Peterborough Petes Trade Forward For Two Draft Picks; Team Announces New Skills and Development Coach

The Peterborough Petes traded away centreman Alex Hage for Barrie’s third-round pick in 2028 and a conditional fifth-round pick in 2029 from the Niagara IceDogs.

Photo courtesy of Kenneth Andersen and the Peterborough Petes.

The Petes originally selected Hage in the sixth round of the 2024 OHL Priority Selection from the Vaughan Kings U16s. Last season, the 2008-born forward played with the Chicago Steel of the USHL, picking up 11 points in 37 games.

Hage had never played a game for the Petes.

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Petes.

The team has also added alumnus Ryan Ramsay as the team’s new Skills and Development Coach.

“We are pleased to have Ryan join our staff,” said Michael Oke, general manager and vice president of operations. “With his experience as a player, and more recently as a coach at the junior level, he’s a great fit for our team. Our organization is committed to the development of our players on and off the ice. In Ryan’s role with the Petes, he will assist our players in their individual skill development.”

The Ajax native has been the Head Coach/General Manager for the Haliburton County Huskies of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) since the 2021-22 season. He has eight years of experience working in the OJHL with the Huskies and the Whitby Fury. Ramsay has also served as a Player Development Consultant for the North Bay Battalion for the last two years.

“I’m very excited to be joining the Petes as their new Skills and Development Coach,” said Ramsay. “It’s definitely a full circle moment for me to be back with Peterborough after beginning my OHL career here. I’m looking forward to joining this great staff and amazing organization. I can’t wait to meet the players and get started.”

A former first-round pick of the Petes, Ramsay played five seasons in the OHL from 1999-2004, picking up 283 points in 295 games with the Petes, Kitchener Rangers, and Plymouth Whalers. After his OHL career, he signed with the St. Louis Blues and play 11 seasons in the AHL, ECHL, Germany and Italy. Ramsay played the majority of his professional career in the DEL, Germany’s top league, picking up 212 points in 296 games over seven years.

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Second Annual Mayoral Golf Tournament Fundraiser Announced to Benefit PRHC Foundation

Mayor Jeff Leal is back on the links as he invites the public to join his second annual Peterborough Mayoral Invitational Charity Golf Tournament on Sept. 8 at Kawartha Golf Club, announced on Thursday morning.

(left to right) Nigel Lister, Regional Manager, Market Development of Cambium Inc; Lesley Heighway, PRHC Foundation president; Blake Ulrich, Head Golf Professional at Kawartha Golf Club and CEO and Jeff Leal, Peterborough Mayor. Leal is displaying his putting prowess in a demonstration at his press conference. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The announcement was made at the Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC), where its Foundation is this year’s recipient of the proceeds.

“I was faced with a cancer diagnosis two years ago but I’m cancer-free today because of the swift and effective care I received right here in our community,” said Mayor Jeff Leal. “We must ensure that PRHC has all the resources they need to continue to provide the best quality care for the residents of our City and Region. That’s why I have chosen to support the PRHC Foundation’s Campaign for PRHC, with the proceeds of the second annual Mayoral Invitational Charity Golf Tournament helping to reimagine healthcare in our region.”  

“We’re grateful to Mayor Jeff Leal for supporting the Campaign for PRHC,” said Lesley Heighway, PRHC Foundation president and CEO. “We recently announced an ambitious expansion of our campaign goal from $60 million to $70 million. It’s a bold step that reflects the growing and urgent healthcare needs in our region. Support from community-driven events like the Mayor’s invitational are vital to helping bring innovative, life-changing care to patients in our region.” 

@ptbo_canada The second annual Peterborough Mayoral Invitational Charity Golf Tournament is on Sept. 8 to support the PRHC Foundation. ##ptbocanada##ptbo##peterborough##journalism##journalist##news##fyp ♬ original sound - PTBOCanada

The day will include a round of golf, lunch and dinner.

Registration and lunch begin at 11 a.m., followed by opening remarks at 12:30 p.m. The shotgun start is at 1 p.m. with dinner to follow at the end of the round.

