GREAT NEWS out of the OHL!
The Peterborough Petes have traded 2026 Draft-eligible (and B-rated by CS) C Colin Fitzgerald to the Soo Greyhounds for six picks. Fitzgerald was a fixture in the late-first on most scouts' lists, but has been falling due to poor production- just 13 points in 24 games. Fitz was a first-round pick (3rd-overall) by the Petes in the 2024 OHL Priority draft, and is one of my favorites for the upcoming draft- he's a leader, a heart-and-soul player, and exerts an uncompromisingly hard and heavy game, amplified by his 6'3",211lb frame. He's also mobile and skilled though, and managed to post 28 points in 48 games last season for one of the worst clubs in the CHL. In the Hlinka, he was used in a checking role, due to his robust physicality, and his detailed defensive approach.
Not sure exactly what this move will do for him, as both clubs have identical 14-9-1-1 records, identical winning percentages (.600 %), and identical goals-for (88), although the Petes have allowed more goals (91, to the Soo's 78). Hopefully, he's a difference-maker for the Greyhounds, and hopefully they are a difference-maker for him as well. Love this kid!
In other OHL news, the North Bay Battalion have signed 7-foot-tall, 265lb D Alexander Karmanov, after securing his rights from the Brantford Titans of the GOHL. He was selected by North Bay in the third-round (137th-overall) of the 2025 CHL Import Draft. He's quite raw, but moves well (mostly because his stride is so long), and shoots hard, but only put up 7 points (68 PIM) in 15 games in a lower league. He is committed to Penn State for the 2027-28 season, and is eligible for the upcoming draft.
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