The OHL’s summer trade freeze is officially over, and the Peterborough Petes are the first team to make a splash.
On Tuesday, the Petes organization announced that they have acquired forward Lucas Karmiris from the Brampton Steelheads, in exchange for goaltender Zach Bowen, a 2026 second-round pick (Owen Sound’s), a conditional 2027 third-round pick, and a 2029 fourth-round pick.
Karmiris, 18, recorded 35 points (13 goals, 22 assists) in 40 regular season games and was held without a point in six playoff games during the 2024-25 season. He missed time due to injuries, which ultimately affected his draft stock for the recent NHL draft.
The former 13th overall pick from the 2022 OHL Priority Selection sadly didn’t hear his name called this past June. But mark his name down as a player to watch who will be re-entering the draft in 2026. A right-shot center who plays a strong 200-foot game, is reliable in defensive situations, and has smart puck management can find a career at the professional level. Yes, Karmiris needs to elevate and become more of a driver offensively, but his defensive value ranks high.
Bowen, 20, is set to return for his fourth and final season in the OHL as a 2005-born. He held his own in the crease during his two-year tenure with the rebuilding Petes, struggling on some nights, but had to endure an onslaught of shots most nights.
Peterborough Petes Recruit Swiss Forward Yanis Lutz For The Upcoming Season
The <a href="https://chl.ca/ohl-petes/">Peterborough Petes</a> have signed a second import player this summer, leaving them with one remaining spot to recruit another European player for the 2025-26 season.
The 6-foot-2, 190-pound netminder recorded an 8-22-2-3 record with a 3.95 goals-against-average and a .893 save percentage. In the 37 games he played last year, Bowen faced fewer than 30 shots in a game only four times, not including the two games he was pulled. He faced 30+ shots on 29 occasions, 12 of which eclipsed the 40+ mark. He averaged 35.4 shots against per game, tying Owen Sound’s Carter George for the highest average.
Brampton got hit hard by the NCAA. Michigan State stole away their captain, Porter Martone, and they’ve also lost both their goaltenders — Jack Ivankovic to the University of Michigan and Brayden Gillespie to Union College.
The Steelheads get a much-needed goalie for the 2025-26 season, and one that will be able to handle a heavy workload if need be, but don’t expect the organization to be contending for a championship this season.
Peterborough on the other hand is looking to get out from the depths of the trenches. After two consecutive seasons of being a lottery team — one of which saw them land first-overall pick Kaden McGregor — GM Michael Oke has been active in the trade market to bring in some veteran presence.
Karmiris joins overage defenseman James Petrovski and overage forward Matthew Soto as newly acquired players to Peterborough.
The Petes appear to be heading in the right direction to be a more competitive team. However, they still have not signed their 2025 first-overall pick McGregor, and that should be next on Oke’s to-do list before training camps open up later this month.
5 OHL First-Round Draft Picks Remain Unsigned, Including The First Overall Pick
Training camps for the OHL are set to begin in about a month. Teams have been actively signing import players over the past two to three weeks. However, several teams have not yet signed their 2025 first-round draft picks, including two players from the top five.
(Top photo credit: Luke Durda/OHL Images)
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