Our community has another reason to celebrate as Chase Stillman takes the next step in his professional hockey career. The Detroit Red Wings announced they've signed the Peterborough product to a one-year, two-way contract, bringing him to one of hockey's most storied franchises.
While Stillman was born in St. Louis during his father's playing days with the Blues, he grew up right here in Peterborough and developed his skills through our local minor hockey system before advancing to the Ontario Hockey League. For those who watched him come up through the Minor Petes system, this signing represents the culmination of years of dedication that started on Peterborough ice.
The 23-year-old forward spent the 2025-26 season with the AHL's Abbotsford Canucks, recording three goals and six assists for nine points in 24 games, along with 48 penalty minutes. The previous season, he split time between the Utica Comets and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, finishing with 12 points in 65 games while also appearing in two Calder Cup Playoff contests.
Originally selected 29th overall by the New Jersey Devils in the first round of the 2021 NHL Draft, Stillman has accumulated 45 points across 143 career AHL games with Abbotsford, Utica, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Local fans will forever remember Stillman as a cornerstone of the Peterborough Petes team that captured the OHL championship in 2023. He contributed 13 points in 21 playoff games during that memorable championship run after spending parts of four seasons with the Petes and Sudbury Wolves. That championship season gave our community a chance to watch a hometown talent help bring a title back to Peterborough.
Stillman's résumé also includes international success. He represented Canada at the 2021 IIHF Under-18 World Championship, helping the country capture gold.
Hockey excellence runs through the Stillman family bloodline. His father, Cory Stillman, is a Peterborough native who won an OHL championship with the Petes in 1993 before embarking on a 16-year NHL career that included two Stanley Cup titles. His older brother, Riley Stillman, currently plays in the Edmonton Oilers organization and won an OHL championship with the Hamilton Bulldogs in 2018.
The family's championship pedigree is remarkable: all three Stillmans have now won OHL titles, spanning three decades of hockey excellence with deep roots in our community.
As Chase Stillman heads to Hockeytown, USA, he carries with him the support of a community that watched him grow from a young player in our minor hockey system to a professional signing with an Original Six franchise. We'll be cheering him on as he works to make his mark with the Red Wings.
