When the Brampton Steelheads planned for the future of their blue line, the name Green was front of mind. What they did not expect was to end up with two of them.
The franchise had long coveted Peter Green, selecting the standout defenceman 14th overall in the 2025 OHL Priority Selection. He was the first defenceman taken in the draft, fresh off serving as captain of the OHL Cup Finalist Don Mills Flyers.
The arrival of his older brother David Green, came together much differently, shaped by offseason movement rather than long-term planning.
“It wasn’t originally designed this way,” Steelheads head coach and general manager James Richmond said. “We had Peter pretty high up on our list in the 09’s. He was our number one ranked defenceman. We were excited to get him there, and then with David wanting to come back to the O and live at home, that pushed us to make a move with Sarnia. We had a player wanting out, so it kind of fell into our lap.”
The Steelheads acquired the elder Green from the Sarnia Sting in late June, bringing the 2023-24 OJHL and CJHL Defenceman of the Year back to Ontario after he spent the 2024-25 season with the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers.
For David, who is committed to Merrimack College for the 2026-27 season, the chance to play alongside his younger brother in the OHL was not something he expected.
“It’s pretty surreal,” David said. “I never would’ve thought this would have happened last year. It’s a lot of fun playing with him, and being D partners the odd game has been amazing.”
Despite sharing a last name, Richmond says the brothers bring very different looks to Brampton’s back end.
“They’re kind of opposites,” Richmond said. “One is 6-foot-3 and over 200 lbs, and the other is just coming into his body as a 16-year-old. They shoot opposite ways. They’re good kids from a good family, and it’s been a good fit.”
Peter, the younger of the two, has wasted little time making an impression. Coming off a gold medal win with Canada Red at the 2025 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Truro, Nova Scotia, he has already established himself as a physical presence.
“Peter might be the toughest 16-year-old I’ve had with the Steelheads,” Richmond said. “He’s a fierce competitor, and I think he’s going to be a real good one.”
David sees the same edge in his brother’s game.
“I think his physicality and his bite are things you don’t usually see from a 16-year-old,” he said. “It’s impressive how assertive he is at that age, and he has a lot of skill as well.”
David, meanwhile, brings experience and composure. After a season in the USHL, he is adjusting to the pace and structure of the OHL, a transition he says has been helped by the coaching staff.
“I think the skill level here, especially at the high end, is higher than what I saw in the USHL,” David said. “There’s also more of a pro-style game. In the USHL there’s a lot of rims and dump-ins, so defencemen are retrieving pucks all game. Here, you’re trying to make a play on every entry. Defending that, stopping guys before the blue line, that’s something I’ve been working on.”
Having his brother alongside him has eased that adjustment.
“The guys have treated me great here,” Peter said. “Having my brother around helps a lot. Just having that personal connection with an older guy. His physicality and how calm he stays on the ice really helps me. He helps me play better.”
Richmond has seen that familiarity show up in games between the brothers on the blue line.
“The odd game we’ll put them together,” he said. “They seem to feed off each other.”
As the season moves forward, the Brampton Steelheads continue to lean on their blue line depth as a foundation of their game and push toward the postseason, the Green brothers are expected to play a key role on the back end. For David, the focus remains simple.
“We want to make sure we get into the playoffs and take our best swing at it,” he said. “You never know what can happen from there.”
