According to the Canadian Press On Friday, National Hockey League right winger Bryan Little of Edmonton, Alberta, announced his retirement at the age of 36. He is retiring as a member of the Winnipeg Jets after signing a one-day contract.
Little played 13 seasons in the NHL. He was with the Atlanta Thrashers for four years from 2007 to 2011 and then with the Winnipeg Jets for nine seasons from 2011 to 2020 after the Thrashers moved to Canada. In 843 regular season games, Little scored 217 goals and 304 assists for 521 points. He was a -15 with 293 penalty minutes, 132 power play points, 14 shorthanded points, 32 game-winning goals, 1,649 shots on goal, 6,290 face-off wins, 285 blocked shots, 553 hits, 453 takeaways and 243 giveaways. Over the past four seasons, Little has struggled with concussion issues.
Little was a first-round draft pick of the Thrashers in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. His best season was with the Jets in 2013-14, when he set career highs in assists (41) and points (64).
As a junior, Little had a memorable hockey career with the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League. He was the OHL Rookie of the Year in 2003-04 (58 points in 64 games) and then posted two consecutive 100-point seasons with the Colts (109 points in 2005-06 and 107 points in 2006-07). Also as a junior, Little won a gold medal for Canada at the 2007 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Leksand, Sweden.
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