The Petes come into the new season with a somewhat refreshed roster build around one big star.
The Peterborough Petes had their best season in a little bit in 2025-26, but that really only culminated in a first-round playoff exit at the hands of the North Bay Battalion.
Now, a few pieces have moved on, and while there hasn't been a huge amount of movement in terms of replacing those pieces, it does appear the Petes will keep one of their biggest import stars for his draft-plus-one season.
That would be Adam Novotny, the Vancouver Canucks first-rounder, who burst onto the scene with 34 goals and 65 points in 58 games as a rookie, good for second on Peterborough in scoring.
Adam Novotny will hope to be one of the very best forwards in the OHL this season. (Photo: Robert Lefebvre/OHL Images)With some of their other top scorers from last season departing, such as rental Kieron Walton, Matthew Soto and Brennan Faulkner, it'll be up to the returners to really take another step.
On top of Novotny, that means guys like Aiden Young and Adam Levac will be tasked with big-time roles, while veterans like trade acquisition Lucas Karmiris and holdover Brayden McCallum will be elevated as well.
Speaking of new additions, Cooper Dennis is likely the sparkliest of those. The 5-foot-6 forward is coming off a 74-point season with Brantford, and will give the top-six some much-needed skill and speed.
Leon Kolarik rounds out the import group alongside Novotny and Yanis Lutz, while the battle in goal will seemingly be between Owen Nelson and Masen Johnston.
In full, this Petes team has a few question marks around them, but has some legitimate high-powered scoring up front. We'll see how far that can take them.
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