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Peterborough Petes Sign Austrian Import Draft Pick to Standard Player Agreement

The Peterborough Petes have signed 2025 import pick Leon Kolarik to an OHL Standard Player Agreement (SPA), announced on Thursday afternoon.

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Petes.

“We’re very happy to be able to add Leon Kolarik to our team,” said Michael Oke, general manager and vice president of operations. “Leon is a player who brings experience playing at the highest professional level in Austria. We believe that his game is a great fit for the OHL and we look forward to having him join our group.”

“It’s always been a dream of mine to play in the CHL,” exclaimed Kolarik. “I knew Peterborough was the right spot when I spoke to Tommy Purdeller, who only had great things to say about the organization. It feels amazing to be a part of the Petes.”

The 2007-born forward from Vienna, Austria, was selected by the Petes in the second round, 63rd overall, of the 2025 CHL Import Draft. He featured in 36 games for the RB Hockey Juniors in the AlpsHL last season, scoring 10 goals and adding 13 assists for 23 points. He also played in seven games for EC Salzburg in the ICEHL (Austria’s top league), scoring once and adding two assists for three points. In the playoffs, Kolarik led EC Salzburg U20 in scoring, with eight goals and six assists for 14 points in eight games.

“We are excited to announce the signing of Austrian Leon Kolarik to the Peterborough Petes,” said Patrick O’Connor, Petes assistant coach and director of player personnel. “Having spent extensive time in Europe ahead of the Import Draft with Coach (Rob) Wilson, we had already identified Leon as a highly skilled and competitive player. We feel his skillset and drive will contribute well with our new look team, while we also work to continue his development ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft.”

Kolarik has also represented his home country of Austria at multiple levels. This past year, he had seven points in five games at the U18 World Championship Division 1A, while also picking up four assists in five games at the U20 World Championship Division 1A.

Kolarik is the third and final import player to sign with the Petes ahead of the 2025-26 season, after Peterborough signed 2024 first-round pick Adam Novotný on July 9 and 2025 second-round pick Yanis Lutz on July 25.

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Series Evened After Peterborough Lakers Drop Game Four After Brooklin L.C. Rally

The series has become a best-of-three after the Peterborough Lakers suffered a rally from the Brooklin L.C. to fall 15-9 at the Iroquois Park Sports Centre Rink on Wednesday night.

Photo courtesy of Anna Taylor and the Peterborough Lakers.

Peterborough had a great start to the game, putting their offensive prowess on display on the road. They scored five goals in the first period thanks to Thomas Hoggarth, Joe Resetarits, Braedon Saris, Taite Cattoni and Justin Sykes. Brooklin only managed two goals and the Lakers had a 5-2 lead after the first period.

However, things came crashing down for Peterborough after that. Brooklin scored the first six of seven goals in the stanza to lead 8-6. The Lakers were able to two late special teams goals courtesy of Holden Cattoni and Resetarits to tie it at eight into the third period.

Despite Peterborough opening the scoring in the final frame — with a Holden Cattoni goal — Brooklin L.C. kept pouring on their offense, scoring seven unanswered goals. Peterborough failed to find the back of the net since then and the series was evened at two apiece after a 15-9 win for Brooklin.

“We just didn’t push back like we should have,” said Bobby Keast, Lakers’ defensive coach. “I think they got some bounces that they earned.”

Game five is at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Tuesday at 8 p.m. Both teams get a long rest after that, as game six is on Wednesday in Whitby. If necessary, Game seven is on Thursday at the Peterborough Memorial Centre.

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Quest For Back-to-Back Meredith Cup Titles For Jr. C. Peterborough Lakers Starts Wednesday Night

The Jr. C Peterborough Lakers have their sights set on a second-straight Meridith Cup as they play game one against the Burlington Warriors at the Healthy Planet Arena on Wednesday at 8 p.m.

Photo courtesy of the Jr. C Peterborough Lakers.

If Peterborough wins the best-of-five series, it will be the first time in franchise history that the team has won back-to-back titles. A win also gives them a tie for most championships in league history with four.

The Lakers remain undefeated in the playoffs, sweeping the Huntsville Hawks and Whitby Warriors in a best-of-three series to reach the championship.

