Bryan Little | |||
---|---|---|---|
Born | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | November 12, 1987||
Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
Weight | 191 lb (87 kg; 13 st 9 lb) | ||
Position | Centre | ||
Shot | Right | ||
NHL team Former teams | Arizona Coyotes Atlanta Thrashers Winnipeg Jets | ||
NHL draft | 12th overall, 2006 Atlanta Thrashers | ||
Playing career | 2007–2020 |
Bryan Matthew Little (born November 12, 1987) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player currently under contract for the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL). Little was selected by the Atlanta Thrashers in the first round, 12th overall, of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. In November 2019, Little was injured in a game and has not played since.
Although Little was born in Edmonton, Alberta, he was raised in Cambridge, Ontario. [1] He grew up with his younger brother Shawn and his parents, Brenda and John. [2] Little played much of his minor ice hockey for the Cambridge Hawks of the Alliance Pavilion League until the 2001–02 season. He played in the 2001 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with Cambridge. [3] He then played for the Cambridge Winter Hawks Jr. B hockey team at age 14, while he attended Southwood Secondary School until age 15, when he joined the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). [4] Little had been selected in the third round, 50th overall, in the 2003 OHL Draft after a standout season with the Winter Hawks.[ citation needed ]
Little was selected first round, 12th overall, in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft by the Atlanta Thrashers. After four seasons playing for the Barrie Colts in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), during which he played in the 2006 CHL–NHL Top Prospects Game, Little joined the Thrashers' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, for two games in the 2007 Calder Cup playoffs, recording no points or penalties. According to one local columnist, "He didn't play much, and he was playing out of position, but the biggest thing was that he fit right in ... he played like he'd been there all season." [5]
Little signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Thrashers running until the end of the 2009–10 NHL season. He made the Thrashers' NHL roster out of training camp in 2007 and joined the team full-time. He made his NHL debut on October 5, 2007, scoring in his first game, the first Thrasher ever to do so. However, midway through the season, he was demoted to the Wolves, where he would go on to win the 2008 Calder Cup Championship. He would spend the entire 2008–09 NHL season with the Thrashers, scoring 31 goals.
In August 2010, Little signed a three-year, $7.15 million contract extension with Atlanta as a restricted free agent. After the Thrashers organization relocated to Winnipeg to become the Winnipeg Jets prior to the 2011–12 season, Little changed his uniform number from #10 to #18 out of respect for Dale Hawerchuk, who played for the original Winnipeg Jets. [6]
On July 22, 2013, Little and the Jets agreed to a five-year, $23.5 million contract extension, avoiding salary arbitration. [7] In the first year of his new contract in 2013–14, Little had a career year offensively, scoring 64 points in 82 games. He signed a six-year contract extension on September 14, 2017. [8]
Little joined the team for the 2019–20 season but sustained a concussion during a preseason game against the Minnesota Wild. [9] He was cleared to play for the regular season but only appeared in seven games before being struck in the side of the head by a shot on November 5. [10] He returned to practice in January but further tests and medical advice resulted in him not returning for the remainder of the season. [11] A month later in February, Little underwent surgery to repair a perforated eardrum. [12] As a result of the surgery, Little was ruled out for the entirety of the 2020–21 season, [13] regardless of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic affecting the league schedule.
On March 21, 2022, the Jets traded his contract to the Arizona Coyotes, alongside the rights to prospect Nathan Smith, for a fourth round draft pick. It is not expected that Little will play in the NHL again. [14] His contract expires at the end of the 2023–24 season.
Medal record | ||
---|---|---|
Representing Canada | ||
Ice hockey | ||
Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament | ||
2005 Piešťany | ||
IIHF World Junior Championship | ||
2007 Sweden |
Little was first selected in an international tournament for the Team Ontario in 2003–04 in the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Newfoundland, winning a gold medal. He was then included with Canadian National Under-18 Summer Team at the 2004 World Junior Cup in Břeclav, Czech Republic, and invited to the December 2005 Canadian World Junior hockey team selection camp. Little was a member of the gold-medal winning 2007 Canadian World Junior hockey team.
As of 2015 [update] , Little and his wife Brittany resided in his childhood hometown of Cambridge, Ontario, when he was not living in Winnipeg during the hockey season. [15]
Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
2002–03 | Cambridge Winter Hawks | MWJHL | 40 | 20 | 15 | 35 | 14 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
2003–04 | Barrie Colts | OHL | 64 | 34 | 24 | 58 | 18 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 7 | ||
2004–05 | Barrie Colts | OHL | 62 | 36 | 32 | 68 | 34 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 2 | ||
2005–06 | Barrie Colts | OHL | 64 | 42 | 67 | 109 | 99 | 14 | 8 | 15 | 23 | 19 | ||
2006–07 | Barrie Colts | OHL | 57 | 41 | 66 | 107 | 77 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 8 | ||
2006–07 | Chicago Wolves | AHL | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
2007–08 | Atlanta Thrashers | NHL | 48 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2007–08 | Chicago Wolves | AHL | 34 | 9 | 16 | 25 | 10 | 24 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 10 | ||
2008–09 | Atlanta Thrashers | NHL | 79 | 31 | 20 | 51 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2009–10 | Atlanta Thrashers | NHL | 79 | 13 | 21 | 34 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2010–11 | Atlanta Thrashers | NHL | 76 | 18 | 30 | 48 | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2011–12 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 74 | 24 | 22 | 46 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2012–13 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 48 | 7 | 25 | 32 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2013–14 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 82 | 23 | 41 | 64 | 58 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2014–15 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 70 | 24 | 28 | 52 | 24 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | ||
2015–16 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 57 | 17 | 25 | 42 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2016–17 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 59 | 21 | 26 | 47 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2017–18 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 82 | 16 | 27 | 43 | 28 | 17 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 2 | ||
2018–19 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 82 | 15 | 26 | 41 | 26 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | ||
2019–20 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 7 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
NHL totals | 843 | 217 | 304 | 521 | 293 | 27 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 2 |
Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2004 | Canada Ontario | U17 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 4 | |
2005 | Canada | U18 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0 | |
2007 | Canada | WJC | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 14 | |
Junior totals | 17 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 18 |
Dale Martin Hawerchuk was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. Drafted first overall by the Winnipeg Jets in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft, Hawerchuk played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 16 seasons as a member of the Jets, Buffalo Sabres, St. Louis Blues, and Philadelphia Flyers. He won the NHL's Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year in 1982 and was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in his second year of eligibility in 2001. Hawerchuk served as the head coach of the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League from 2010 to 2019.
