Minnesota draftee Adam Benak (2025 4th round, 102nd overall) will compete in the OHL next year for the Brantford Bulldogs. Last season, Benak played for Youngstown in the USHL, where he amassed 59 points (17G 42A) in 56 games for the Phantoms. This is a huge signing for Brantford, as former Bulldog goaltender Jack Ivankovic (NSH 2025 2nd round, 58th overall) will play for the University of Michigan this season. Also, Philadelphia draft pick and former Bulldog captain Porter Martone (6th overall pick in 2025) will play for Michigan State University in 2025-26. Although players of this caliber cannot be replaced, Benak nonetheless is an exceptional player who fell to the fourth round due to his size alone (5’8″).
Like Benak, D-man Brady Peddle (PIT 2025 3rd round, 91st overall) has left his USHL team (Waterloo) to play for the QMJHL’s Charlottetown Islanders in 2025-26. Despite tallying just 10 points in 62 regular season games for the Black Hawks last season, Peddle tacked on an additional 10 points (1G 9A) in 15 playoff games. He will join Martone at Michigan State in 2026-27.
Former USHL goaltender Christian Kirsch (SJS 2024 4th round, 116th overall) has followed suit, and will play for Kitchener in the OHL this season. Kirsch appeared in 3 games for the Green Bay Gamblers last season upon his promotion from Janesville in the NAHL, where he posted an 8-15-0 record in 24 games. Kirsch has committed to play for the University of Massachusetts in 2026-27, and presumably will play for Switzerland’s world junior team this December.