Firebirds and IceDogs complete trade involving three players and three draft selections

Before the first Friday of the opening weekend in the league, the Flint Firebirds and Niagara IceDogs completed a trade.

The Firebirds have acquired forward Charlie Hotles along with three future draft selections: a 6th-round pick in 2026 (Niagara), a 4th-round pick in 2027 (North Bay), and a 3rd-round pick in 2028. In exchange, Niagara receives forward Hayden Reid, defenseman Artem Frolov, and an 8th-round pick (Brampton).

Hotles joins the Firebirds for what will be his second season in the OHL. He played 33 games for Niagara during his rookie year in 2024-25 and totaled two assists. Hotles also appeared in 15 games for the North York Rangers of the OJHL and recorded four goals and six assists.

Frolov and Reid were both acquired by the Firebirds in a three-team trade with Niagara and the Barrie Colts in August of 2024. Frolov appeared in 65 games for Flint during the 2024-25 season and finished with four goals and 10 assists. Reid, who had yet to sign at the time of his acquisition, played 51 games for the Firebirds after joining the team in November. He recorded nine goals and seven assists.