Peterborough Laker Alumnus John Grant Jr. Hired As Assistant Coach For Redwoods Lacrosse Club

Five-time Mann Cup champion and Peterborough Lakers’ alumnus John Grant Jr. has been hired as the assistant coach of the Redwoods Lacrosse Club of the Premiere Lacrosse League announced on Thursday.

John Grant Jr. has been granted a key to the city back in 2016. File Photo.

A two-time MLL MVP, Grant Jr. tallied 393 goals and 232 assists during his playing career. He won the Mann Cup five times with the Lakers in 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010 and 2012. He was voted Mann Cup MVP for 2004 and 2007.

"I'm beyond excited. I had the privilege and honor to work with [Redwoods LC head coach] Nat [St. Laurent] during my brief stint with the [Ohio] Machine in '16. I've kept in touch with him. He's got a heart of gold and he knows the game," said Grant Jr. "We've got some rockstars on the O that I get to learn from and teach a little."

Grant Jr. won five MLL Championships during his career with the 2008 Rochester Rattlers, 2009 Toronto Nationals, 2012 and 2013 Chesapeake Bayhawks and the 2014 Denver Outlaws.

"He's won at every level that he's ever coached or played at," said Nat St. Laurent, Redwoods LC head coach and general manager. "We have a history together going back to the Ohio Machine where we made a championship run when Coach Davis traded for him. There's good chemistry. He's going to be a great addition to our staff."

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Peterborough Petes's Postponed Game Rescheduled For Jan. 16

The Peterborough Petes have their Dec. 17 game against the Kingston Frontenacs rescheduled for Jan. 16, announced by the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) on Wednesday.

The Petes have split their series with one win apiece with six meetings left in the regular season. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PETERBOROUGH PETES AND JESSICA VAN STALLDUINEN.

The game was postponed due to the unexpected passing of London Knights player, Abakar Kazbekov. He was known to be close with several people within the OHL including those involved in the postponed game. 

Digital tickets issued for the game are reissued the week of the game. The Petes are also honouring physical tickets will and do not require a reprint or reissue.

Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at the Peterborough Memorial Centre.

The Petes next home game is Thursday against the Mississauga Steelheads after coming off a two-week holiday break.

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Former Peterborough Pete Joe Carroll Scores First AHL Goal With the Belleville Senators

Former Peterborough Pete Joe Carroll had a memorable boxing day, scoring his first career American Hockey League (AHL) goal against the Toronto Marlies at the Scotiabank Arena on Monday.

Carroll spent one season with the Peterborough Petes in 2021-22. Photo courtesy of the Belleville Senators.

Carroll scored the first goal of the game, 5:57 into the first period. He chased a dumped-in puck into the Marlies zone and centred a pass out for forward Matthew Boucher for a one-timed shot.

The puck was saved by Marlies goaltender Keith Petruzzelli but Carroll capitalized on a rebound and scored. That was Carroll’s only shot of the game.

The Marlies went on to win the game 3-2.

Carroll as a Peterborough Pete played 55 games with 25 goals and 27 assists. He was obtained from the Soo Greyhounds last year for three draft picks on Oct. 14 last year. He also played three games for the Senators in the same year but did not register a point.

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Peterborough Petes Alumnus Emmett Sproule Commits to University of New Brunswick

Peterborough Petes’s Emmett Sproule is taking his talents to the out east as he has committed to the University of New Brunswick (USC), joining the REDs.

Sproule holds the longest point streak in modern Petes' history with 20 games (nine goals, 22 Assists and 31 points). Photo courtesy of the OHL.

The 21-year-old signed a U SPORTS Letter of Intent and has joined the REDS for the remainder of the 2022-23 Atlantic University Sport season and beyond on Thursday.

“Emmett had a breakout season as a 20-year-old and was among the top, dynamic players in the OHL,” said Gardiner MacDougall, REDS head coach. “He has the ability to make high-quality plays off the rush, has great offensive instincts and a real passion for the game and for getting better.”

Sproule finished his OHL career with the Peterborough Petes for the 2021-22 season and spend 2017-21 with the Erie Otters. He played over 250 regular-season games during that span.

Last season, Sproule had career-highs with the Petes, scoring 30 goals and 56 assists. He was among some of the OHL’s scoring leaders.

“I’m a positive person who can bring a good level of offence,” said Sproule. “I have an ability to see my teammates, good vision on the ice and I think I have a nose to find the back of the net. Last year, in Peterborough, we had great chemistry on our power-play and I learned lots on the penalty kill.”

