Peterborough Petes Draw Third Overall Pick In 2024 OHL Priority Selection

Following the OHL Priority Selection Lottery, the Peterborough Petes have drawn the third-overall pick in the 2024 OHL Priority Selection on Wednesday evening.

Screenshot.

Full Lottery Results:

1. Windsor Spitfires

2. Sarnia Sting

3. Peterborough Petes

4. Niagara IceDogs

The Petes entered the evening with a 20 per cent chance of receiving the first overall pick. The Niagara IceDogs had the odds of 40 per cent, followed by the Windsor Spitfires at 30 per cent and the Sarnia Sting at 10 per cent.

The 2024 OHL Priority Selection will begin on April 12th at 7 p.m. with the first three rounds. Picks four to 15 are selected on the 13th.

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Peterborough Petes Commemorate Staff and Players in Annual Year-End Ceremony; Head Coach Rob Wilson Signs Eight-Year Extension

To mark the end of the regular season, Peterborough Petes staff, family and friends attended the team’s annual year-end awards ceremony at The Venue on Tuesday.

In addition to winning the Petes Executive Trophy, Petes goaltender Liam Sztuska (left) was a recipient of the Molson Cup (most three-star selections voted by media). pHOTO BY dAVID tUAN bUI.

Michael Oke, Petes general manager, made a surprise announcement that the organization has signed head coach Rob Wilson to an eight-year contract extension through the 2031-32 season.

“I’m very privileged to be head coach of the Peterborough Petes and I do feel that,” said Wilson.

Wilson was the teams’s 23rd Head Coach in May 2018. Wilson has amassed 154 wins, clinching a playoff spot in four of his five seasons in his tenure with the Petes. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Following speeches from Wilson and team president Dave Lorentz, captain Johnathan Melee gave a public address in which he recognized his teammates, staff, and several others for supporting the organization throughout the season.

After the speeches, the following awards were presented:

• Mark Teevens Memorial Award (most assists) – Tommy Purdeller (34 assists)

• Ed Redmond Memorial Trophy (scholastics and hockey) – Brody Partridge

• Outboard Marine Veterans Award (sportsmanship and ability) – Jonathan Melee

• Black’s Family Trophy (rookie of the year) – Carson Cameron

• Vince and Lottie Garvey Award (off-ice contribution) – Tracy and Chip Adamo

• Molson Cup (most three-star selections voted by media) – Liam Sztuska

• Donnie Marsh Memorial Trophy (most dedication to team) – Cam Gauvreau

• Ed Rowe Memorial Award (most goals) – Braydon McCallum (18 goals)

• Norm Bryan Award (most improved player) – Braydon McCallum

• Ushers Trophy (best defenceman) – Carson Cameron

• Bill Bennett/CKPT Memorial Award (leading scorer) – Tommy Purdeller (47 points)

• Gary Dalliday Award (community service) – Tommy Purdeller

• Petes Executive Trophy (most valuable player voted by teammates) – Liam Sztuska

The Board of Directors and Alumni Association presented gifts to the graduating and overage players:

• Liam Sztuska

• Quinn Binnie

• Chase Lefebvre

• Jonathan Melee

• Ryder McIntyre

• Tommy Purdeller

• Cam Gauvreau

Oke ended the night with a speech, acknowledging the players, hockey and business staff, billets, parents and fans. He then continued by marking on- and off-ice achievements this season.

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City and County Launch Two New Online Service Directories To Connect With Health and Community Services

Peterborough Ontario Health Team, Peterborough County and the City of Peterborough have launched two new online directories to help residents find and connect with health and community services through Ontario 2-1-1, announced on Wednesday.

pHOTO BY Samantha Bianco.

Ontario 2-1-1 is a confidential service that helps people find support in their community by searching through the directories on the website, using online chat, texting, emailing or calling. The two new directories provide simple, quick ways to find services based on topic, location and keyword. They can be found at:

• poht.search211.ca for health services

• peterborough.search211.ca for community services

Ontario 2-1-1 operates the directories and is available 24/7 phone or text at 2-1-1.

