Petes still hold out hope of swaying Cuylle to play

The Peterborough Petes still hold out hope they can convince firstround draft pick Will Cuylle to give the OHL team a chance.

Cuylle announced by Twitter on Tuesday he’s committed to play NCAA Division 1 hockey with Penn State University’s Nittany Lions.

This came after he advised the Petes he wouldn’t report to Peterborough prior to the OHL draft and they selected him any way at third overall.

Petes GM Mike Oke said he talked last week with Cuylle’s adviser, Jeff Jackson of The Orr Group, about scheduling a meeting with the family to introduce them to new Petes head coach Rob Wilson.

Oke said he hasn’t talked to Jackson since then but he’s hopeful that meeting with still take place. No date has been set.

“Jeff indicated he would speak with the family and follow up with us,” Oke said.

“We still have a great deal of interest in Will joining the Petes and feel we are a great fit for him from a hockey standpoint to help him to continue to develop his skills and help him pursue his aspirations to become a professional hockey player at the NHL level. At the same time, I think we can provide an excellent opportunity for Will to continues his studies and achieve great things academically.”

Wilson said he’s confident he can offer Cuylle an attractive option for his development.

“I’d like to be able to explain to him what we believe is the best path for him to take,” Wilson said. “I really believe the program we are setting up here is going to be very beneficial to him.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for him because he and I are both starting together fresh. I think he can be a big part of what is happening here. He’d get a lot of teaching and I think he’d develop a lot here. We have things in place for skills and he’ll be given the opportunity to improve his skills.

“The community of Peterborough is outstanding and that’s why a lot of players move here. I know my parents were very happy when I came here because It’s such a great community.”

If Cuylle doesn’t report to the Petes, Peterborough has two options to get a compensatory first-round draft pick next year.

They could trade Cuylle to another OHL team, in exchange for draft picks, and also get the fifth overall pick in next year’s draft. They could also relinquish Cuylle’s rights next spring before the draft and get the No. 5 pick but it would also allow Cuylle to re-enter the draft.

His commitment to Penn State would appear to make a trade more difficult.

“It’s not even an option we’ve really considered, quite frankly,” Oke said.

Cuylle, 16, had 62 points in 45 games with the Toronto Marlboros minor midgets last season. The 6’3”, 201-pound forward won’t be able to join Penn State until 2020-21. Oke said he’s not aware of what team Cuylle intends to play with this fall.

Jackson did not return calls seeking comment.