PETERBOROUGH, ON - The Peterborough Petes held their Year End Awards Banquet last night at the Trentwinds and to say it was a success might be considered an understatement.

Matt Puempel picked up four awards including Petes Rookie of the Year and Petes Most Valuable Player as voted on by his teammates.

Minus a captain for most of the year, Jack Walchessen was given the duty of delivering the captain's speech, and what a great job he did. Thanking all of the staff and the fans, Walchessen then thanked his teammates for pushing him to be better day in and day out.

The highlight of the night came when the Petes introduced a new tradition to the banquet. General Manager Dave Reid got up and introduced all fifteen draft picks that were selected on May 1st and Head Coach Mike Pelino presented each of them with a jersey and a draft hat that to some was the biggest honour in their life.

"I couldn't wait to put the jersey on," stated Steve Pierog, a member of the Guelph Jr. Storm selected in the eleventh round.

Other award winners from last night include:

Top Defenceman - Chris Breen

Most Improved - Jack Walchessen

Off-ice Contribution - Trevor Eves

Most Dedicated - Jack Walchessen

Three Star Award - Matt Puempel

Hardest Working Pete - Chris Breen

Most Sportsmanlike - Ryan Spooner

Special Recognition for Service to the Organization - Gord Gibb

Combining Hockey and Scholastics - Matt Puempel

Leading Scorer - Pat Daley

PETERBOROUGH, ON - It didn't take long for new General Manager Dave Reid to make an impact on the Peterborough Petes organization. Mere days after being announced as the new General Manager of the hockey club, Reid announced the new coaching staff that will change the image of the Petes forever.

The coaching staff consists of experience, a word Reid used several times at last night's Year End Banquet at the Trentwinds.

"Head coach Mike Pelino brings a wealth of knowledge," Reid stated last night. Some would even say that is an understatement. With eleven gold medals in tournaments such as the 2002 Olympics, the World Junior Championship, the Spengler Cup, the World Championship, and the Under 18 Championship to go along with his experiences with the New York Rangers and the Florida Panthers, Pelino has had his fair share of experience.

The assistant coaches meet that same criteria as well. Jody Hull, a Petes alumni who is making his second appearance with the maroon and white, appeared in 831 games in the National Hockey League with the Hartford Whalers, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, Florida Panthers, New York Islanders, and the Philadelphia Flyers.

Ron Tugnutt, a familiar name around Peterborough and also a Petes alumni, played in 537 career National Hockey League games with the Quebec Nordiques, Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Ducks, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins, Columbus Blue Jackets, and the Dallas Stars.

Wayne Clark is also a familiar name around town. Wayne has been the head coach of the Major Midget Peterborough Petes for the past four seasons as well as being a scout for the Ottawa 67's this past season.

"I will bring a championship to Peterborough," Reid went on to say. "I don't want to call this an opportunity because an opportunity is a stepping stone to something bigger. I don't want to be the GM of an NHL team, I want to be the General Manager of the Peterborough Petes for the rest of my life."

PETERBOROUGH, ON - The Ontario Hockey League draft is underway this morning and the Peterborough Petes had seventh overall selection. With the seventh overall pick, the Petes selected Slater Koekkoek from the Notre Dame Hounds. At 6'02, 190 pounds, Koekkoek will add some much needed size to the Petes blueline.

With the seventh pick in the second round, twenty-eighth overall, the Petes selected Connor Boland from the Whitby Wildcats. He weighs in at 6'02, 170 pounds and also plays on the back end.

Stay tuned throughout the day for periodic updates as the Ontario Hockey League's Priority Selection draft continues.

PETERBOROUGH, ON - The Ontario Hockey League announced today that Peterborough Petes' rookie forward Matt Puempel has received the Emms Family Award for the league's Rookie of the Year honours. Matt becomes just the second member of the maroon and white to receive this honour.

Puempel, a native of Essex, ON, scored a franchise record thirty-three goals to go along with his thirty-one assists for a total of sixty-four points and forty-three penalty minutes in just fifty-nine games this season. He also represented Ontario at the World Under 17 Championships in Timmins, ON from December 28th, 2009 to January 4th, 2010.

Don't miss out on your chance to watch Matt build on his rookie season when he returns to the maroon and white next season.