Through the Online Directory of Health Services, residents can find services for matters such as:

• Non-urgent medical care

• Chronic illness

• Mental health and addictions

• End of life care

• Memory loss and dementia

Under Community Services, residents can find and connect with services related to areas such as:

• Government

• Employment

• Older adults

• Housing

• Community programs and groups

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Seasonal Waste Collection To Begin Next Month

Curbside yard waste collection resumes on Tuesday and continues until the last week of November. 

pHOTO BY dAVID tUAN bUI.

Residents can put out unlimited amounts of yard waste in reusable labelled containers, bushel baskets or paper waste bags. The collection will occur weekly on the same day Green Bins are collected. 

Yard waste set-out requirements:  

• Rigid open-top container with a maximum volume of 80 litres, with two fixed handles, lids must be removable and not secured by any means (bungee cords, etc.). Yard waste material must empty freely when emptied/dumped by the collector.  

• Bins must have two clearly identifiable yellow labels attached defining the contents as yard waste.  The yellow labels are available for no charge at City Hall, 500 George St. N. from Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., except statutory holidays. 

• Kraft Paper Bags, or a bushel basket will be acceptable for yard waste.  No other type of bin will be collected (including blue boxes). No plastic bags will be accepted.  

• Damaged/Broken bins will not be accepted.  

• Each container must weigh less than 13 kg (30 lbs).  

• Brush can be tied in bundles with light rope or twine, weighing not more than 13 kg (30 lbs), with a length of up to 1 m (3 ft) and a diameter of up to 30 cm (12 inches).  

• Yard waste should be put out after 6 p.m. the night before or no later than 7 a.m. the morning of your collection. 

There are six large item collection dates for 2024. The first collection date is April 29.

For a fee, the City will pick up items larger or heavier than the weekly garbage allowance, such as furniture and appliances. Large items are defined as items weighing more than 13.6 kg (30 lbs) and longer than 1 m (3 ft). The service costs $30 for the first item and $10 for each additional item. Please note that mattresses and box springs are $30 each and do not qualify for any discount. 

Arrangements can be made online or by calling the City Hall Tax Office at 705-742-7777 ext. 1865. 

Bookings must be completed by the Tuesday before the collection date:

• Date collection begins: April 29 Booking deadline: April 23 

• Date collection begins: June 24 Booking deadline: June 18

• Date collection begins: May 27  Booking deadline: May 21 

• Date collection begins: July 29   Booking deadline: July 23 

• Date collection begins: May 27  Booking deadline: May 21 

• Date collection begins: Aug. 26  Booking deadline: Aug. 20  

• Date collection begins: Sept. 30  Booking deadline: Sept. 24

The City Public Works crew starts collecting large items at 7 a.m. on the Monday of the collection week. Depending on the volume of items, collections may continue for several days before the collection is completed. The City asks not to remove items from the curb if they have not been collected on Monday.

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Local Couple Donate $1 Million to PRHC Foundation

Local philanthropists Martin and Denise Pick have made a $1 million donation to the Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) Foundation while unveiling a new sign recognizing the couple’s efforts.

(left to right) Denise Pick; Martin Pick; Lesley Heighway, PRHC Foundation President & CEO; Dr. Lynn Mikula, PRHC President & CEO; Charles Pick, Denise and Martin’s son , Dr. Rardi Van Heest, daughter-in-law and Dr. Joslin Cheverie, PRHC General Surgeon. Photo courtesy of PRHC.

Lesley Heighway, PRHC Foundation President and CEO said the donation represents the Pick’s life-long love of community and shared dedication to improving the lives of friends and neighbours.

“Martin and Denise believe in the power of philanthropy to make their hospital and hometown great,” she said. “They have a long history of making transformational gifts and their generosity has been shaping the future of healthcare in this region for years. We’re beyond grateful for their continued support.”

The couple, who both have long-standing relationships with PRHC as donors and volunteers, said they were inspired by the hospital's continuous commitment to innovation and excellence.