Peterborough is on a 15-game winning streak — including regular season and playoffs — and has not lost since a 9-6 defeat from Whitby on May 21.

Trying to stop them are the Burlington Warriors, who squeezed out a game-five road win, defeating the North Shore Kodiaks 10-9 on Sunday.

The Healthy Planet Arena floor where the Jr. C Lakers play. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The following is the Meredith Cup schedule:

• Game one: Aug. 6 at 8 p.m. in Peterborough (Healthy Planet Arena)

• Game two: Aug. 8 at 8 p.m. in Burlington (Central Arena Burlington)

• Game three: Aug. 10 at 2 p.m. (Healthy Planet Arena)

• Game four: Aug. 12 at 8 p.m. in Burlington (Central Arena Burlington)

• Game five: To be announced (Healthy Planet Arena)

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Peterborough Petes Acquire Forward From Brampton Steelheads For Three Draft Picks and a Goaltender

The Peterborough Petes have acquired forward Lucas Karmiris from the Brampton Steelheads in exchange for overage goalie Zach Bowen, Owen Sound’s second-round pick in 2026, a fourth-round pick in 2029, and a conditional third-round pick in 2027, announced on Tuesday afternoon.

Photo courtesy of Luke Durda and the OHL.

“We’re very excited to announce that we’ve acquired Lucas Karmiris from the Brampton Steelheads,” said Michael Oke, general manager and vice president of operations.. “Lucas is a right-handed centre who plays a solid two-way game. He’s a player with over 160 games of OHL experience and we feel that he will fit in very well with our current group of forwards. We’re looking forward to seeing him on the ice at training camp later this month.”

Karmiris, a 2006-born centre from Brantford, was originally selected by the Steelheads in the first round, 13th overall, in the 2022 OHL Priority Selection. He has spent his entire three-year OHL career in the Steelheads organization, scoring 33 goals and adding 63 assists for 96 points in 165 games. Karmiris also played 17 playoff games, scoring three goals and adding one assist. Karmiris is from the Brantford 99ers AAA system alongside Petes forward Braydon McCallum.

Photo courtesy of Kenneth Andersen and the Peterborough Petes.

Bowen was a fourth-round pick by the London Knights in 2022 and was acquired by the Petes in a trade involving Michael Simpson in September of 2023, before the season opener. He’s played in 62 games for Peterborough over the last two seasons, posting a 3.91 GAA and an .894 save percentage.

“I’d like to personally thank Zach for his dedication to the Petes and the City of Peterborough over the past two seasons,” said Oke. “We wish him all the best as he heads to Brampton for his OA year.”

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Lakers Split Long Weekend Games With Brooklin L.C. To Make Series 2-1 For Peterborough

The Peterborough Lakers and Brooklin L.C. split wins over the long weekend to make the series 2-1, with the former leading.

Photo courtesy of Anna Taylor and the Peterborough Lakers.

The Lakers extended the series to 2-0 after defeating Brooklin 10-8 at the Iroquois Park Sports Centre on Saturday.

Peterborough had led 9-0 in game one but had to work for goals in game two. They trailed 2-0, 4-2 and 5-4 before finally getting their first lead, 6-5, at the end of the second period.

“It’s just a great reminder that we are in a series and we need to get back to playing with lots of energy, and I thought we did that,” said Mike Hasen, Lakers head coach. “You take the wins as they are.” 

A pair of goals from Justin Sykes gave the Lakers their first two-goal lead of the night and never relinquished it for the remainder of the game.

In game three, Peterborough had their worst offensive showing of the season, scoring four goals while allowing seven to give Brooklin their first win of the series at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Monday night.

“We just weren’t sharp,” said Hasen. “Right from the get-go, we didn’t have the energy we had the last two games. We were a little bit planted, passes were off, we were dropping passes. It was just one of those nights where it was not good. Second period, we had a lot of energy but we just couldn’t find that consistency.”

The Lakers failed to score in the first period while allowing a pair. After allowing one more score, Peterborough found its footing with a four-goal run. The visitors scored four goals of their own after that and Peterborough could not find the back of the net for the remainder of the night for a 7-4 loss.

