By: Neil Simmons | Follow me on Twitter / X: @NSimmz
After using two selections on NCAA-bound players at the NHL Draft back in June, the Boston Bruins looked set to enter the 2026-27 season with 14 prospects in the college ranks. As of Monday night, that number has been trimmed by one.
Per Ryan Sikes of PuckPreps, Cullen McCrate, Boston’s seventh-round draft choice from earlier this summer and a Michigan State commit, will delay his arrival in East Lansing for a year and join the Brantford Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League for the upcoming season. McCrate was slated to join the Spartans this fall following two seasons in the USHL, where Adam Nightingale’s team boasts a loaded defense with six other draft picks, including first-rounders Chase Reid and Tommy Bleyl.
According to Jeff Marek, McCrate is expected to be dealt from the Owen Sound Attack, who currently hold his OHL draft rights, to Brantford as part of a “healthy” trade package. The Bulldogs are coming off an OHL-best 106-point season, in which they came within a game of the J. Ross Robertson Cup Final, ending in a Game 7 loss to the Barrie Colts.
Brantford is facing significant turnover heading into 2026-27, with EliteProspects listing only 20 players on its roster as of Tuesday night. Should McCrate’s move to the Bulldogs go through, he would instantly become the oldest (19 years old) and highest-drafted defenseman (216th overall) on the team, narrowly edging out Montreal draft pick Jean-Samuel Daigneault (221st overall).
Although McCrate is delaying his entry into college hockey for a year, his eligibility is already on the clock. As of August 1st, the NCAA instituted a new age-based eligibility model that grants athletes five years of eligibility rather than the traditional four. The clock starts either on their first semester of enrollment or the fall semester following their 19th birthday. With McCrate turning 19 in April, he will have four years remaining when he arrives at Michigan State in 2027.
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