Petes Re-sign Coaches Verner, Walser, O’Connor & Bucholtz – Ontario Hockey League

 

Peterborough, Ont. – General Manager Michael Oke announced today that Associate Coach Andrew Verner, Assistant Coach Derrick Walser, Assistant Coach Patrick O’Connor, and Video Coach Noah Bucholtz have re-signed with the organization.

Verner – who joined the organization as a coach in 2014 – is attributed with leading the Petes’ penalty kill, which was ranked second in the OHL during the 2019-20 season. The Petes alumnus also oversees all aspects of goalie development.

“I’m really happy to be back with a strong group of coaches,” said Verner. “It’s been a lot of fun working with them and learning from them. We’re a tight group and I think that will resonate with the players. We look forward to having a competitive group in the fall and building off of last season’s success.”

Since being appointed assistant coach prior to the 2017-18 season, Walser has improved the Petes’ power play rank from 9th to 4th overall in the OHL in three seasons and is celebrated for developing the Petes defensive core. 

“Having an opportunity to come back to finish something that was cut short was something really high on my list,” said Walser. “Looking at our group and our staff, we’ve got a lot of great pieces and I’m excited about the future. My family and I enjoy living in Peterborough and we have developed roots in this community, so we’re excited to be here.”

O’Connor joined the Petes as an assistant coach prior to the 2019-20 season. The England native served as the eye-in-the-sky coach last season during games, and managed day-to-day communication with the players, while assisting with their off-ice fitness.

“It was a very disappointing end to the season due to COVID-19, but I’m excited to be back,” O’Connor said. “It was a learning curve for me to see how the team and the OHL operates. The coaching staff is very close and we’ve spent a lot of time behind the scenes getting ready for the season, so we have high expectations of our players. I would like to thank Mike and the Board of Directors for giving me this opportunity.”

Bucholtz is responsible for editing game films to assist the coaching staff in scouting opponents and analyzing tactics and systems. Prior to joining the team in a full-time capacity, he spent three seasons as the video coordinator. Bucholtz was selected as a video coach for Team Canada at the 2019 and 2020 World U17 Hockey Challenge.

“I’m really excited to get back into the rink and see familiar faces while getting acquainted with a lot of new faces,” stated Bucholtz. “I will continue to do extensive training with the players and help out the coaches to bring another championship to Peterborough.”

“All of our coaches have done an outstanding job,” expressed Head Coach Rob Wilson who signed a three-year contract extension in March. “This group has done a terrific job on the power play, penalty kill, and developing players. These guys have a great work ethic and we get along really well, you add Paddy and Noah in the mix and it’s an outstanding group.”

“We are really excited to have the entire coaching staff back,” said Oke. “They have developed great chemistry with one another, and they compliment each other’s skill set extremely well. As a group they have done an outstanding job with individual player development and implementing an exciting and aggressive style of play.”