Petes taking part in inaugural showcase in Buffalo
For decades the Peterborough Petes have followed virtually the same schedule for training camp and the start of pre-season games but that’s changing this year.
The Petes are one of six OHL teams participating in the inaugural year of a showcase event being held at the Buffalo HarborCenter Sept. 1-3. The Petes will play three pre-season games in three days in Buffalo as part of a showcase for scouts that will also feature eight American AAA elite U15 teams playing in a tournament at the HarborCenter on the same weekend.
As a result, the Petes will open their training camp on a Monday with fitness testing on Aug. 28 rather than their traditional midweek opening. They will also limit scrimmages to two days on Aug. 29-30 with morning and afternoon sessions while removing practices between scrimmages.
Petes’ head coach Jody Hull said the first practice will be held Thursday, Aug. 31 before departing for Buffalo to face the Erie Otters on Sept. 1 at 7:30 p.m., the Kitchener Rangers at 4 p.m. on Sept. 2 and the Windsor Spitfires at 4 p.m. on Sept. 3. The team will then have 12 days before their next pre-season game as the league shuts down games while players attend NHL rookie camps.
“I think it’s going to be good for our team because it incorporates a bit of a team-building environment right off the hop,” said Hull. “We’ll also play three teams we only play twice during the regular season so it’s another opportunity to see what the other conference is all about. They’ve done these tournaments in the western league a bunch of times with great success. It’s a matter of getting outside your comfort zone a little bit. We’re doing that this year.”
With 15 players expected to return this season and another eight already signed there aren’t many roster openings heading into camp so Hull said he expects they’ll cut down to between 24-28 players by the start of the showcase. About 54 will be invited to camp and split into three teams.
The Petes are expected to once again be among the contenders for an Eastern Conference title so Hull says a big focus of camp will be to hit the ground running.
“We’re going to be down to almost what our team is going to be give or take three or tour guys who will go to the showcase in Buffalo,” said Hull. “We want to start off on the right foot and be pushing right from the start and not wait to get our team going.”
Hull said they’ve decided to remove the practices from camp to put more focus on evaluating players in game situations. Rather than two teams playing full scrimmage games, all three will take turns playing each other in 30-minute games Tuesday morning and afternoon and Wednesday morning. The camp will be cut down to two teams for the annual Maroon and White game Wednesday tentatively set for 5:30 p.m.
“Each team will get eight periods of hockey to show what you’re all about,” said Hull. “At the end of the day, the players just want to play the games any ways.”
Also participating in the showcase are the Flint Firebirds and North Bay Battalion. The U15 showcase will feature the host Buffalo Jr. Sabres, Chicago Young Americans, Detroit Belle Tire, Ohio Blue Jackets, Amherst Knights, North Jersey Avalanche, Pittsburgh Pens Elite and St. Louis Jr. Blues.
Tickets can be purchased online including full weekend passes for $40 or single day admission for $20 at http://purchase.tickets. com/buy/TicketPurchase?orgid =46829&&agency=TDC&event_ val=17OHLSHOWCAS. All games of both the OHL and U15 showcase will be streamed live.