Bryan Little
Little with the Winnipeg Jets in 2013
Born (1987-11-12) November 12, 1987
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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.

Early life

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.

Playing career

Little as a member of the Atlanta Thrashers.

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.

International play

Medal record
Representing  Canada
Ice hockey
Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament
Gold medal – first place 2005 Piešťany
IIHF World Junior Championship
Gold medal – first place 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.

Personal life

As of 2015, 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]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GPGAPtsPIM GPGAPtsPIM
2002–03 Cambridge Winter Hawks MWJHL 4020153514 71120
2003–04 Barrie Colts OHL 6434245818 1255107
2004–05 Barrie Colts OHL 6236326834 45162
2005–06 Barrie Colts OHL 64426710999 148152319
2006–07 Barrie Colts OHL 57416610777 84598
2006–07 Chicago Wolves AHL ————— 20000
2007–08 Atlanta Thrashers NHL 486101618 —————
2007–08 Chicago Wolves AHL 349162510 24841210
2008–09 Atlanta Thrashers NHL 7931205124 —————
2009–10 Atlanta Thrashers NHL 7913213420 —————
2010–11 Atlanta Thrashers NHL 7618304833 —————
2011–12 Winnipeg Jets NHL 7424224626 —————
2012–13 Winnipeg Jets NHL 48725324 —————
2013–14 Winnipeg Jets NHL 8223416458 —————
2014–15 Winnipeg Jets NHL 7024285224 42130
2015–16 Winnipeg Jets NHL 5717254212 —————
2016–17 Winnipeg Jets NHL 5921264718 —————
2017–18 Winnipeg Jets NHL 8216274328 171562
2018–19 Winnipeg Jets NHL 8215264126 61230
2019–20 Winnipeg Jets NHL 72352 —————
NHL totals 843217304521 2932748122

International

Year Team Event GPGAPtsPIM
2004 Canada Ontario U17 64484
2005 Canada U18 54260
2007 Canada WJC 611214
Junior totals 17971618

Awards and honours

  • 2003–04 OHL Rookie of the Year
  • 2004–05 Eastern Conference OHL All-Star.
  • 2005–06 Barrie Colts team Captain.
  • 2006–07 Set the Barrie Colts current club record for most goals scored with the team.
  • 2006–07 Set the Barrie Colts current club record for most points earned with the team.
  • 2010–11 Dan Snyder Memorial Award
  • 2013-14 Dan Snyder Memorial Award
  • January 25, 2020 Barrie Colts retire Little’s number 18 jersey

References

  1. ↑ "No panic yet local veteran Little says of NHL lockout". therecord.com. September 18, 2012. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Inflight Bryan Little driven to succeed". Winnipeg Jets. June 4, 2017. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 6, 2019. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  4. ↑ Lewark, Stephanie. "Getting to Know Winnipeg Jets' Bryan Little". rantsports.com. Archived from the original on May 19, 2018. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  5. ↑ Custance, Craig (May 14, 2007). "Little looks good for Wolves". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved May 28, 2006.
  6. ↑ Campbell, Tim (August 2, 2011). "On second thought, 10 not perfect". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  7. ↑ "WINNIPEG JETS RE-SIGN CENTRE BRYAN LITTLE TO NEW FIVE-YEAR, $23.5-MILLION DEAL". The Hockey News. July 22, 2013. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  8. ↑ Bottomley, Andrew (September 14, 2017). "Jets sign Bryan Little to six-year contract extenstion [sic]". sportsnet.ca. Sportsnet.
  9. ↑ "Jets centre Bryan Little diagnosed with concussion". sportsnet.ca. Sportsnet. December 1, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  10. ↑ Bernhardt ·, Darren (November 6, 2019). "Winnipeg Jets' Bryan Little gets 25-30 stitches, sent to neurological unit after puck to head". cbc.ca. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  11. ↑ Campbell, Tim (August 12, 2020). "Little hopes to return after injuries, uncertain of future with Jets". nhl.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Little of Jets out for rest of season with perforated eardrum". nhl.com. National Hockey League. February 15, 2020. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  13. ↑ Campbell, Tim (October 9, 2020). "Little won't play for Jets this season". nhl.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Coyotes acquire Little, Smith from Jets for 2022 4th round draft pick". Arizona Coyotes. March 21, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  15. ↑ Dittrick, Ryan (November 19, 2015). "InFlight: Bryan Little Driven to Succeed". NHL.com. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
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