Petes acquire Dennis from Bulldogs, Brantford lands McGregor

The Peterborough Petes have acquired forward Cooper Dennis from the Brantford Bulldogs in exchange for forward Kaden McGregor.

Dennis heads to Peterborough after an impressive rookie campaign in which he recorded 34 goals, 40 assists and 74 points in 68 games, finishing second in team scoring while leading the OHL with a plus-48 rating. The Ithaca, NY native also added seven points in 15 playoff games as the Bulldogs reached the Eastern Conference Championship Series. Originally selected by Brantford in the sixth round (109th overall) of the 2023 OHL Priority Selection, Dennis is committed to the University of Michigan.

“We’re very excited to add a player of Cooper’s caliber to our roster,” said Petes General Manager and Vice President of Operations Michael Oke. “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.”

Brantford acquires McGregor, the first overall selection in the 2025 OHL Priority Selection and recipient of the Jack Ferguson Award. The Braeside, ON native recorded seven goals and 20 points in 39 games during his rookie season with Peterborough before an injury cut his campaign short. McGregor also represented Team Canada White at the 2025 U17 World Challenge, helping the team capture a silver medal while producing five points in five games.

“Kaden McGregor is an incredible addition to our organization,” said Bulldogs President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Spencer Hyman. “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. Kaden is the kind of player you build around, and we’re incredibly excited to welcome him and his family to Brantford.”

Oke also acknowledged the departure of McGregor, saying, “We had to make the difficult decision to move Kaden to complete this deal. It’s never easy to trade a young, talented player like Kaden, but we want to thank him for his contributions to our organization and wish him nothing but the best as he continues his OHL career in Brantford.”

Hyman thanked Dennis for his contributions to the Bulldogs following his breakout first season in the league.

“Cooper was an important part of a special season in Brantford, and we’re grateful for everything he brought to our organization,” Hyman said. “His professionalism, work ethic and commitment helped our team every day. We thank Cooper for all of his contributions and wish him nothing but success as he begins this next chapter with Peterborough.”