The Peterborough Petes have fired head coach Jody Hull.
Hull was relieved of his duties on Friday afternoon. Assistant coach Andrew Verner has been named the team’s interim head coach.
The Petes sit fourth in the OHL’s East Division and sixth overall in the Eastern Conference with a 16-20-2-1 record through 38 games.
“We’d like to thank Jody for his extensive service with the Peterborough Petes, and wish him the best of luck in his next endeavour,” stated Petes’ General Manager Mike Oke.
“His and his family’s commitment to our organization and this community should not be downplayed.”
Hull was named the head coach on Valentine’s Day in 2013 after starting as interim head coach two months earlier. He replaced Mike Pelino who was bench boss for two and a half seasons.
“Jody put a lot of time and energy into his time as a coach,” added Oke.
Through five seasons Hull had a regular season record of 167-147-7-23. The team only had 1 win in their last 10 games.
Hull led the Petes to the third round of the playoffs last year, the best finish for the club in 11 seasons.
However, in the off-season the team did not grant Hull a contract extension as he entered the final year of his three-year deal.
Hull, a native of Petrolia, Ont., played for the Petes from 1985-88 which led to a 16-year NHL career. He first joined the Petes as an assistant coach in 2005 and served during the 2005-06 and 2008-09 seasons. He left to join the Peterborough Liftlock Junior A Stars for two seasons prior to rejoining the OHL franchise in 2011.
Verner has been an assistant coach with the Petes since the start of the 2015-16 season. For two seasons prior he was the club’s goaltending coach.
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“It’s a very tough day – I consider Jody a dear friend,” Verner told CHEX News. “We all feel terrible about a real difficult decision”
The 45-year-old Verner played 17 years of pro hockey (including with the American Hockey League’s Cape Breton Oilers) and was a former Petes’ goalie from 1989-92. He has also worked as a goaltending consultant for Hockey Canada, the Austrian National Team, and the Peterborough Minor Hockey Council.
Verner, a Toronto native, lives in nearby Ennismore with his wife and children.
“Andrew has the knowledge and experience to step in and effectively lead our team as interim head coach,” said Oke.
“He has a solid understanding of the strengths and potential of our roster and will be able to navigate the team through this transition as we look to improve in the standings.”
The Petes’ next game is Saturday in Ottawa against the 67’s. They return home on Jan. 11 to play the Guelph Storm which includes assistant coach Jake Grimes, a former Petes’ assistant coach.
“It’s a bit of a reset button for everybody,” said Verner after Friday’s first practice in his new role. “Everyone starts one again. There’s no preconceived notions although myself and the staff know these guys well and know what they are capable of.
“We have to manage the lows and manage the highs and try to keep things a little more consistent – that’s our job as coaches to manage them as a group and manage them individually.”
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