Peterborough Selected to Host 2026 TELUS Cup National Club Championship

The Electric City has been selected to host the 2026 Telus Cup, Canada’s National Under-18 Men’s Club Championship, announced by Hockey Canada at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Wednesday.

Members of Peterborough Minor Petes team and staff, City Council and more with the official logo for the Telus Cup for 2026 in the middle of the Peterborough Memorial Centre’s rink. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The Telus Cup runs from April 20 to 26 next year with all games at the Peterborough Memorial Centre. The event has six elite men’s U18 teams from across the nation battling for the title. The host Peterborough Minor Petes are making their national championship debut in the tournament.

“This is the most exciting hockey moment for our community since we hosted the Memorial Cup in 1996,” said Mayor Jeff Leal. “In Peterborough, hockey is more than a game, it is part of our identity. The TELUS Cup is an incredible chance to cheer on the future stars of the sport, showcase our facilities and the home of the legendary Peterborough Petes, and celebrate everything that makes Peterborough an unforgettable destination not only for youth hockey, but also for active family fun.”

The successful bid was led by Peterborough Tourism, the City’s destination marketing program, with the support and partnership of the community including the Ontario Hockey Federation, Peterborough Minor Hockey Council, local tourism business operators and organizations and the Peterborough Petes. The City expects the event to generate more than 1,200 total room nights and over $1 million in economic impact, boosting hotels, restaurants, shops and local attractions during the tournament week.

“Hosting premier hockey events takes a tremendous effort from everyone in the chosen communities,” said Dean McIntosh, senior vice president, revenue, fan experience and community impact. “From volunteers, sponsors and the fans, Canadians from coast to coast step up every year to help grow the game of hockey and provide lifelong memories for these athletes.”

(From Left to right) Lucy Christie, 10; Mason Scollard, 12; Cale Christie, 12; Emmett Scollard, 10 and Isaac Cavanagh, 11. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

As the oldest continuously operating franchise in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), the Peterborough Petes have produced over 175 NHL players, including Steve Yzerman, Chris Pronger, Larry Murphy and Bob Gainey. The city has also hosted high-profile events, including the 1996 Memorial Cup and six Mann Cup lacrosse championships between 2004 and 2022.

“Hosting the TELUS Cup is an amazing opportunity for the Peterborough Community and the Peterborough Minor Hockey Council,” said Michael Oke, general manager and vice president of operations. “The Men’s U18 National Club Championship has hosted a number of big names over the years, including Petes alumni like Steve Yzerman, Larry Murphy, Luke Richardson, and Slater Koekkoek to name a few. This is also a great opportunity for the Peterborough Petes and the U18 Petes to showcase our partnership on a national stage.”

The 2025 TELUS Cup is being held in Chilliwack, B.C. Dieppe, N.B. was also announced as the host location for the 2026 Esso Cup.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, Youtube and LinkedIn. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for our newsletter here.

Hometown PTBO: Peterborough Petes In-Game Host Hannah Elliott of Her Timeline With the Team and Hockey

This week on Hometown PTBO, David Tuan Bui talks with Peterborough Petes in-game host Hannah Elliott about her timeline working with the team, interacting with fans and growing up a hockey lover despite not playing the sport.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, Youtube and LinkedIn. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for our newsletter here.

U16 and U18 AAA Peterborough Petes Victorious In Opening Games For the Steve Richey Tournament Hockey Championship

The U16 and U18 AAA Peterborough Petes kicked off their Steve Richey Tournament Hockey Championship with tallies in the win columns on Thursday.

U16 PETERBOROUGH PETES AAA centreman Garrett Jones (left) makes a tip-in goal to make it 2-0 against the U16 Markham Majors to kick off the Steve Richey Memorial Tournament of Champions. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The U16 Petes dominated the U16 Markham Majors in a 6-3 win at the Healthy Planet Arena.

Peterborough opened the game with five straight goals as Dean Sheridan, Garrett Jones, Keaton Legacy, Nathan White and Lucas Cavanaugh scored.

Markham scored their first goal in the final minute of the second period.