He attended the Buffalo Sabres’ NHL training camp and AHL-affiliate Rochester Americans earlier this year following his OHL tenure. Sproule then joined the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL, with three assists in four games.

“After those four games, I decided that wasn’t for me,” he said. “I think it’s better for me to develop here at UNB and advance my game from here.”

“It gets tougher to score in the AUS in the second half and we believe Emmett can provide a boost to that part of the game for us,” said Coach MacDougall. “He has a great deal of energy on the ice and our fans will enjoy the plays he makes and his positive contribution to our continued success.”

Sproule is expected to make his REDS debut on the Jan 6-7 weekend. He will study Business while attending UNB.

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Peterborough Petes Rout Hamilton Bulldogs 8-2; Avon Nets Hat Trick and Robinson Sets Team Record

It was a fireworks show for the Peterborough Petes as they routed the defending-champion Hamilton Bulldogs 8-2 at the Peterborough Memorial Centre (PMC) on Thursday night.

The Petes have beaten the Hamilton Bulldogs three times this regular season. They had a 2-6 record against them last regular season while getting swept in the first round of the playoffs. Photo courtesy of Kenneth Andersen and the Peterborough Petes.

The Petes started on the wrong foot as Logan Morrison had a clear path to the goaltender Michael Simpson and sniped one home for a 1-0 Bulldogs lead. Tucker Robertson took the game over ringing off a goal with 1:01 left in the period. He followed that up with another one nine seconds later, setting a franchise record for the fastest consecutive goals scored by the same player. Ryan Pawluk previously held the record with 10 seconds on Dec. 8, 1994, against North Bay.

J.R. Avon opted to take the spotlight for Peterborough as he scored a hat trick in the second period; scoring three of five goals the Petes netted against Hamilton’s one for a 7-2 lead into the third. Jax Dubois and Sahil Panwar also scored for Peterborough in that stanza.

Sam Mayer scored the only goal in the third period to continue adding insult to injury and the Petes would take the game by a score of 8-2, defeating the defending-champion Bulldogs for a third time of four games this regular season.

Connor Lockhart had a team-leading four assists for the Petes on the night with Chase Stillman getting two. Simpson stopped 37/39 for his 12th win of the season.

The Petes finish the first half of the season with their annual Christmas game against the Kingston Frontenacs at the PMC on Saturday. Christmas-themed jerseys will be auctioned off during the game with all proceeds towards Hockey Ministries International.

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Peterborough Petes to Host PWHPA at First-Ever School Game

The Peterborough Petes is one of four OHL teams to host a Professional Women’s Hockey Player’s Association (PWHPA) game at the Peterborough Memorial Centre (PMC) on Feb. 10 announced by the Ontario Hockey League on Wednesday.

Founded in 2019, the PWHPA features four teams comprised of 100 of the world’s best female hockey players and was formed with the goal of creating a sustainable league that provides equity, fairness, and opportunity in women’s professional hockey. Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Petes.

This will be the first-ever school game hosted by the Petes. It will contain top professional and Olympic women's hockey players, including Olympic and world champion Marie-Philip Poulin, Rebecca Johnston, Blayre Turnbull, Jessie Eldridge and more. The game is a part of the PWHPA Secret Dream Gap Tour and will feature Team Harvey’s (Montreal) taking on Team Scotiabank (Calgary). 

“Last year the Petes were proud to be the first OHL team to partner with the PWHPA, and to see that initiative expand to three additional OHL markets this season is really special,” said Burton Lee, Petes executive director of business operations. “Women’s hockey is thriving and the Petes are fortunate to have the best players in the world coming to our city to play in front of thousands of Petes Season Ticket Members and local school children.” 

Petes season ticket members and suite holders are entitled to complimentary PWHPA school day game tickets up to the number of season tickets in their regular season package.

Other tickets to the game are being held for schools in the Peterborough area and will not go on sale to the general public. 

All local schools are invited to attend the PWHPA game with discounted group tickets. The following school group opportunities are available:

• Fundraising chuck-a-puck

• National Anthem Program

• Intermission games and activities

• School Skate (pre-game or post-game)

• PWHPA Autograph Sessions

• Interactive curriculum-based activities

• Women's and Girls' Hockey recognition

• And more…

To organize school tickets, email tickets@gopetesgo.com, or call (705) 743-3681 ext. 6000.

