Gavin Bryant joins the Peterborough Petes in exchange for a pair of draft picks.
The Peterborough Petes have acquired Gavin Bryant from the Niagara IceDogs in exchange for a Guelph third-round pick in the 2026 and Peterborough's ninth-round pick in the 2028 draft.
"Gavin has demonstrated that he is a solid player who has produced offensively in his time in the OHL," said Petes GM Michael Oke.
Bryant is an overage forward who led Niagara in scoring last season with 21 goals and added 33 assists in 62 games. Prior to playing for Niagara, he spent two years playing for the Owen Sound Attack.
He occupied leadership positions playing for both Niagara and Owen Sound. For Peterborough, one of the youngest teams in the league, that leadership is very valuable.
"We've got some talent and ability but not necessarily the experience you would like to have," said Oke. "Having someone like Gavin come in and ... show some of the younger players the way while helping with the veterans we do have is a real benefit."
While Bryant was in Niagara he demonstrated some of his leadership qualities by setting up what was known as "Gav's Corner."
Inspired by his sister Sadie, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, Bryant brought the families of children diagnosed with the condition out to IceDogs' games to meet him and receive tours of the locker room.
"It's an initiative to just bring families together .... share their stories and watch a game," said Bryant. "The biggest thing is just sharing the normality of it – you can still live a normal life with [type 1 diabetes]."
So far this season the initiative has been a huge success with Bryant sharing his time with different families. Many of the families say having the initiative come from a sibling of someone with type 1 diabetes was very meaningful.
"Just seeing [Gavin] make this big push for me and for people diagnosed with type 1 is really special," said Sadie.
Bryant becomes one of four overage players on Peterborough's roster including Jonathan Melee, Chase Lefebvre and Ryder McIntyre.
While Peterborough has struggled to start the season they feel that they have seen progress from their young group. They hope that Bryant's skill and leadership qualities will help their team take steps forward as they continue through the season.
"We've seen some progress, but sometimes the inexperience takes over at crucial times in the game," said Oke. "I think Gavin will bring a real calming influence on the entire group."