A move that’s been circling around the rumour mills for the past couple of days is finally complete.
The Peterborough Petes have traded 2025 first overall pick Kaden McGregor to the Brantford Bulldogs in exchange for American forward Cooper Dennis. The trade is one for one.
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McGregor, 17, maybe didn’t quite hit the ground running as some might have expected in his rookie year, but still put up 20 (7+13) points in 39 games.
After just one year in Peterborough, Kaden McGregor will now don Brantford Bulldogs colours. (Photo: Logan Taylor/OHL Images)
Coming back the other way is Dennis, a 19-year-old coming off a very strong debut OHL season after joining the Bulldogs from the USHL last summer.
In 68 games on that loaded Brantford team last season, the 5-foot-6 winger put up 74 (34+40) points, and really came on in the back half of the season offensively.
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Suffice to say, this trade will do very different things for each side. Bulldogs GM Spencer Hyman is clearly betting on the upside of McGregor, and also is getting two years younger up front with this deal.
In a press release, Hyman seemed very optimistic about what the Braeside, Ont., native can bring to his team.
“Kaden McGregor is an incredible addition to our organization. He is an elite talent in every sense of the word. Elite skill, elite hockey IQ, elite competitiveness and, most importantly, elite character and leadership.
– Spencer Hyman
Meanwhile, Peterborough will hope Dennis can be an offensive star for them next season as they push to make their way back up the standings. There’s a ton of risk in trading away a guy you just selected at the very top of the draft just one year ago, but they’ll see this as an opportunity to improve for next season.
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Petes GM Michael Oke views the Ithaca, NY, native as one of the top returning forwards in the OHL for next season, and clearly believes he can be the true offensive star this team needs moving into 2026-27.
“We’re very excited to add a player of Cooper’s caliber to our roster. Heading into the summer, we identified him as our number one target to acquire during the offseason. Analytics show that he’s one of, if not the top forward returning to the OHL this season. We believe Cooper is an excellent fit for our lineup and will complement our returning core well.”
– Michael Oke
This is one of those deals that will continue to be evaluated for years as these two sides really shake up the league. We’ll see which front office proves to be the smarter one down the road.
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