"Coach Cal" Opens Hockey Night in Canada With Pre-Game Speech

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Seven-year-old Callan “Coach Cal” Perks gets the spotlight for Hockey Night in Canada as he starred in the opening video on Saturday Night.

The show opened with a clip of Perks with his first viral speech then encouraging kids to remain strong during the temporary closure of hockey.

He previewed all the matchups of all the Canadian teams playing that night including the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, Calgary Flames and his favourite team, the Edmonton Oilers.

Perks also gave a motivating speech for the hosts of Hockey Night in Canada in Ron MacLean, Kelly Hrudey, Jennifer Botterill, David Amber and Elliotte Friedman.

Perks is a student at Lakefield District Public School. His favourite NHL team is the Edmonton Oilers with Connor McDavid as his favourite player. Photo courtesy of Lara Perks.

Perks first became viral from a pre-game speech with the Peterborough Petes on Nov. 28.

The second-grader has made appearances on other popular shows such as ABC’s Good Morning America, The Ellen Degeneres Show and Fox Los Angeles.

Perks wants to be an NHL player when he gets older. After his playing career, he wants to be a hockey coach or general manager.

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Hometown PTBO: Chase Stillman on Coming Back to Peterborough and His Family's Lineage of Hockey

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This week on Hometown PTBO, Pete Dalliday speaks with Peterborough Petes Forward Chase Stillman on his return to Peterborough through a trade from the Sudbury Wolves.

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Peterborough Petes Promote Inclusivity With New Warmup Jerseys

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The Peterborough Petes have unveiled warmup jerseys designed to promote inclusivity and make hockey more accessible announced on Thursday.

James Guo (pictured) signed his standard player agreement contract on Aug. 17. Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Petes.

The jerseys include Peterborough’s nickname “The Electric City,” as the first town in Canada to install electric streetlights. It also contains a screen-printed patch stating, “Hockey for All.”

The custom, game-worn jerseys will be auctioned off at the end of the season with proceeds going towards future hockey initiatives to increase accessibility.

“Fully Promoted powered by Signarama, believes in helping and empowering community and as such it was a privilege to be able to create the unique ‘Hockey for All’ logo that appears on the shoulder of the jersey,” said Morgan Smith, Signarama Peterborough CEO, Morgan Smith. “Hockey is a great sport, Canada’s game, and should be enjoyed and inclusive of all, as fans, spectators or by players,”

“We are thrilled to see the concept of these jerseys come to fruition and be worn by our players in arenas across the province,” said Eric Ebenbauer, Petes director of sales. “The values of Fully Promoted/Signarama align with the mission of the Petes to make hockey more inclusive and accessible and we are proud to partner on this initiative.”

All proceeds from the game-worn, warmup jerseys will go towards funding towards local hockey initiatives in the area including the First Shift program the Petes are hosting in March. Bidding for the 2021-22 practice jerseys will open and be announced at a later date. 

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Peterborough's Joseph Bencze Gets Re-Signed By Hamilton Tiger-Cats

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Offensive lineman and Peterborough native Jordan Bencze will remain on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats roster of the Canadian Football League after being re-signed with three other players on Monday.

Facebook photo.

Bencze made his regular-season debut with the Tiger-Cats against the B.C. Lions on Nov. 5. That was his only regular-season game as he spent most of his time with the practice roster.

He made 24 appearances over four seasons with the McMaster University Marauders through 2016-19 as an offensive tackle and defensive tackle.

The McMaster alumnus was drafted by Hamilton in the fifth round, 45th overall in the 2020 CFL Draft.

He recorded 26.5 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and two quarterback sacks during his time on defence during his university career.

Bencze and the Tiger-Cats made the Grey Cup but lost to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 33-25. It was the fourth overtime game in Grey Cup history.

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David Tuan Bui


Peterborough Petes Launch Virtual School Visits

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The Peterborough Petes have launched their Virtual School Visit program where educators can host Petes players to their class announced Monday.

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Petes.

The sessions contain 45-minute visits that include a question and answer period with players addressing topics like the importance of mental and physical health and a physical activity.

With the challenging year for the education system, the Petes want to continue to connect with students who have demonstrated resilience throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and educators who have gone over and above for their community according to the release.

“School visits were a marquee part of the Petes community outreach programming and we want to continue to host them,” said Morgan Blaind, Petes coordinator, administration and community engagement. “Our players look forward to connecting with students and educators.”

School visits will be hosted entirely online and educators will need to have access to video conferencing technology such as: Zoom, Google Meets or Microsoft Teams.

Petes players can either join an in-person class using SMART Board or other conferencing technology or can join a fully virtual class using the video call platform already in place. You can register by clicking here.

Educators and schools should contact Morgan Blaind at (705) 743-3681 ext. 221 or mblaind@gopetesgo.com with any questions regarding the virtual school visits. Due to high demand, a visit cannot be guaranteed for every class.

The Petes are asking fans to submit photos and videos cheering on our players following the latest restrictions that prevent fans from attending home games. To learn how to cheer them on, click here.

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Peterborough Petes Reassign Forward to the Ontario Hockey Junior League

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The Peterborough Petes have sent forward Jaden Reyes to the Lindsay Muskies of the Ontario Junior Hockey League announced on Tuesday.

Reyes was born in London, Ont. and played for the London Jr. Knights U15 AA in their 2018-19 season. Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Petes.