Ronald Martin Hainsey is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman. He played seventeen years in the NHL for the Montreal Canadiens, Columbus Blue Jackets, Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets, Carolina Hurricanes, Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators, playing over 1,100 career NHL games.
Michael William Comrie is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. During his 13-year National Hockey League (NHL) career he played with the Edmonton Oilers, Philadelphia Flyers, Phoenix Coyotes, Ottawa Senators, New York Islanders, and the Pittsburgh Penguins. He retired in early 2012 after undergoing hip surgery for the third time.
Brian Finley is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played for the Nashville Predators and Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League.
Bryan William Marchment was a Canadian ice hockey defenceman. He played in the National Hockey League for the Winnipeg Jets, Chicago Blackhawks, Hartford Whalers, Edmonton Oilers, Tampa Bay Lightning, San Jose Sharks, Colorado Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Calgary Flames between 1989 and 2006. He worked as a scout for the Sharks at the NHL level and as a part-time coach in the Sharks organization following his playing career.
Anthony Stewart is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, having played in the NHL, AHL, and KHL. He was born in Quebec, and his family moved to Toronto while he was a child. Stewart played minor hockey in Toronto, winning three all-Ontario championships. After his minor hockey career, he was selected by the Kingston Frontenacs in the first round of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) draft. After two seasons with Kingston, he was drafted by the Florida Panthers in the first round of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, at 25th overall. He spent four years in the Panthers' system, dividing his time between the NHL and the American Hockey League (AHL), after which he joined the Atlanta Thrashers for two years. When the Thrashers moved to Winnipeg to become the new Winnipeg Jets, they did not offer him a new contract, and he signed with the Carolina Hurricanes as a free agent. After one season in Carolina he was traded to the Kings, but spent most of the season in the minor leagues. He signed a professional tryout contract with the San Jose Sharks to begin the 2013–14 NHL season, but was not offered a contract. He subsequently signed with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg in the KHL. His younger brother Chris also played in the NHL, and retired after the 2019–2020 season playing for Philadelphia Flyers.
Robert B. Schremp is an American former professional ice hockey center who last played for HK Mogo of the Latvian Hockey Higher League. He was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in the first round, 25th overall, of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft and has played for the Oilers, New York Islanders and Atlanta Thrashers in the NHL.
Chris Thorburn is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger. He played over 800 games in the National Hockey League (NHL). Thorburn was known for his physical play and capabilities as a fighter.
Sheldon Keefe is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player. He most recently served as head coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the second round, 47th overall, by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. Following retirement from active play, Keefe served as head coach of the Soo Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), as well as the Maple Leafs' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, guiding the latter to their first Calder Cup championship in 2018.
Craig Mills is a Canadian former ice hockey winger who played for the Winnipeg Jets and Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League between 1996 and 1999. He is the son of Ontario politician Dennis Mills, and was born in Toronto, Ontario.
Zachary M. Bogosian is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the Atlanta Thrashers, Winnipeg Jets, Buffalo Sabres, Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs. Bogosian won the Stanley Cup as a member of the Lightning in 2020.
The 2009–10 OHL season was the 30th season of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Twenty teams played 68 games each during the regular season schedule, which started on September 17, 2009 and ended on March 14, 2010. On September 9, 2009, all 20 teams in the OHL unveiled their new Reebok Edge jerseys, which have been used in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 2007 until 2017. The playoffs began on March 18, 2010, and ended on May 4, 2010, with the Windsor Spitfires winning the J. Ross Robertson Cup for the second consecutive year, which they followed up by winning the 2010 Memorial Cup, hosted by the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL in Brandon, Manitoba.
Alexander Olegovich Burmistrov is a Russian professional ice hockey centre currently playing for HC Spartak Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets franchise as well as the Arizona Coyotes, before leaving the NHL after a short stint with the Vancouver Canucks. Burmistrov won the Gagarin Cup with Ak Bars Kazan in 2018.
Ben Chiarot is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and alternate captain for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL). Chiarot was drafted 120th overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He has previously played for the Winnipeg Jets, Montreal Canadiens and Florida Panthers.
Mark Scheifele is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Jets in the first round, seventh overall, of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, becoming the Jets' first-ever draft pick after relocating from Atlanta.
Tanner Pearson is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the first round, 30th overall, by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft and won the Stanley Cup with the Kings in 2014. Pearson has also previously played for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Vancouver Canucks.
Michael Sgarbossa is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Ivan Alexeyvich Telegin is a Russian professional ice hockey centre who currently plays for Avangard Omsk in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He was drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers 101st overall in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.
Brendan Lemieux is an American-born Canadian professional ice hockey left winger for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Buffalo Sabres selected Lemieux in the second round, 31st overall, of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. He previously played for the Winnipeg Jets, New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings and Philadelphia Flyers.
Matthew Brendan Tkachuk is an American professional ice hockey forward and alternate captain for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played in the NHL for the Calgary Flames. The Flames selected him in the first round, 6th overall, in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.