Bryan Little to retire as a member of the Winnipeg Jets

The Winnipeg Jets announced Friday that Bryan Little will sign a one-day contract with the team to officially retire as a member of the club.

“It’s a great honor that I can retire as a member of the Winnipeg Jets and end my playing career with the organization where I was drafted and played my entire NHL career,” Little said in a team statement. “I had the privilege to play in Winnipeg and in front of the amazing fans for nine seasons, so I’m grateful for the opportunity to thank the Jets, their fans and the city of Winnipeg.”

Little was taken No. 12 overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, spending his entire career with the Thrashers/Jets organization. Through 13 NHL seasons, Little scored 217 goals and 304 assists for 521 points in 843 career regular-season games.

Little ranks second in franchise history for games, fifth in goals and third in assists.

He reached the 30-goal mark once in 2008-09 with the Thrashers, scoring 31 goals and 20 assists for 51 points. He hit career highs in assists and points in 2013-14 with the Jets, recording 41 assists and adding 23 goals for 64 points.

Little played in 27 career Stanley Cup Playoff games, scoring four goals and eight assists for 12 points. He was a member of the 2017-18 Jets squad that reached the Western Conference Finals, losing to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games.

The 36-year-old Little hasn’t played since the 2019-20 season where he only dressed in seven games with the Jets, scoring two goals and three assists for five points.

“Bryan Little is a crucial part of the history of this franchise and was a key contributor to the Winnipeg Jets throughout his time in the NHL,” Jets General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said. “He was a humble, hardworking player that cared about his teammates and was a quiet, but important leader in the dressing room. Bryan demonstrated tremendous professionalism throughout his time here and it is a true shame that his career was cut short due to injury.”

Born in Edmonton and raised in Cambridge, Ont., Little also represented several times, winning gold at the 2007 World Junior Championships and gold at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in 2005.