Little means a lot to the Petes for playoffs, next season
Petes trade away veteran Nick Isaacson, Cameron Supryka and acquire feisty forward
The Peterborough Petes added a feisty skilled forward who fits into their core of 2000-born players prior to Thursday’s OHL trade deadline.
The Petes acquired Michael Little from the Mississauga Steelheads and a conditional sixthround draft pick in 2023 in exchange for 1999-born forward Nick Isaacson and a third-round pick in 2019. The Petes also dealt sophomore defenceman Cameron Supryka to the Hamilton Bulldogs in exchange for a 2020 fourth-round draft pick.
Little, a six-foot, 187-pound left wing, has eight goals, 12 assists and 20 points in 36 games with a -12 rating and 46 penalty minutes. The Mississauga native was Mississauga’s third-round pick in the 2016 OHL draft. Isaacson has seven goals, 21 points and is a plus-12 with 21 penalty minutes this season.
“Michael has experience in the league having played over 100 games and going deep into the playoffs playing meaningful minutes in meaningful games,” said Petes GM Mike Oke.
“He’s an energy guy who has some skill. He’s willing to battle and engage physically. In our rink he’ll be an effective player getting in on the forecheck and taking away time and space from the opposition.
“He’s a year younger so we’ll get more service out of Michael. He’s somebody we had an eye on in the OHL draft and we’re well aware of what he can do and bring to the table.”
Oke said he wasn’t looking to move Isaacson, also a Mississauga native, but the Steelheads wanted a player in return. The Petes get the sixth-round pick if Isaacson returns next season as an overage player.
“Nick has been a good player for us,” Oke said. “Unfortunately, he did have some injuries for us. He wants to be a player and did everything he needed to over the summer to earn a spot at training camp. We certainly wish him well.”
With eight defenceman and Supryka looking for more opportunity to play, as he’s been a healthy scratch of late, Oke said it made sense to move him to a team where he’d get that opportunity.
“With the emergence of some of the other players we felt we could make an adjustment and reduce the numbers there,” Oke said.
“Being a second-year player, Cameron wants the opportunity to play every night. He certainly hasn’t caused us any grief and has worked hard to get better.”
Supryka, the Petes third-round pick in 2017, had one assist in 36 games with the Petes over two seasons.
The Petes also released forward Jake Partridge who did not return to the team after Christmas and requested a trade. Oke said he was unable to find an
OHL team interested in trading for Partridge. He cleared OHL waivers and is now a free agent. His Jr. A rights are owned by the Rayside Balfour Sabres. Oke said Partridge is hoping to sign with an OHL or QMJHL team.
The moves leave the Petes with 21 players on their roster. Oke said forward Dustin Hutton, who is playing with the OJHL’s Toronto Jr. Canadiens, and defencemen Quinn Hanna, who is with the Wellington Dukes, are available for call-up if injuries should arise.