Mooretown pool, fitness centre won’t reopen in September
File Photo
Sting import draftees sign on the dotted line
July 20, 2026
Barry Wright/The Independent
Russian goaltender Ivan Tkach-Tkachenko and Norwegian power forward Jonas Gulbrandsen have signed OHL contracts with the Sarnia Sting.
The Sting took Tkach-Tkachenko, a Utah Mammoth prospect, with the tenth overall pick in the CHL import draft late last month.
“We’re excited to welcome Ivan to the Sting,” said General Manager Dylan Seca of the 6’3” left-catching puckstopper.
“We expect him to carry the load in net for us. He has the size, athletic ability and experience that are critical to a team’s success. Having him signed and knowing we’ll have the support and development resources from the Utah Mammoth organization is a huge bonus. We’re looking forward to having Ivan arrive in Sarnia in August and getting to work.”
Gulbrandsen, taken in the second round of the import draft, 71st overall, joins the Sting after spending the 2025-26 season with the Stavanger Oilers U20 program in his hometown of Stavanger, Norway.
Standing 6-foot-5 and weighing 229 pounds, he recorded 18 goals and nine assists for 27 points in just 18 games with the Stavanger Oilers U20 during the 2025-26 campaign.
Meantime, the Sting has announced its preseason schedule beginning against the defending Memorial Cup champion Rangers in Kitchener on August 30.
Sarnia will play home-and-home preseason games against the Knights. The teams play at London on Sept. 10 before returning to Sarnia the following night.
Sting and Knights first round picks from last month are at Team Canada’s U17 development camp in Oakville currently.
The Sting took Adrian Sgro fourth overall and Ryan Beaulieu was selected with the 14th pick by London.
The World Under-17 Challenge is in Oakville in November.
NEXT
Wyoming wins Dave Leach Memorial Tournament
PREVIOUS
Petrolia farmers organize aid drive for victims of Northern Ontario wildfires
Front Page
Mooretown pool, fitness centre won’t reopen in September
August 14, 2026
Heather Wright/The Independent Renovations at the Mooretown Sports Complex pool have hit a snag. The pool closed April 1 for a major renovation of the pool deck and change rooms. St. Clair Township, which owns the complex, has been upgrading the community hub for several years and has been planning work on the pool area for about two years. The
Read More
Front Page
Townhouse development in the works for Oil Springs
August 14, 2026
Blake Ellis/The Independent There could be more residential development in Oil Springs. Roger Buurma of Lasalle Line in Brooke-Alvinston owns Lekker Homes, which wants to build 11 single-floor townhouses of Roady Park Rd. in the north east part of the village. The plan calls for two blocks of buildings – the first includes four one-storey townhouses located towards the rear
Read More
Front Page
Point Edward’s Greer wins national and provincial titles
August 14, 2026
Barry Wright/The Independent As an addition to the Windsor Selects for the Canadian U22 baseball championships, Point Edward’s Will Greer definitely made an impact with his adopted team. He started the gold medal game against Manitoba and went 3.2 innings, scattering six hits, including two bunt singles, striking out five and only surrendering one walk leading the Selects to the
Read More
Front Page
Petrolia’s Helps, Wilson fourth at national tourney
August 14, 2026
The Independent After losing its first three games at the national U22 baseball championship in Tecumseh, near Windsor, the Sarnia Junior Brigade rebounded and played for the bronze medal. Following wins over Nova Scotia and the host Thunder to end the preliminary round, Sarnia had a bronze medal in its sights with a 5-4 lead on the Halifax Mets but
Read More