“Jaden will continue to practice with our group regularly and be available to play games during the remainder of the season,” said Michael Oke, Petes general manager.

Reyes netted five assists in 20 games for the Petes this season. He was selected 28th overall in the second round from the U18 AAA Kitchener Jr. Rangers in the 2021 U18 OHL Priority Selection.

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Peterborough Petes Acquire Chase Stillman From Sudbury Wolves

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The Peterborough Petes have acquired New Jersey Devils prospect Chase Stillman from the Sudbury Wolves in exchange for Alex Pharand and five OHL Priority Selection picks announced Monday.

Shase’s father Cory Stillman spent his last OHL season with the Petes in the 1992-93 season before making it to the NHL. Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Petes.

Stillman, who was selected by the Devils in the first round, 29th overall in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, has nine goals, 11 assists for 20 points in 24 games this season.

The 6’1”, 181 lbs right-winger signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Devils on Aug. 20 last year. In his rookie season in 2019-20, Stillman registered 34 points (13 goals, 21 assists) in 58 games, earning OHL First Team All-Rookie honours.

“We’re pretty excited to add a player of Chase’s calibre to our team,” said Michael Oke, Petes general manager. “He brings OHL and NHL development camp experience to our roster and we believe he’ll be an excellent fit for our club. We wish Alex Pharand all the best, he is an excellent young player with a bright future.”

“I appreciated my time in Sudbury and what they did for me,” said Stillman. “I think this is the right time for me to move on in my career. I’m excited to play with some promising guys like J.R. Avon who I played with for the majority of my minor hockey career. Rob Wilson has a reputation that speaks for itself, I’m excited for him to mold me.”

On the international stage, Stillman played for Hockey Canada’s Team White U17 Hockey Challenge in 2019, tallying four points (one goal, three assists) in six games.

The forward contributed to Team Canada’s gold medal title at the 2021 U18 IIHF World Championship in Texas, after picking up two goals and two assists for four points in seven games. During the OHL’s pause last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Stillman suited up for Esbjerg U20 team in Denmark, amassing 16 points (nine goals, seven assists) in eight games. 

In addition to sending Pharand to Sudbury, the Petes have sent Sarnia Sting’s 2nd round pick in 2022, Niagara IceDogs 2nd round pick in 2024, Kitchener Rangers and Owen Sound’s 3rd round pick in 2023, and the Bulldogs 3rd round pick in 2024.

Chase is the son of Petes alumnus and three-time Stanley Cup champion, Cory Stillman.

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Peterborough Petes Acquire Sixth-Round Pick From the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds

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The Peterborough Petes have traded forward Keegan McMullen for a 2024 sixth-round OHL Priority Selection pick from the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds announced Monday.

The OHL trade deadline for the 2021-22 season ended on Monday at noon. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

“We would like to thank Keegan for his contributions on and off the ice as a Pete,” said Michael Oke, Petes general manager. “From being the last player selected in the 2018 draft to becoming a leader for this club speaks of his mentality and work ethic. We wish him all the best with the Greyhounds as they gear up for a deep playoff run.”

The trade was the second transaction the Petes have made in the past two days after picking up the Hamilton Bulldogs third-round pick in the Mason McTavish deal on Sunday night.

This marks the second time the Petes and Greyhounds made a trade this season. On Oct. 14, 2021, the Petes picked up forward Joe Carroll in exchange for three picks.

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Viral Sensation "Coach" Cal to Appear on The Ellen DeGeneres Show

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The legacy of seven-year-old Internet sensation Callan Perks or “Coach Cal” continues as he will be a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show airing on Wednesday.

Callan Perks signed a one-day contract as the Peterborough Petes Next Gen head coach on Nov 28. Photo by Jenish Odigski.

Perks first came to stardom after giving a pre-game speech to the Peterborough Petes in their Next Gen game. The day allowed the children a chance to join the Petes hockey operations and entertainment staff and participate in their respective roles for a day.

Since the video went viral, Perks has appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America, CBC’s The National and picked up by TSN and the NHL.

Perks is a grade 2 student at Lakefield District Public School. He has skated since he was two and started playing hockey as a centreman when he was three.

His favourite NHL team is the Edmonton Oilers with Connor McDavid as his favourite player. The undefeated coach wants to be an NHL player when he grows up. Following his hockey-playing career, he wants to be a hockey coach or general manager.

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Two Petes Have World Juniors Experience Cut Short Amid Rising COVID-19 Cases

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Peterborough Petes players Mason McTavish and Brian Zanetti have their International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Juniors tournament cut short due to COVID-19 announced Wednesday.

Mason McTavish (left) has scored five goals with the Petes while Brian Zanetti (right) has netted nine assists on the OHL season. Photos Courtesy of David Pickering and the Peterborough Petes.

The confirmation came from Chris Peters, NHL draft and prospects analyst and TSN’s Bob MacKenzie in a Tweet.

The decision came after three games were forfeited due to positive COVID-19 tests within teams.

The United States conceded first to Switzerland after two positive results on Tuesday. Czechia followed suit with their matchup vs Finland on Wednesday with Russia shortly resigning their game against Slovakia hours later. Both Czechia and Russia had one positive case apiece.

Team Canada’s McTavish was fresh off a three-point night against Austria with two goals in an assist on Tuesday. He had three goals and two assists in two games.

Switzerland’s Zanetti did not register a point in his one game played resulting in a 4-2 loss against Russia.

The tournament was being held in Red Deer, Alta. and Edmonton.

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