“We were a little sluggish to get going,” said Robert Hope, Lakers captain. “They worked really hard as a team, their goaltender played well, they made some small adjustments. We had some lulls. The first period wasn’t great for us. We picked it up in the second, and the third you’re playing catch up against a good team, so we struggled there a bit.”

Game four is in Whitby, where the Lakers will try to make it a 3-1 lead, while Brooklin will look to even the series.

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Kawartha Lacrosse Brings Home Six Medals From 2025 Provincial Championships

Another season for Kawartha Lacrosse saw all six of its representative teams earn medals at the 2025 provincial championships held in Peterborough, Kitchener-Waterloo and Oakville throughout July.

The U13 Kawartha Lacrosse girls winning Gold in tehir division. Photo courtesy of Kawartha Lacrosse.

“I’m incredibly proud of all of the young athletes, the coaches and bench staff who represent Kawartha Lacrosse with honour and respect in the OWFL,” said Fred Blowes, Kawartha Lacrosse director and founder. “Kawartha Lacrosse has had a long history of athletic success which is a testimony to our present and past coaches and of course our incredible players and their supportive parents.

The following teams won medals from Provincials:

• Junior Women’s Elite Lacrosse (JEWL) - Bronze

• U19 Gold 'C division'

• U15 Bronze 'B division'

• U13 Gold 'B division'

• U11 Silver 'A division'

• U9 Gold 'A division'

• U11 Head Coach, Tara King and JEWL Head Coach, Jocelyne Lemay were awarded “Coach of the Year” by the OWFL for their respective divisions

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Peterborough Lakers Dominant In First Playoff Game, Routing Brooklin L.C. to 12-4 Victory

The Peterborough Lakers kick off the postseason with a bang, routing the Brooklin L.C. in Game one of the Major Series Lacrosse semifinals, 12-4 at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Thursday night.

Photo courtesy of David Pickering and the Peterborough Lakers.

The Lakers had a perfect opening period to start the playoffs, shutting out Brooklin while tallying three goals thanks to Thomas Hoggarth, Mike Robinson and Joe Resetarits for a 3-0 lead.

Peterborough’s offense rolled in the second stanza, scoring the next six for a nine-goal run. Braedon Saris, Holden and Taite Cattoni, Carter Page and Brad McCulley got their first goals of the playoffs while Resetarits had his second of the game. The Lakers had their shutout broken fby two Brooklin powerplay goals but McCulley tacked on one more, shorthanded, for a 10-2 lead into the final frame.

“You know, it makes it a lot easier when you hold a team to zero goals for almost two full periods,” said Robinson. “We’re clicking right now and I think, you know, the goal is always to peak at the end of the year, we don’t want to peak in the middle. We're just going to keep doing those little things and keep moving forward and keep getting better each game.”

The final period saw both teams score two goals each, as both Cattonis scored for the Lakers and Peterborough cruised to a 12-4 victory, taking game one of the best-of-seven series.

“We obviously got out to real good start and I was seeing the ball early and they were keeping the ball to the outside where we like it,” said Nick Rose, Lakers goaltender. “We built a pretty big lead and that kind of game was a little out of hand for a game one but we know that they're going to be a lot better at home on Saturday.”

Game two is on Saturday night at Iroquois Park Sports Centre in Whitby at 8 p.m.

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The Rotary Club of Peterborough's Fore the Kids Golf Tournament Scheduled For Sept. 25

The Rotary Club of Peterborough has released the date of its Fore the Kids Golf Tournament fundraiser at the Katchiwano Golf Club on Sept. 25.

Photo courtesy of teh Rotary Club of Peterborough.

Tournament proceeds will help fund Rotary projects and the kids who use the services of the Five Counties Children’s Centre.

Tickets are $150 per person, which includes a round of golf, a cart for convenience, lunch to recharge and compete in hole prizes.

One child supported by the cause is four-year-old Jude, who has cerebral palsy and a global developmental delay. He has been accessing Five Counties programs like physiotherapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy since he was four months old.

“Thank you to everyone who supports this event. It shows the families at Five Counties that they have an entire community behind them, cheering them on.” said Julie Grant, Jude’s mom.

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