Erie, PA – An individual with a wealth of experience in the Ontario Hockey League will join the Erie Otters bench ahead of the 2023-24 season, as general manager Dave Brown formally announced the hiring of Ken Peroff as the team’s assistant coach on Monday.
A 33-year-old native of North Bay, Ont., Peroff joins the Otters staff after most-recently serving as head coach the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Hamilton Kilty B’s – his second stint with the organization. The 2022-23 season in Hamilton was Peroff’s third cumulative season as a head coach in the GOJHL, where he’d previously been named the league’s Coach of the Year award-winner in the 2017-18, and 2018-19 seasons respectively. In the latest season in Hamilton, Coach Peroff lead his Kilty B’s to a 38-7-5 record, a Golden Horseshoe Conference Championship, and a third-place finish in the Sutherland Cup Tournament.
“I’m very excited to join the team.” said Peroff. “I think the players here will find me very passionate, relatable, and committed to helping them achieve their goals of playing hockey professionally.”
Coach Peroff is no stranger to the OHL, on or off the ice. A defenseman for the Brampton Battalion from 2006-10 – under Otters’ head coach Stan Butler, Peroff appeared in nearly 250 OHL regular season games with 75 points (15-60-74), as well as 39 post-season games with 14 points (3-11-14). In his penultimate season in Brampton, Peroff helped the Battalion capture the Bobby Orr Trophy as Eastern Conference Champions. On the coaching side of the League, Peroff served as the Guelph Storm’s assistant coach during the 2019-20 season.
“Ken has vast experience coaching in junior hockey.” said Brown. “I first noticed his body of work while he was working with Guelph, and then with the Hamilton Kilty B’s where he has, on two different occasions, achieved success through a model based on development and a passionate work ethic.”
Following his OHL career, Peroff attended the University of Guelph and played four seasons of U Sports hockey with the Gryphons. Twice he was recognized as an OUA West First-Team All-Star, and in 2013-14 was named the OUA West Defenseman of the Year. Coach Butler spoke highly of his former player, and how his qualities as a player have translated to his coaching style.
“There is a lot of familiarity between Ken and I. He played for me for four years, and scouted with me after his playing career came to a close. He always worked extremely hard in practice, and gave it his all in games. A lot of his attributes are things I hope he can pass on to the players.” said Butler. “With three very young defenseman on our team for next season, I thought it was important for us to bring in a guy that’s played defense in the OHL, and was an all-Canadian defenseman at the University of Guelph to work with our guys.”
Brown echoed the sentiments of the coach’s abilities as a player and a leader – on and off the ice.
“Ken was an honest player who brought integrity, leadership, and unparalleled compete every night. He expects no less of his players, and he exhibited the ability to communicate, develop, and get his players to perform with the same level of intensity he coaches with every game.” said Brown. “It’s no fluke the Kilty B’s were the Golden Horseshoe [Conference] champions in the 2022-23 season, and his work ethic and passion will no doubt fit perfectly in Erie while working with our defense.”
For Peroff, the opportunity to be part of a team with such history in its locker room and as an organization comes as a great thrill.
“I’ve known Stan Butler for a long time, and look forward to working with him alongside Dave Brown, [assistant coach] Wes Wolfe, and the rest of the hockey operations department here in Erie with the shared goal of pursuing a championship.” said Peroff. “To the fans, I’m excited to meet you, and I’m very excited about the times ahead for the organization. My family and I are incredibly proud to join the Otters and become part of the Erie community. I look forward to seeing you all in September.”
The Erie Otters are excited to welcome assistant coach Ken Peroff to the organization, and to see his work in developing the defense ahead of the 2023-24 season.
