The Owen Sound Attack have acquired former fourth-overall pick Brenner Lammens from the Sarnia Sting.

In a trade announced Thursday, the Attack sent veteran forward Jake Crawford and five early-round draft picks to the Sting for Lammens, whom Sarnia selected one pick before the Owen Sound Attack took Max Delisle in the 2025 OHL draft.

The picks going to Sarnia are a 2027 second-round pick (SOO), a 2028 second-round pick (SOO), a 2030 second-round pick, a 2028 third-round pick (OTT), and a conditional 2029 15th-round pick. That pick will become Ottawa’s fourth-round pick in 2029 if Lammens plays the 2028-29 season or scores 30 goals.

Sarnia also sends Owen Sound a conditional 2030 15th-round pick, which becomes Sarnia’s sixth-round pick in 2030 if Jake Crawford plays an overage year.

“I think he’s got a really high compete level and I think he’s someone our fans will enjoy watching,” Owen Sound Attack president and GM Tyler Nother said in an interview Thursday.

NHL Central Scouting gave Lammens a B-rating on its recent players-to-watch list. The Langton (Norfolk County) product and former Toronto Red Wing scored nine goals and added nine assists as a true rookie with the Sting.

“I think sometimes a change of scenery is what players need. I think when he gets his change of scenery, we think there is tremendous upside with the player,” Nother said. “He’s got skill. He can score. He’ll go to the dirty areas. He’s hyper competitive, and those are things that really matter to us with our team.”

So far this year, he’s recorded five goals and six assists, along with 27 penalty minutes.

He’s listed at six-foot and 195 pounds. He’s played on the wing in Sarnia and is listed as a left winger by NHL Central Scouting, but has also spent time at centre. He captained the Toronto Red Wings under-16 team in his OHL draft year.

Nother said centre is his natural position, and he’ll likely return to it in Owen Sound, giving the Attack a young one-two punch down the middle with Lammens and Delisle.

“He’s excited about what’s building here in Owen Sound. He wants to be part of a championship team and build a winning culture,” Nother said.

Before taking on his roles with Owen Sound this season amid the team’s ownership change, Nother was an agent with Newport Sports Management, the agency that represents Lammens.

Crawford, 19, is one of the Owen Sound Attack’s longest-tenured players with 202 games under his belt with the Scenic City Skaters. The 19-year-old from Barrie is a former second-round pick who has recorded 32 goals and 54 helpers in his OHL career.

He’s committed to play at Bowling Green (NCAA) next season.

“This move is about putting our team in the best position for this year and beyond. We believe we have the talent and the depth to be a tough team to play against in the second half, and into the playoffs, and Jake Crawford makes us even harder to play against,” said Sarnia Sting general manager Dylan Seca in a team release. “He’s a big, smart, 200-foot centre who has been a tough matchup for every team in this league for three years, including us.”

Nother still doesn’t like the word rebuild, and wouldn’t use it to describe what’s happening in Owen Sound despite the trade for youth.

“Retooling is probably something that this looks like. We move Jake Crawford, who is an unbelievable player and person and somebody we respect a lot, but it allows us to get a little bit younger at the position. That feels like a retool,” Nother said.

Seca echoed Nother’s comments about Lammens looking for a change of scenery in his comments.

“Brenner was looking for a bigger opportunity, and we wanted to respect that and find a situation where he can take on a larger role,” Seca said. “We believe Owen Sound gives him that chance.”