Petes acquire defenceman Jacob Xu from Knights
The Peterborough Petes have acquired defenceman Jacob Xu from the London Knights in exchange for a pair of future OHL Priority Selection picks.
London receives North Bay’s fourth-round pick in 2028 along with Peterborough’s sixth-round pick in 2030 in the transaction.
“Jacob is a big, left handed, physical defenceman who moves very well,” said Petes General Manager and Vice President of Operations Michael Oke. “He’s a player that we took notice of during his U16 season ahead of the OHL draft and have watched closely during his time in the OHL. We believe that he will be a solid addition to our blueline as we prepare for next week’s home opener.”
Xu, a 2008-born left-shot defenceman from Richmond Hill, ON, spent the 2025-26 season between the Kitchener Rangers and Knights, recording one goal and 13 assists for 14 points over 59 games.
The 6-foot-2 blueliner began the season in Kitchener before being acquired by London in January as part of the multi-player transaction that sent Sam O’Reilly and Jared Woolley to the Rangers. Xu had recorded one goal and six assists through 31 games with Kitchener at the time of the trade.
Originally selected by the Rangers in the eighth round (157th overall) of the 2024 OHL Priority Selection, Xu signed with Kitchener in December 2024 after beginning that season in the OJHL with the Trenton Golden Hawks and King Rebellion. He had previously recorded 39 points (10-29–39) in 37 games with the Toronto Jr. Canadiens U16 AAA program during his draft season.
Xu also participated in the 2026 Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game in Peterborough, recording an assist, and is committed to Harvard University following his OHL career.
The move gives Peterborough another young addition on the blueline ahead of the 2026-27 regular season, while London adds a pair of future selections to its draft inventory.
