A New Constellation of Stars

A few star formations have occurred in St. Thomas, as signing day has brought some new faces to the St. Thomas Stars roster.

Management was left with a lot of decisions to make at the end of last season, and they certainly have been busy. The Stars announced their new coaching staff just over a week ago, galvanizing Stars fans with the news. In case you missed it, here’s a quick update.

The hole that was left after Head Coach Dave Matsos jumped up to the OHL(Sarnia Sting) was a big one to fill. I could think of no one better to fill that hole than Jason Williams. Jason is a former NHL player, a Stanley Cup Champion, and even won a Spengler Cup with Team Canada. Williams has also already proved he knows what he’s doing behind the bench, winning GOJHL Coach of the Year with the Strathroy Rockets in 2023-24, aswell Coaching Team GOJHL last season at the Prestigious “MacPherson cup Challenge” hosted by St. Andrew’s College.

Alongside Jason as an Assistant Coach will be his brother, Darren Williams. The brothers have been coaching together over the past 3 seasons in Strathroy, and look to build a winning culture in St. Thomas. Darren’s hockey IQ, leadership skills, and strong junior hockey background will be a tremendous asset to the team.

Returning as Assistant Coach is Joe Doyle, who has been a pillar for the Stars organization since arriving 2 seasons ago. Doyle has been a pivotal part in helping multiple players find their way to the OHL over the past couple of years.

Helping our netminders develop will be Goalie Coach Owen Willmore. Willmore (a Stars Alumni) just finished his junior hockey career with the London Knights in the OHL, during which he won an OHL championship in 2023-24, and also earned the “Dave Pinkney Award” (best goaltending duo) alongside Michael Simpson. Owner Joe Daniels and General Manager Kevin Linker have established a strong bench staff, that will no doubt shift the Stars in the right direction.

But you need players too right? Well it seems they’ve been busy in that department as well, meeting with players and their families to find the right pieces to start the season. So let’s meet the new Stars who have just signed with the team.The first 4 players listed all played for the Elgin Middlesex Canucks last season, who had an incredible year. The Canucks finished in 1st place as the AAA U18 Alliance Champions, won OHF’s over their rival the Vaughan Kings, and also had a great showing in Kelowna BC, at the very competitive Telus Cup, finishing in 4th place. The chemistry of these 4 young men will no doubt carry over into the Stars locker room as they continue their journey together.

Chase Pettipiece

The native of Merlin, Ontario, was the point scoring leader in the AAA U18 Alliance last season, finishing with 26 goals and 22 assists in 35 games played. With numbers like that, Chase will look to be a key “piece” of the stars offense this season. The 5’11” Center was picked in the 1st round, 8th overall by the Flint Firebirds in the 2025 OHL U18 Priority Selection.

Dylan Durno
From London, Ontario, Durno is a promising young Goaltender coming off a stellar season. While minding the goal for the championship EMC team Dylan finished with a record of 16-1-2, including 9 shutouts. His unreal goals against average of 0.83 earned him the award for best GAA in the league. Durno, was selected last year in the 2024 OHL priority selection by the Owen Sound Attack.

George Matsos

From St. Thomas, Ontario, the stars have aligned for this hometown boy. The Forward finished last season with 13 goals and 16 assists in 30 games for the Elgin Middlesex Canucks, just under a point per game. Matsos comes from a strong hockey family, his father being former Head Coach Dave Matsos. George was drafted in the 14th round, 264th overall by the Windsor Spitfires in the 2024 OHL Priority Selection.

Luke Wachowiak

A left handed Defenseman from London, Ontario, Luke was a key part of the blue line for the Elgin Middlesex Canucks championship season. Luke is a two way puck moving defender, who showed he can put up some serious points, finishing with 5 goals and 20 assists in 28 games played. Wachowiack (pronounced Vah-ho-vee-ack) was selected in the 11th round, 219th overall by the Niagara Ice Dogs in the 2024 OHL Priority Selection.

Eric McDonald

Coming from the PJHL Dorchester Dolphins is Goaltender Eric McDonald. The 19 year old from Mount Brydges, Ontario, will bring some very important junior veteran presence to the crease. McDonald has recently had a couple of very good seasons in the PJCHL. Last year he posted a .926 save percentage, with a GAA of 2.65. His record over the last two seasons is 30-10-3.

Myles Dunn

Lambeth, Ontario, has gifted us Myles Dunn. The right handed Forward turns 16 in the middle of June, and just finished an amazing season U16 AAA Elgin Middlesex Canucks. The young skater scored 41 goals and 37 assists in 64 games last year. Myles will have to adapt his game against some older competition, but shows a ton of promise. He was also drafted in the 8th round, 157th overall by the Sarnia Sting in the 2025 OHL Priority Selection.

Logan Jackson

A 6’2″, 184 pound Forward from Barrie, Ontario. This sizable 16 year old (who will be 17 when the season starts) suited up for the Barrie Colts U18 AAA team last season, playing 62 games and scoring 19 goals along with 27 assists in the U18 AAA league. He also played 19 games in the OMHA U18, scoring 11 goals and 16 assists. Logan was drafted in round 15, 302nd overall by the London Knights in the 2024 OHL Priority Selection.

And there you have it, a very promising pool of prospects that will be dawning the black, green and gold. As you can see, there are a lot of players that have already been claimed by OHL teams. The Stars will be an important part of their development, and their journey in junior hockey.

Stay tuned for more news and updates on the St. Thomas Stars upcoming 2025-26 season, as management might not be done just yet… And to all of our new Stars… Welcome to the Galaxy.

– Written by Phil Pimentel, St. Thomas Stars FloHockey Announcer