Peterborough scored once more in the third, thanks to Joseph Gallagher, to make it 6-1. Markham scored twice more, but Peterborough easily hung on for the 6-3 win.

The U16 Petes remained undefeated, defeating the U16 Chatham-Kent Cyclones 2-1 at the Healthy Planet Arena Friday morning for a 2-0 record. They will play a second game on the same day against the U16 Elgin-Middlesex Canucks at the Peterborough Memorial Centre at 6:30 p.m.

All photos by David Tuan Bui.

The U18 Petes won a close game against the U18 New Liskeard Cubs, 2-1, at the Miskin Law Community Complex on Thursday evening.

Rowan Turner opened the Petes early in the first period for a 1-0 lead.

In the second, the Cubs scored on the powerplay to tie it at one for the period’s only score.

Petes captain Cameron Meek broke the tie late in the third with just over five minutes left to make it 2-1. That would be the game-winning goal, and the U18 Petes would have their first win of the tournament.

The U18 team battled the U18 York Simcoe Express to a 2-2 tie at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Friday morning. The result gave Peterborough a 1-0-1 record.

The Petes will play against the U18 Burlington Eagles at the Peterborough Memorial Center at 8:15 p.m.

The event is a showcase tournament for the AAA-level U16 and U18 players. Several hockey scouts are in attendance for the event. Many players are already OHL prospects, while others may have been overlooked or attempting to make a good impression to potentially be drafted.

Almost 60 teams are competing in the tournament. It runs for four days, from Thursday until Sunday. Semifinals and finals occur on the Sunday.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

Photos: U11 Collingwood Blues Win 'Chris Fee Cup' From Host U11 Peterborough Petes to Kick Off 64th Liftlock U11 Hockey Tournament

The Chris Fee Cup goes to the Collingwood Jr. Blues U11A, shutting out the host Peterborough Petes U11A team, 3-0 to open the 65th Liftlock U11 Hockey Tournament at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Friday morning.

All Photos by David Tuan Bui.

The cup is a feature opening game against a visiting team against the host Petes team since 1997.

Will Whiteley, Ellis Cox and Benner Leal scored for Collingwood to shut out the Petes 3-0 to capture the 2025 Chris Fee Cup.

The tournament features 64 teams in seven divisions.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, Youtube and LinkedIn. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for our newsletter here.

65th Annual Liftlock U11 Hockey Tournament Kicks Off Friday In Three-Day Event

A continued Peterborough hockey tradition lives on as the 65th-Annual Liftlock U11 Hockey Tournament faces off starting Friday, announced at the Peterborough & District Sports Hall of Fame on Wednesday night.

(From left to right) John Whiston, Scott McMichael, Paul Buchner and Bill Byrd were the recipients of the Don McCrory Referee’s Award, Steve Casey Award and Frank Lustic Award (two winners) respectively. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The three-day event starts Friday, with opening ceremonies for house league and rep divisions at the Peterborough Memorial Centre (PMC). YourTV Cogeco is broadcasting the first two opening games for house and rep divisions.

The broadcasted games are the PHA 3 Orange Crush facing the Apsley Flames for the house league opening game at 9:30 a.m. Friday. The other is the Peterborough Petes U11 battling against the Collingwood Jr. Blues U11 at 10:45 a.m. in the rep league opening game, also known as the Chris Fee Cup. It pits the host Peterborough team against the visiting squad.

This year features 64 teams from throughout the province with seven divisions.

Tournament chairman Wally Moore says he is happy to continue seeing a long-standing hockey tradition in Peterborough that has run through several generations.

“We've had so many local kids play over the years. My kids played in it, practically everyone's kids have played in it at one point,” he explained. “This town is a sports town and for hockey, they really get behind it. It's generations through generations. It's grandparents that used to run it, then their sons run it then their grandkids run it. It's a family affair.”

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

A cheque presentation of $2,500 was also donated to the Ennismore Inclusive Playground Project (Jude’s Joy) as the chosen beneficiary, as the tournament supports a local charity or more annually.