“Denise and I feel that the quality of healthcare available in a community is tied to its overall quality of life – to its ability to grow and prosper,” said Martin. “We want to help make sure the doctors and nurses at PRHC have the tools they need to deliver the best care. To do that, we need to support them and give them the equipment that will allow them to innovate.”

“The more we can do to support PRHC, the more we can help improve healthcare for patients from Peterborough and our surrounding communities,” said Denise. “We hope our donation encourages others to join us.”

The Picks’ donation was made through the Remembering Otto and Marie Pick Charitable Foundation, a family charitable fund named for Martin’s parents. Lesley explained that the gift is already improving care for patients across the region through investments in minimally invasive intervention and state-of-the-art diagnostic technology.

“The Pick family’s gift was instrumental in allowing PRHC to upgrade a general operating suite with state-of-the-art minimally invasive surgical tools this winter – one of four suites undertaken by the Foundation,” she said.

“(The investment) has given my colleagues and me access to brand new, leading-edge equipment to perform cancer surgeries,” said Dr. Joslin Cheverie, PRHC general surgeon. “This new, specialized system is letting us operate with increased precision. It’s an advancement that has tremendous potential for the treatment of bowel and other cancers.”

The remainder of the Picks’ gift helped fund two new, cutting-edge CT scanners that generate higher-quality, more comprehensive images to support safer, more accurate diagnoses. The expansion and upgrading of the Health Centre’s Interventional Radiology suites is also ensuring PRHC’s experts can treat more urgent and chronic conditions like cancer, stroke, and traumatic injury without invasive surgery.

“It’s so encouraging to have the support of people like Martin and Denise Pick, who care as much about our healthcare future as we do and are willing to invest in us and the technology we need to make our vision a reality,” said Dr. Lynn Mikula, PRHC President and CEO. “This is more important than ever, given the system-wide challenges we are facing,” she continued. “Addressing these challenges requires fresh thinking and innovative solutions. We simply can’t move forward without the partnership of individuals, families, and organizations who share our vision for the hospital and what we can achieve together.”

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Nominations Open For The City of Peterborough's Next Poet Laureate

The Electric City Culture Council (EC3) and The City of Peterborough launched the Peterborough Poet Laureate Program for 2024.  

PHOTO COURTESY OF EC3.

The Peterborough Poet Laureate is an honorary position established to recognize the excellence and outstanding achievements of professional poets living and working in Peterborough and Peterborough County.

The Peterborough Poet Laureate advocates for poetry and spoken word art, for the arts in general and the City of Peterborough and its residents. They compose works to be presented at Peterborough City Council meetings and other City of Peterborough civic events and occasions. Poets Laureate may also be available to speak at schools, libraries and other organizations. As of this year, the Peterborough Poet Laureate is a two-year position, and they will receive an honorarium of $4,000.00 across their term. 

The Peterborough Poet Laureate Program was launched as a pilot in 2021-22. Curve Lake spoken word artist Sarah Lewis was named Peterborough’s first-ever Poet Laureate. Following an extremely successful term that included four appearances at official City occasions and some 70 additional engagements, Peterborough’s City Council voted to make the Poet Laureate position permanent. Ziysah von Bieberstein is currently serving as Peterborough’s second Poet Laureate.  

The full Poet Laureate Program Guidelines and Nomination Form can be found online. Nominations are being accepted until April 18 and will be assessed by a panel including peers in the poetry and spoken word community, local citizens, and a City representative. 

The City of Peterborough provides the honorarium for the Poet Laureate Program, administered by the Electric City Culture Council (EC3) under the guidance of the City of Peterborough’s Arts and Culture Advisory Committee (ACAC).

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Peterborough Petes Looking For Bright Future After Transitional Season

The Peterborough Petes' player lockers were emptied after a down season of trying to defend their OHL Championship on Tuesday afternoon.

Cam Gauvreau, Peterborough Petes defenceman signs autographs as finishes his Ontario Hockey League career with the team. pHOTO BY dAVID tUAN bUI.

Peterborough finished with a 20-40-8 record, trailing by 12 points of the last playoff spot behind the Barrie Colts with 60 points.

