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FN AHL Report Cards: Gavin White fit a role on the Wranglers blue line after his trade
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Photo credit: Jenn Pierce/Calgary Wranglers
Paige Siewert
Jul 1, 2026, 12:00 EDTUpdated: Jul 1, 2026, 00:03 EDT
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Gavin White was a Dallas Stars fourth round draft pick in the 2022 NHL Draft and after two and a half seasons with their AHL affiliate, he was shopped out for a fresh start. White was a two-time J. Ross Robertson Cup winner in his OHL career days and was a large contributor from the blue line. For the Texas Stars, he missed some time due to injuries and played around 50 games his first two seasons. This season, he was with the Stars for 23 games before being traded in early February in exchange for Jeremie Poirier. 

What were the expectations for Gavin White in 2025-26?

For the Wranglers, they didn’t have any set expectations for White at the start of the season because they didn’t know at that time that he’d end up here. Once it was decided that he’d join the team due to the trade, the hope was they’d see an improvement from what they were seeing out of Poirier and add someone who could provide some scoring when the opportunity called for it. Jeremie Poirier was previously a pretty consistent set up guy from the blue line in 2024-25 after coming back from a skate laceration injury but his confidence took a hit and his play took a step back in Calgary in the first half of last season. 

How did Gavin White perform in 2025-26?

White came in as a right shot defenceman and up until the trade, he had five points consisting of three goals and two assists in 23 games with the Stars. White was traded to Calgary on Feb. 2 and was in the Wranglers lineup Feb. 3 in Bakersfield. He was pretty excited to be in a Canadian market and settled in with the team quite well.
Gavin White was consistently on the second or third pairing with Artem Grushnikov, Turner Ottenbreit or Etienne Morin and even got some top pairing looks with Nick Cicek. He had a pretty relaxed but confident style to his game. He showcased his skills as a two way defenceman and played every remaining game in the Wranglers’ season. He finished the year with Calgary with 28 games played and seven assists. From March 25-29, he had a three game, four point streak and that included a season high two point night against the Colorado Eagles. 

What’s the future outlook for Gavin White?

The story around White’s transition to Calgary was a positive one. Was he at a point of perfection in his position? No, but he showed the willingness and ability to grow his game. White’s entry level contract expired and the organization announced on June 29, that he was not issued a qualifying offer.  
White is set to test the market as an unrestricted free agent, but the Wranglers’ defensive core is looking lean for the fall, especially on the right side. Kent Anderson is signed and Hunter Brzustewicz is technically eligible but not likely to spend much time if any in the AHL. If White is still available later in the summer or into the fall, he might be worth another year, at the very least to pump up the Wranglers’ blue line with guys who know the system. It might just not make sense for the Flames to have him on an NHL contract for now.

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