Jacob Panetta is no stranger to the Wellington Dukes.
The 29-year-old played nearly 160 regular season and playoff games for the county club between 2013 and 2016, where he amassed 84 points.
His hockey career took him to Colgate (NCAA), Jacksonville (ECHL), and last season to Denmark.
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Jacob Panetta #12 of the Wellington Dukes celebrates. (Photo by Ed McPherson / OJHL Images)
In the off-season he was hired as the new coach and general manager of the Wellington Dukes following the departure of Kent Lewis.
He says it is great that what is old is new again.
“Super exciting and a really good experience for me. Hockey’s been such a big part of my life, so it’s nice to transition from a playing career into a coaching and general manager career. Being able to stay in the game that way.”
He says there has been a lot to take in this summer.
“Two and a half months or so since I took the job, it’s been a massive learning curve, seeing a different side of the game. When I was back playing at home for the summer, you’re off training and skating and you show up for training camp and everything’s sorted through already. Now I’m getting a good look at how a team’s made and how an organization is run in the off-season.”
He says some of the returning players include Sacha Trudel, Quinn McNamara, Cole Ellis, Vince Albanese, Zach Carrier, Zach Mascard, but Panetta adds that there have been others brought into the fold.
“Through some trades in the league, I’ve been able to bring back a few guys that were there for parts of last season. So we’ve got a good chunk of returners, few on the back end but more forwards that we’re looking to have as our core this year.”
Training camp beings Thursday, August 21 and it is open to the public.
Players are on the ice from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m, with the same schedule for Friday.
The afternoon sessions have inter-squad scrimmages.
There are two pre-season games
Saturday August 23 vs Trenton @ 6:30 p.m.
Sunday August 24 @ Trenton @ 6:30 p.m.
