Boston Bruins Prospect Cullen McCrate Traded To Brantford Bulldogs From Owen Sound Attack
A big trade has gone official, with Cullen McCrate heading to Brantford in exchange for Cameron Merrick and picks.
As the summer trade window rolls along, another notable deal has been completed involving the retooling Brantford Bulldogs.
They've acquired 19-year-old top USHL defenseman Cullen McCrate's rights from the Owen Sound Attack in exchange for blueliner Cameron Merrick, a 2027 second-round pick (SOO), 2028 third-rounder (SAR) and 2030 fourth-rounder. Brantford will also re-acquire their own 15th-round pick in 2028 as part of this trade.
The 2027 second and 2028 15th are conditional selections from a June 2 trade that sent Ryerson Leenders to Owen Sound and will now be returned to each side, per a press release.
McCrate, a seventh-round pick of the Boston Bruins in this year's NHL draft, is coming off of a stellar season with the Fargo Force, scoring 30 (10+20) points in 61 games from the back end.
The 6-foot-1 defender is a good skater and puck transporter that plays hard on both ends of the ice, using his mobility and fluidity to get pucks up the ice, and then his good shot to score some goals as well.
From Adrian, MI, McCrate developed in the Little Caesers youth programs before opting to go the USHL route to continue his career. He also played for the U.S. in the 2024 Hlinka-Gretzky Cup
He was a seventh-round pick of the Attack in the 2025 OHL draft, and even though he never played a game in Owen Sound, the return in this trade automatically makes that pick of great value to them.
McCrate is committed to join Michigan State University of the NCAA for the 2027-28 season.
Merrick is an interesting case. Originally signed by Brantford back in January for this upcoming campaign, he now departs without ever actually playing a game in Bulldogs colours.
"We want to do right by our players," Brantford GM Spencer Hyman said. "Owen Sound provides [Merrick] with a great opportunity to continue his development, and we're excited for him and wish him great success."
So, it's clear the Bulldogs didn't think there'd be a spot for him this upcoming season with the addition of McCrate, as well as other players on the back end such as Jean-Samuel Daigneault.
The 6-foot-2 blueliner played his 2025-26 season in the Minnesota high school system, scoring seven (2+5) points in 30 games for Minnetonka.
A Boston native, Merrick moved to Michigan to play his youth hockey, playing for both major Detroit programs in Little Caesers and Honeybaked before heading to Minnesota for high school hockey.
He'll provide some strong skating and defensive ability to the Attack's defensive group next year, before an expected departure to the NCAA's Ferris State University in 2027-28.
It's been a busy Thursday for Brantford, who earlier announced a trade that sent forward Nikolas Rossetto to the North Bay Battalion.
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