The Petes had an electric start to the season, being named the league's second-best team in the OHL Power Rankings during Week 8 (Nov. 20). They held a record of 12-3-4 during that time. Peterborough fell to Earth as they wound up with a 2-16 record before the Jan. 10 trade deadline.

Michael Oke, Petes general manager, traded away several players to rebuild the team for the future after the team’s slump.

He said he was willing to move in either direction at the deadline, depending on whether another title run was viable or whether it was time to rebuild the team based on their record.

“We felt it was in the best interest of ourselves and of the players that were absolutely unbelievable during last year's magical run to put them in a position to have some success and further along their OHL careers as they were coming to an end,” explained Oke in a prior interview. “At the same time, allow us to acquire some new players to come and retool for another championship run on our end.”

The following were the transactions Peterborough made before the trade deadline:

• Nico Addy (forward), Martin Matejicek (defenceman) and 2026 third-round pick from the Owen Sound Attack for Konnor Smith (defenceman) and Sam McCue (forward)

• A second-round pick in 2024, Soo’s third-round pick in 2027 and Ottawa’s fifth-round pick in 2027 from the Ottawa 67’s for Samuel Mayer (defenceman)

• Flint’s second-round pick in 2025, Guelph’s third-round pick in 2026 and Windsor’s fifth-round pick in 2027 from the Kingston Frontenacs for Jax Dubois (forward)

• Aiden Young (forward), Ottawa’s second-round pick in 2025, Saginaw’s second-round pick in 2027, and Mississauga’s third-round pick in 2026 from the Saginaw Spirit for Owen Beck (forward)

• Caden Taylor (forward) and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2027 from the Sudbury Wolves for Donovan McCoy (defenceman)

• Grayden Strohack (defenceman) from the Flint Firebirds for London’s third-round pick in 2025, a fourth-round pick and a fifth-round pick both in 2027

• William Haley (defenceman) from the Mississauga Steelheads for a conditional 15th-round pick in 2027

(FROM LEFT TO RIGHT) NICO ADDY, MARTIN MATEJICEK, AIDEN YOUNG, CADEN TAYLOR AND WILLIAM HALEY. (absent) GRAYDEN STROHACK. PHOTO BY DAVID TUAN BUI.

Addy was acquired by the Petes on Jan. 2, eight days before the trade deadline. He made an immediate impact, scoring in his home debut.

“Just getting that point and getting more regularly on the stat sheet feels amazing,” he explained. “It gives you a bit more confidence, that little bit of confidence, that you need to make certain plays happen.”

Addy was one of several young acquisitions to help rebuild the team's future. Coming off an OHL Championship last year, the former Owen Sound Attack said the team can be primed to win another title.

“The championship last year shows us how good and effective this team and organization is so I really trust the hands of them right now,” he said. “I know that if we do the right things, that every single one of us will have a really good shot at getting another championship.”

MELEE (LEFT) is the team’s 63RD CAPTAIN IN FRANCHISE HISTORY. PHOTO BY DAVID TUAN BUI.

When the team introduced its newest players to the public, they also introduced its new team leaders. Jonathan Melee was named the new team captain after his predecessor Donovan McCoy was traded.

Melee was obtained from the then-Hamilton Bulldogs with Alex Pharand and six draft picks for Mason McTavish on Jan. 9, 2022.

After three months of being the team’s newest leader, Melee has learned quickly and is ready to guide the Petes into the next season.

“Before this season, I wasn't the biggest talker in the room but being an older guy on the team, I kind of learned to have a voice in the room and all the young guys listen to the words that are coming out of my mouth,” he explained. “That's one of my goals is just be more talkative in the room and help out as much as I can. When I was their age, I was looking up to my captain and I was listening to every word that they would say so I'm just trying to be that guy for them and being a positive role model.”

PHOTO BY Samantha Bianco.

One player not returning to the team is overage defenceman Cam Gauvreau who played his last game as a Pete on Sunday. He was honoured at the team’s last home game on Thursday.

