game of the Season; Set Season Attendance Record

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Outside of the score, it was all smiles and positivity for a sold-out crowd of 3,862 fans at the Peterborough Memorial Centre as the defending OHL-Champion Petes had their final home game of the season in a 9-0 loss to the Ottawa 67’s on Thursday night.

pHOTO courtesy of Kenneth ANdersen and the Peterborough Petes.

Prior to the puck drop, the Petes honoured overage defenceman and assistant captain Cam Gauvreau, who was playing his last home game with the team.

The sold-out crowd made the overall total 119,747 over 34 home games, 8,505 more than the previous record of 111,242 from the 2005-06 championship season.

After Thursday’s sell-out, the average attendance this season climbed to 3,522, 250 higher than the previous record of 3,272 during 2005-06. These numbers also factored into 20 new single-game attendance records that were set this season.

“The growth following last season's OHL championship is tremendous and unprecedented,” said Eric Evenbauer, director of sales. “Behind the scenes, there is a hard-working staff on both the business and hockey side who work together to provide the best experience possible for our fan base. To have 17 sell-outs in a rebuilding season is remarkable, it goes to show that our fans are excited about the team and the direction we’re heading both on and off the ice. None of what we do would be possible without our incredibly loyal and knowledgeable fan base.”

Unfortunately, it went all downhill from here as the Petes let an early penalty kill their momentum.

After a mad scramble in front of the net, Brady Stonehouse picked up the pieces and scored, beating Petes goaltender Zach Bowen for a 1-0 lead. That was the score heading into the second period. Peterborough only had four shots to Ottawa’s 20.

While the shots were more balanced at 16-10 in favour of the 67’s, the score became lopsided as the visitors rung off five unanswered goals for a 6-0 lead at the end of two.

Easton Rye took over goaltending duties to start the third period. However, Ottawa kept their foot on the gas in the final frame as they tacked on three more goals and routed the Petes 9-0.

The Petes continue their last stretch of road games as they take on the Barrie Colts on Saturday for 7:30 p.m.

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The Peterborough Petes Keep Pace Until the Third Period and Fall Short to the Ottawa 67's, 4-2

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The Peterborough Petes were able to hold their own against the Ottawa 67’s until the third period as they took a 4-2 loss at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Thursday night.

Photo courtesy of Kenneth Andersen Photography and the Peterborough Petes.

Ottawa drew first blood halfway through the first period as Kimi Körbler snapped a shot at the point and got by everyone including Petes goaltender Liam Sztuska for a 1-0 lead.

Peterborough matched it 72 seconds later on the power play as captain Jonathan Melee ripped a one-timer but got saved with the pad. Quinton Pagé pounced on the rebound and buried it to tie the game after the first.

Ottawa struck again to start the second as Brady Stonehouse got a juicy rebound of his own and got it by Sztuska to have the 67’s regain the lead, 2-1.

Peterborough answered the bell again 3:30 into the period as the Petes blocked a shot and got the puck int he neutral zone off the rush. Tommy Purdeller opted to pass instead of shoot and it was the right call as Ryder McIntyre got the one-timer goal to tie things up at two going into the third.

The 67’s again started the period’s scoring as Körbler wound up with the puck in the slot after a broken play. He spun and shot to score and make it 3-2.

Peterborough tried to battle back but could not get the equalizer and Ottawa added an empty-net goal to seal the deal and leave Peterborough with a 4-2 win.

The Petes continue their homestand this Saturday against the Niagara IceDogs for the final time this season. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

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Peterborough Petes's Comeback Bid Falls Shorts As They Fall 5-4 In Overtime to the Barrie Colts

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The Peterborough Petes clawed their way back to force overtime but fell short in their comeback, losing 5-4 to the Barrie Colts at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Tuesday night.

Photo courtesy of Kenneth Andersen Photography and the Peterborough Petes.

Peterborough broke the ice with the only goal in the period late. Caden Taylor had the puck just outside the faceoff circle on the power play and took his time before rifling it through for a 1-0 lead.

Barrie woke up in the second period and took the game over. They rung off three straight goals from Kyle Morey, Michael Derbidge and Tai York to make it 3-1 while keeping Peterborough at bay going into the third.

It took only 3:39 for the Petes to finally get on the board again as the home team forced a turnover in the defensive zone. Braydon McCallum scooped it up and went coast-to-coast including a beautiful deke around Kashawn Aitcheson and scored on the backhand for a 3-2 score.