Several awards were distributed ahead of the opening ceremonies recognizing some volunteers for their contributions to the tournament over the years:

• Don McCrory Referee’s Award for exemplifying McCrory’s dedication to officiating - John Whiston

• Steve Casey Award for a volunteer going the extra mile to contributing to the tournament’s success – Scott McMichael

• Frank Lustic Award for exemplifying all Lustic’s qualities who volunteered for over 25 years in minor sports – Paul Buchner and Bill Byrd

The announcement also paid homage to longtime tournament volunteer Steve Casey, who passed away last year on June 6 at Hospice Peterborough.

He helped for over 50 years of the tournament and was the chairman for 26 years from 1986 to 2012.

“Steve was dedicated to this tournament,” explained Moore. “We're fellow GE workers so there's a lot of us still involved because Steve would recruit each of us year to year. He did a wonderful job.”

The City’s Peterborough Civic Awards is renaming its Adult Athlete of the Year Award to the Steve Casey Award in his honour.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

U15 AAA Peterborough Petes Capture Hamilton Steel Classic Championship In Undefeated Run

The U15 AAA Peterborough Petes went undefeated to capture the 32nd-annual Hamilton Steel Classic Championship at the Chedoke Twin Pad Arena in Hamilton on Sunday.

(Left to right) Front row: Tyson Hawley, Blake Brioux, Taytem Adams, Cole Roberts, Matty Colling, Landen white and Liam Williams, 

Back row: Brock Davis, Kevin Sparling, Lynn Todd, Cooper poskin, Taymon browne, Kalum Phillips, Hannu Packalen, Gage cooper Bailey, Lucas McIntyre, Prestin Allen, Colton Adams, Kotter Grove, Joey Gusso, Reid Cameron, Joe hawley and Dan Robertson. Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Minor Petes.

The three-day tournament saw the Petes begin the qualifying rounds, beating the Waterloo Wolves 4-2 and 6-1 over the Soo Jr. Greyhounds. On Saturday, they played two more qualifiers, defeating Sun County Panthers 4-1 and North York Rangers, 5-2.

On Sunday. the Petes had a rematch against the Panthers in the quarterfinals. Peterborough had some late-game heroics as Peterborough was down 2-0 late in the third. They scored with 2:04 left in regulation to cut the deficit to one. In a last gasp, the Petes scored with 2.7 seconds left to send the game to overtime. Colton Adams was the hero for Peterborough with a walk-off goal with 91 seconds left on the clock to advance to the semifinals.,

In the next game, Peterborough defeated the host Hamilton Steel team 2-1, with Kalum Phillips scoring the game-winning goal to advance to the finals.

The finals were a battle of the undefeated as Peterborough faced the North Central Predators. The game came down to a shootout after a 1-1 score and saw Petes’s Blake Brioux score the eventual winner to seal the championship. Landon White was named the game MVP for the Petes.

After two and a half months, the U15 Petes have a 31-4-1 record including pre-season, league play, and two tournament titles.

The U15 Petes host the Ajax-Pickering Raiders at the Healthy Planet Arena at the Sign-a-Fied Pad. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:15 p.m.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, Youtube and LinkedIn. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for our newsletter here.

Hometown PTBO: Peterborough Petes Goaltender Easton Rye Snagging His First Home Win of the Season

This week on Hometown PTBO, David Tuan Bui talks with Peterborough Petes goaltender Easton Rye about earning his first home win of the season, his life after being drafted in the OHL and looking ahead to the team's future.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, Youtube and LinkedIn. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for our newsletter here.

Peterborough Petes Forward Named Alternate Captain For 2024 U17 World Challenge

Peterborough Petes forward Colin Fitzgerald was named as an alternate captain for Canada Red at the 2024 U17 World Challenge from Nov. 3 to 9 at the Progressive Auto Sales Arena in Sarnia.

Alessandro Di Iorio, Sarnia Sting forward (left); Landon DuPont, Everett Silvertips defenceman (middle) and Colin Fitzgerald (right) named as captains for Canada Red. Photo courtesy of Hockey Canada.

He was named one of the alternate captains alongside Alessandro Di Iorio, Sarnia Sting forward as the other alternate and Landon DuPont, Everett Silvertips defenceman as captain.

They were named to their respective leadership roles before the puck drop against Finland which the Canadians won 3-1 on Sunday.