“It was very emotional for me, doing that last lap around the ice after the game,” he explained. “I'm definitely going to miss this place and it's kind of tough to swallow that was my last time I'll ever be on this ice for the Petes.”

On Jan. 10 last year, he was traded to the Petes from the Saginaw Spirit. In addition to Gauvreau, the Petes received Saginaw’s fourth-round pick and Windsor’s third-round pick in 2025 while trading defenceman James Guo and their last year’s sixth-round pick.

He was part of the OHL Championship team last year, with three assists in 19 playoff games. This memory will last forever for Gauvreau during his Peterborough tenure.

“There's nothing better to celebrate with the boys and have the city behind you too,” he said. “It was really awesome to see the City of Peterborough. We filled this arena every game and it was really special to see.”

The Hamilton-born defenceman is attending the University of Ottawa in the fall and will play for their hockey team, the Ottawa Gee-Gees.

The Petes are honouring its players and staff at their year-end banquet and awards at The Venue on Tuesday night.

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Innovation Cluster and BWXT Announce Collaboration to Highlight Clean Technology For the Future

In an effort to highlight clean technology for the future with the nuclear industry, Innovation Cluster and BWXT Nuclear Energy Canada (BWXT NEC) have begun a collaboration, announced at the former’s offices at the Venture North Building on Tuesday morning.

(form left to right) Mayor Jeff Leal; Janice Johnston, Constituency Assistant; Camila Duarte, Innovation Cluster executive director and Brett Jermyn, BWXT director of fuel handling and engineered solutions. BWXT NEC employs roughly 400 employees at its Peterborough location which has the largest workforce of its three locations in Ontario. PHOTO BY dAVID tUAN bUI.

Three goals were set from the collaboration:

1. Nuclear Energy: Communicating nuclear energy's benefits and addressing and transforming public perception.

2. Boost Local Employment: For BWXT NEC to create job opportunities within the nuclear industry. Local talent including students from Trent University and Fleming College and skilled professionals in our region are being sought.

3. Grow Economy Through Innovation: To fuel the local economy by combining innovative nuclear energy projects with job creation, promoting sustainable community development.

“Our collaboration with the Innovation Cluster highlights BWXT's commitment to innovation, local job creation, and deepening our relationships within Peterborough,” said Brett Jermyn, BWXT NEC director of fuel handling and engineered solutions. “We’re excited to be working with the organization and tapping into their expertise and network to further enable our nuclear innovations and support our community.”

“Collaborating with BWXT NEC is a transformative step for our region, underscoring the synergy between cleantech innovation and sustainable development,” said Camila Duarte, Innovation Cluster executive director. “This collaboration aligns with our mission to cultivate a thriving innovation ecosystem and shows how strategic relationships can accelerate progress in essential sectors like health tech, cleantech, and nuclear energy.”

With the collaboration, Innovation Cluster launched its Corporate Sponsorship initiative to ignite innovation through corporate partnerships. As a result of the union, BWXT has become a Zone Partner and has an office inside the Innovation Cluster’s downtown Peterborough Incubator.

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Nominations Sought For Class of 2024 Pathway of Fame; Deadline On April 30

The Pathway of Fame, Peterborough and District has opened their nominations to the public for inducting the class of 2024, announced on Tuesday.

THE PATHWAY OF FAME IS A GRASSROOTS, NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATION COMPRISED OF COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS. THE FIRST CLASS HONOURED WAS IN 1998. PHOTO BY DAVID TUAN BUI.

Nominations run until April 30 and submissions after the date will be considered for next year. They can be made for the following categories:

• Visual Arts

• Dramatic Arts

• Literary

• Entertainment/Musical

• Cultural Betterment

• Community Samaritan

• Community Builder

• Media

Nomination forms can be downloaded online or hard copies are available at Package Plus on Rink Street. The cost is $10 per nomination.

Those selected are vetted by a citizen’s committee appointed each year to review them and are recommended for induction by a Nominations Committee.

The inductees are honoured each September and hosted at Showplace Performance Center. Their names will be engraved onto individual granite markers permanently installed along the Pathway of Fame at Del Crary Park.

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