Petes Trade Number One Pick Kaden McGregor to Land OHL Star Cooper Dennis in Blockbuster Trade with Brantford

By Scott Arnold

The Peterborough Petes have added one of the Ontario Hockey League's top returning forwards, acquiring Cooper Dennis from the Brantford Bulldogs in exchange for 2025 first overall pick Kaden McGregor.

Last season, Dennis also led the OHL in +/- with a +48. Dennis is currently committed to continue his hockey and academic career at the University of Michigan when his time in the OHL is complete (photo courtesy of peterborough petes)

The trade, announced Tuesday, gives Peterborough an immediate offensive boost ahead of the 2026-27 OHL season.

Dennis, a 19-year-old from Ithaca, New York, is coming off a breakout campaign with the Bulldogs. In his first OHL season, he scored 34 goals and added 40 assists for 74 points in all 68 regular season games, finishing second in team scoring. He also led the entire OHL with a +48 rating and chipped in seven points during Brantford's run to the Eastern Conference Final.

Before joining the Bulldogs, the 5-foot-6, 150-pound forward recorded 34 points in 55 games with the USHL's Dubuque Fighting Saints. Dennis is committed to the University of Michigan following his junior career.

Peterborough General Manager Michael Oke said Dennis was the organization's top trade target this offseason, calling him an excellent fit for the Petes' returning core.

"We're very excited to add a player of Cooper's caliber to our roster," Oke said. “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."

Heading to Brantford is Kaden McGregor, who made franchise history last spring when the Petes selected him first overall in the 2025 OHL Priority Selection — the first time Peterborough had ever owned the first overall pick in the draft.

McGregor showed flashes of his potential during his rookie season, recording 20 points in 39 games despite missing a significant portion of the year, including the tail end of the season, because of injury.

Oke acknowledged moving McGregor was a difficult decision, thanking the young forward for his contributions while wishing him the best with the Bulldogs.

"We had to make the difficult decision to move Kaden to complete this deal," said Oke. "It's never easy to trade a young, talented player like Kaden, but we've had to make similar very difficult decisions in the past. 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."

The deal gives Peterborough one of the league's premier returning offensive players as the club looks to take another step forward this season.

Scott Arnold is a Journalist and Content Creator at PTBOCanada Media Inc

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