Game Preview: Saginaw Spirit at Peterborough Petes
OHL Saginaw Spirit

Game Preview: Saginaw Spirit at Peterborough Petes

Published on January 22, 2026 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release


Peterborough, Ont. - The Saginaw Spirit (16-20-3-4) continue on their six-game road trip, meeting the Peterborough Petes (24-16-1-2) for the first time this season at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Thursday night.

Today's Game:

Puck drop is at 7:05 pm.

Broadcast:

Radio: 100.5 FM WSGW, WSGW.com

TV: FloHockey

Last Game:

The Spirit are coming off a 6-1 victory over the Erie Otters on Saturday night. Nikita Klepov, Egor Barabanov, Dima Zhilkin, and Carson Harmer all finished the game with multi-point nights. Klepov led the way with a four-point night (1G-3A). Stepan Shurygin earned second-star honors after posting a career-best 41 saves.

The Petes are looking to get back to winning ways after falling 5-2 to the Ottawa 67's on Sunday, going 1-2-0-0 in a three-game weekend. Braydon McCallum and Kieron Walton were the lone scorers for the Petes while Masen Johnston made 41 saves.

This Season:

This marks the first of two meetings between the Spirit and the Petes this season, the second coming at the Dow later in February.

Peterborough took both victories against the Spirit in 2024-2025. Most recently, the Petes took an 8-6 win at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on January 23rd, 2025.

Players to Watch:

Nikita Klepov earned the OHL Rookie of the Week honors for the third time this season, after his six-point weekend (2G-4A). Klepov was also named the Cogeco OHL Player of the Week and has moved up to fourth in the league and second amongst rookies with 56 points (25G-31A). He is currently riding a four-game scoring streak dating back to January 9th, with nine points (3G-6A).

Carson Harmer continues on his hot streak, having scored in seven straight games and owning the third-highest active point streak amongst all OHL players coming into Thursday's game. In seven games, Harmer has scored 11 points (2G-9A). After tallying two helpers against Erie, Harmer surpassed his longest scoring streak from his rookie season (six games).

Saginaw's NHL Drafted Players: Jacob Cloutier (WPG)

Kieron Walton is Peterborough's leading scorer and sits second amongst all OHL skaters with 58 points (28G-30A). He was traded to the Petes from the Sudbury Wolves on January 9th and has been on a hot streak since. In four games with Peterborough, he has scored six points (4G-2A), scoring a goal in every game he has played as a Pete.

Adam Novotný combined for four points last weekend, fresh off a two-goal performance at the Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game, where he was named the Team East Player of the Game. In his first OHL season, he sits second on the team with 40 points (21G-19A). Novotný was the 12th ranked North American skater available in the 2026 NHL Draft by NHL Central Scouting's midterm rankings.

Peterborough's NHL Drafted Players: Kieron Walton (WPG)

Check out the Saginaw Spirit Statistics

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from January 22, 2026


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