Peterborough Petes Acquire Vancouver Canucks Prospect Goaltender Aleksei Medvedev From London Knights

A long-awaited move has been completed, as the Peterborough Petes have acquired Vancouver Canucks prospect Aleksei Medvedev from the London Knights, the teams announced Friday.

Heading back the other way is three picks, including a 2028 second-rounder, 2027 third (SOO), and a 2030 fifth.

Medvedev, 19, was a second-round pick by the Canucks in the 2025 NHL draft. In three seasons with London, he's played in 80 combined regular season and playoff games, recording 42 wins in those contests.

Now, the 6-foot-3 goaltender will head to a Petes team in dire need of some help between the pipes. After starter Owen Nelson abruptly left the team in September to head to the NCAA early, Peterborough hasn't really been secure in goal, with Matthew Koporowski giving them some decent starts, while Masen Johnston has been inconsistent as the backup.

Medvedev gives them a ready-made starting goalie, and while his start in London this season hasn't been great with just a .891 save percentage, 3.43 goals-against average and a 3-3-2 record, there's still plenty of talent there. London's poor penalty kill and propensity to give up some big chances against this year hasn't helped those number, either.

“We’re very excited to welcome Aleksei to the Peterborough Petes,” GM Michael Oke said in a press release.

“Aleksei is one of the most experienced goaltenders in our league, having already signed his ELC with the Vancouver Canucks. He also brings valuable championship experience, having won both the J. Ross Robertson Cup and the Memorial Cup, as well as a number of individual accolades."

For London, this move corresponds with a trade back on Oct. 26 which saw them acquire Arvin Jaswal from the Barrie Colts. That deal left them crowded in the crease, and sparked rumours the Medvedev would be on the move.

While Jaswal is yet to play this season due to an offseason foot injury, the timing of this deal suggests he shouldn't be too far away. In the meantime, the Knights should be expected to lean on Brian Cooke, who sports a perfect 6-0-0 record in his starts this year.

The Petes are looking to climb the standings after a somewhat disappointing 8-10-0 record to start the year.

They sport a legitimately good offensive group, headlined by the dynamic Adam Novotny, who will already know Medvedev as they're both Canucks prospects. There's also the skilled Cooper Dennis, and some other solid forwards in Adam Levac, Leon Kolarik and Aiden Young.

Now, they have an experienced goaltender that should help settle the team down defensively, as they look to make their mark in a wide open Eastern conference.

Never want to miss out on any OHL news? Make sure to bookmark THN's OHL site.

Also follow @AustinReporting and @roryyarthur on X/Twitter for more updates.