Over the course of the offseason, Panthers General Manager Sean Meyers has been busy with a handful of new signings! Get to know the newest Panthers below:
Forwards
Travis Fortney – Born in 2008 standing tall at 6’1 and 165 pounds, Fortney spent last season as captain of the U18 Central Ontario Wolves where he notched 33 points in 39 games.
Keaton Legacy- The 2009 born, 6 foot, 172 pound product of Courtice, Ontario was selected in the 3rd Round of this year’s OHL U18 Priority Selection by the reigning Memorial Cup Champion Kitchener Rangers after tallying 31 points in 38 games with the U18 Whitby Wildcats.
Jeremiah D’Ornellas- After averaging more than a point per game with the U18 Ajax-Pickering Raiders in the 2024/25 season, D’Ornellas took his talents to the GOHL Cambridge Redhawks where he scored 16 points and won a Sutherland Cup title.
Carter Byrne- A 17 year old hometown product, Byrne stays close to home after putting up an impressive 38 points in 36 games with the Ajax Pickering Raiders.
Mateo Signoretti- A 3 time NOJHL champion with the Greater Sudbury Cubs scoring 35 points in 136 games, Signoretti transitions to the OJHL in his final year of junior hockey.
Hunter Vilanez- The Panthers most recent signing, the 5’11 185 pound product of Toronto scored 47 points in 50 games with the French River Rapids of the NOJHL where he earned 2nd All Rookie Team honours. He then transitioned to the GOHL suiting up last season for the Port Colbourne Sailors tallying another impressive 44 point total in 54 games played.
Defenseman
Matthew Marcoux- The towering 6 ‘1 defenceman born in 2009 has spent the last 4 seasons with the Whitby Wildcats AAA program serving as an assistant captain on last season’s U18 team where he totalled 14 points in 40 games, and played 3 AP games with the North York Rangers.
Dylan Orr- Born in the Nation’s Capital, Orr also stands at 6’1 and registered 95 points in 2 seasons at Stanstead Prep School. He was also drafted by the Kitchener Rangers in the 14th Round of the 2024 OHL Priority Selection.
Brayden Barkic- The 2010 product from Toronto, Ontario stands at 6 ‘2 amassed 15 points and a whopping 144 penalty minutes with the U16 Don Mills Flyers where he earned a Silver Medal at the OHL Cup. Barkic also played 3 games as an AP with the Panthers last season before he was selected in the 3rd Round, 58th overall by the Saginaw Spirit in this past OHL Priority Selection.
Goaltender
Jacob Gibbons- The towering 6 ‘5 netminder out of Whitby, Ontario was drafted in the 2nd Round of the 2022 OHL Draft where he played 2 seasons, splitting his time between the Erie Otters and Mississauga/Brampton Steelheads. Gibbons then played in the GOHL first with the Elmira Sugar Kings before being traded to the Caledonia Corvairs where he put up an impressive 0.925 save percentage.
Catch the newest members of the Pickering Panthers in preseason action starting August 24th!
Instagram and X- @panthersojhl | pickeringpanthers.ojhl.ca
