The Calgary Flames and Dallas Stars have swapped minor-league defencemen, with Gavin White headed north and Jeremie Poirier going the opposite direction.
White, 23, will report to the AHL’s Wranglers. The Flames have five right-shot blue-liners on their active roster, so he won’t immediately be a call-up candidate.
Calgary’s new guy is listed at 6-foot and 196 pounds. The staff at the Saddledome are bullish on his skating ability, his steady style and his big-game experience.
As a junior, White won back-to-back titles in the Ontario Hockey League — with the Hamilton Bulldogs in 2022 and the Peterborough Petes in 2023. He skated in the Memorial Cup final in 2022, but his Bulldogs were defeated by Poirier’s Saint John Sea Dogs in the championship game.
Now a third-year pro, White has logged 23 appearances so far this season with the Stars’ farm team, recording three goals and two assists.
Poirier’s offensive numbers are much more impressive — he was named to the AHL’s All-Rookie Team in 2022-23 and led the Wranglers in assists last season, with 37 — but it had become clear that the 23-year-old lefty did not factor in the Flames’ long-term plans.
Both of these blue-liners should benefit from a change of scenery.
White is in the final year of his entry-level contract and will be a restricted free agent this summer.