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Free Two-Day Youth Hockey Camp Being Hosted By Overtime Hockey and Auto Connect Sales For Dec. 29 - 30

Overtime Hockey Company and Auto Connect Sales have opened a draw for anyone to attend their third annual Holiday Stars Camp taking place on Dec. 29 and 30.

Photo courtesy of Overtime Hockey Company.

The draw is for 70 players to come to the free camp with all ballots to be submitted by Sunday at noon. Winners will be notified by email and posted online.

Anyone selected will receive two hours of on-ice lessons from OHC instructors and corresponding jerseys.

“Peterborough’s a hockey town and not everybody has an opportunity to afford it,” said Martin Templeman, Autoconnect Sales owner and president. “It’s tough enough to put their kids in hockey let alone in camps and learn extra skills and I thought it was a worthy cause. How many kids would love to do it but are not in a financial position to do it? If there’s a way you can help a kid in your own community, you do it.”

“It's a pleasure for us at Overtime Hockey Company to partner with Martin and Cheryl of AutoConnect for a third year by providing 70 local hockey players an amazing opportunity,” said Kaury Jones, Overtime Hockey Company co-owner. “Our partnership allows us the ability to give back to the hockey community who gives so much to local businesses and charitable initiatives.”

Age groups are divided by year, ranging from anyone born between 2011-2017.

Schedule:

• (2017) 9 a.m. at OHC Center - Dec.29 and 30

• (2016) 10 a.m. at OHC Center - Dec.29 and 30

• (2015) 11 a.m. at OHC Center - Dec.29 and 30

• (2014) noon at OHC Center - Dec.29 and 30

• (2013) 1 p.m. at OHC Center - Dec.29 and 30

• (2012) 2 p.m. at OHC Center - Dec.29 and 30

• (2011) 3 p.m. at OHC Center - Dec.29 and 30

To register for the camp, click here.

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Peterborough Pete Brennan Othmann Selected to Team Canada For 2023 World Junior Championships

Peterborough Petes’s Brennan Othmann has made the final roster for Team Canada for the 2023 World Junior Championships (WJC) in Moncton and Halifax announced on Monday evening.

Othmann currently leads the Petes in points with 35 in 26 games. Photo courtesy of the Peteborough Petes.

This is his second time representing Canada as he won a gold medal with the team on August 20 in overtime against Finland. The New York Ranger prospect recorded two goals and four assists for six points in six games in his first World Junior Championship. He has also represented Canada at the U18 and U17 levels, winning a gold medal at the 2021 IIHF World U18 Hockey Championships.

“We’re really excited for Brennan,” said Michael Oke, Petes general manager. “To represent Canada once at this event is a huge honour, to do it twice is an opportunity that not a lot of players get to experience.”

Othmann was acquired from the Flint Firebirds on Nov. 12 in exchange for Artem Guryev and three OHL Priority Selection picks. He joins Petes defenceman and Philadelphia Flyers prospect, Brian Zanetti who is representing Switzerland.

The Pickering-born forward becomes the third Pete to represent Canada at the WJC since 2010, along with Nick Ritchie in 2015 and Mason McTavish in 2022. The championships start on Dec. 26 with both Othmann and Zanetti in action for their respective countries. 

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Peterborough Pete Selected 2023 CHL/NHL Kubota Top Prospects Game

Peterborough Petes’s Nick Lardis, has been selected to the 2023 CHL/NHL Kubota Top Prospects Game in Vancouver for Jan. 25 announced on Monday.

Photo courtesy of the PeterborougH Petes.

Lardis is joining 14 other Ontario Hockey League players selected to the event.

The second-year forward has scored 12 goals through 30 games this year. Lardis’s play has him recognized with a “B” rating in the NHL Central Scouting 22-23 Preliminary Players to Watch List on Oct. 25, which indicates he could be a potential second to third-round selection in the upcoming NHL Draft. The 2023 NHL Draft will take place at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. from June 28-29.

The Oakville-born player was originally selected by the Petes sixth overall in the 2021 OHL Priority Selection.

Lardis becomes the eighth Pete to be selected for the game in the last 10 years. The other seven include:

• Nick Robertson (2019)

• Hunter Jones (2019)

• Dylan Wells (2016)

• Matt Spencer (2015)

• Nick Ritchie (2014)

• Eric Cornel (2014)

• Slater Koekkoek (2012)

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