Just less than four minutes later, Peterborough forced a turnover in the offensive zone. Grayden Strohack stripped the puck off a Colt and Ryder McIntyre got the loose puck. He spun, fired at the goalie’s left pad. Tommy Purdeller pounced on the rebound and scored to erase a two-goal deficit to tie the game at three.

The Colts regained the lead with less than two minutes in the game as they slapped a one-timer that was stopped. However, there was a scramble for the puck and Zach Wigle chipped it in to take a late 4-3 lead.

Peterborough fought back as they won a faceoff in the Colts zone, Purdeller was able to make a pass out in front to captain Johnathan Melee who was alone in front and beat the goaltender for a 4-4 tie and into overtime.

In extra time, Barrie’s Beau Jelsma charged up the wing with the puck and looked to take a shot. Instead, he drop passed it to a trailing Wigle and scored for the overtime winner.

The Petes stay at home for Thursday to host the Ottawa 67’s with puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

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Peterborough Petes Goaltender Liam Sztuska Named OHL Goaltender of the Week

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Peterborough Petes goaltender Liam Sztuska has been named OHL Goaltender of the Week with a 1.00 goals-against average and .978 save percentage in a win last week.

Photo courtesy of Kenneth Andersen and the Peterborough Petes.

Sztuska helped the Petes get back in the winning column, stopping 45 of the 46 shots in a 4-1 road win over the Owen Sound Attack.

The Petes goaltender often faces a lot of shots as he has taken at least 40 in 15 of his last 17 starts. Five of his 10 wins have at least 40 saves this season.

The 19-year-old Mississauga native has a season record of 10-22-4-1, posting a 3.86 goals-against average and .906 save percentage while facing the league’s third-highest total of 1,530 shots.

The Petes selected him in the fifth round, 94th overall, of the 2020 OHL Priority Selection from the Toronto Titans U16 AAA program. The 6-foot, 181-lb. netminder has appeared in 63 games over three seasons, registering a 3.70 goals-against average and .902 save percentage. Sztuska won an OHL Championship with Peterborough last spring.

The Petes return home to take on the Barrie Colts on Tuesday, wearing their CHL Jersey Contest winning designs. The game jerseys will be auctioned after the game with proceeds going to the President’s Choice Children’s Charity. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

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Peterborough Petes Get Back in the Win Column With Four Unanswered Goals Against Owen Sound For 4-1 Victory

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After getting one victory in their last 13 games, the Peterborough Petes return to the win column, scoring four unanswered goals for a 4-1 win over Owen Sound at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre on Sunday evening.

Photo courtesy of Allison Kennedy and the Peterborough Petes.

Only one goal was scored in the first period and it came late. Peterborough was shorthanded after a holding penalty and Owen Sound wasted no time. It took 14 seconds to score on the man advantage with a Colby Barlow one-timer to make it 1-0 for the home team.

It was all Peterborough from when the second period started. The Petes got a powerplay of their own early in the stanza and capitalized on their opportunity to tie the game. Tommy Purdeller set up Quinton Pagé for a one-timer in the high slot and scored for a 1-1 game.

The Petes forced a turnover in their defensive zone as Braydon McCallum knocked an Attack defenseman down and got the puck on a rush. He dropped a pass for Pagé who fanned his shot but Brennan Faulkner got a shot on net. It was parried to the side by Attack goaltender Carter George but Petes defenseman Martin Matejicek got the loose puck. He got a one-touch pass to Pagé who scored a wide-open one-timer for his second of the game and a 2-1 Peterborough lead.

The visitors kept their foot on the gas as Caden Taylor undressed an Owen Sound defender and snapped it past George for an impressive unassisted goal to put Peterborough up 3-1 after two.

Owen Sound had Petes goaltender Liam Sztuska under siege all night, already having 35 shots on net prior to the final period. They got another 11 in the third, outshooting Peterborough in shots with 46-26 but could not find the back of the net a second time. Purdeller got an empty-net goal finish off the Attack and leave Owen Sound with a 4-1 win.

Pagé, Purdeller, Matejicek had two points each while Sztuska saved 45 of 46 shots on net for the win.

The Petes return home to take on the Barrie Colts on Tuesday, wearing their CHL Jersey Contest winning designs. The game jerseys will be auctioned after the game with proceeds going to the President’s Choice Children’s Charity. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

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