“(Wearing the Canadian jersey) is something that I have dreamt of ever since I was a little kid,” explained Fitzgerald. “I have watched pretty much every event that Canadian teams have played in and to see (the Maple Leaf) on my chest makes me very proud knowing that I am representing my family here. I am the first person in my family to play for Team Canada so I am very honoured and hopefully I can keep wearing [the Canadian jersey] in the future.”

Fellow Pete Blake Gowan joined Fitzgerald for Canada Red.

“We’re very excited for Colin and Blake,” said Michael Oke, general manager and vice president of operations in a prior interview. “This is a great opportunity for them to play with the top talent in their age group from around the world. We’re looking forward to watching them both represent their country as they compete for gold.”

In 12 games with the Petes in his rookie campaign, Fitzgerald has four goals and three assists for seven points.

The Peterborough native was selected by the Petes in the first round, third overall of the 2024 OHL Priority Selection. Last season, he played 34 games with the U16 Peterborough Petes scoring 39 goals and adding 25 assists for 64 points. In eight playoff games, he scored 13 times and added eight assists, helping the Petes to the OMHA Championships and the 2024 OHL Cup.

In six OHL Cup games, the 6’1”, 174 lbs centre finished tied for the tournament lead in scoring with eight goals and five assists for 13 points, leading the Petes to a semi-final finish and being named to the All-Star team.

Canada Red plays the United States on Monday night at 7:30 p.m.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, Youtube and LinkedIn. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for our newsletter here.

Peterborough Petes Still Searching For First Win After 2-1 Shootout Loss to Niagara IceDogs

The Petes are still searching for their first win as they fell to the Central Division-leading Niagara IceDogs in a 2-1 shootout loss at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Tuesday night.

Photo courtesy of Kenneth Andersen and the Peterborough Petes.

The scoring did not start until the final minute of the first period. Ethan Czata was able to jam the puck, which was caught in Petes’ goaltender Zach Bowen’s pad, to make it 1-0 for Niagara.

Peterborough retaliated over halfway through the second period. The Petes intercepted the puck in the neutral zone and immediately had an odd-man rush. The puck was passed to Brennan Faulkner and he beat the IceDogs goalie short side for his first career OHL goal and a 1-1 tie.

With no goals in the third period and overtime, the game had to be decided on a shootout.

Shootout results:

• PBO - Caden Taylor (No Goal)

• NIAG - Kevin He (No Goal)

• PBO - Nico Addy (No Goal)

• NIAG - Andrei Loshko (No Goal)

• PBO - Jonathan Melee (No Goal)

• NIAG - Ryan Roobroeck (Goal)*

*denotes game-winning goal

The Petes hit the road to Kingston to take on the Frontenacs on Friday at Slush Pippie Place at 7 p.m.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, Youtube and LinkedIn. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for our newsletter here.

Peterborough Petes Remain Winless After Weekend Games

After ten games, the Peterborough Petes remain as the only team in the Ontario Hockey League without a win as they took losses from the Brantford Bulldogs and Oshawa Generals over the weekend.

Photo courtesy of Goodall Media and the Peterborough Petes.

The Petes picked up a point but suffered a 4-3 loss in a shootout to the Bulldogs at the Brantford Civic Centre on Saturday.

Liam Ladds scored his first career OHL goal while Ryder McIntyre and Chase Lefebvre each tallied a goal. Nico Addy, Grayden Strohack, Brennan Faulkner, Aiden Young, Caden Taylor and Francis Parish all had assists. Zach Bowen started his eighth game of the season, stopping 35 of 38 shots in the game.

Peterborough took their second weekend loss to the Generals, 7-5 at Tribute Communities Centre on Sunday night.

Aiden Young got his first career OHL hat trick, while Colin Fitzgerald scored and had an assist. Francis Parish had a night, scoring his first OHL goal. Martin Matejicek and Carson Cameron had two assists each, while Grayden Strohack, Nico Addy and Matthew Jenken also had helpers.

The Petes return home to take on the Niagara IceDogs for the Halloween Game at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Tuesday. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, Youtube and LinkedIn. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for our newsletter here.