Gladiators bring back Less

Duluth, Ga. - The Atlanta Gladiators, ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Nashville Predators and the American Hockey League’s Milwaukee Admirals, announced that the team has re-signed defenseman Brendan Less for the 2026-27 season.

Less, 28, returns to Atlanta for his second season with the club after being acquired by the Gladiators via trade with the Adirondack Thunder last summer. He recorded 18 points (4g-14a) in 57 games with Atlanta last season, finishing with the third most points among Gladiators defensemen. His +26 rating in the 2025-26 season was the third best plus-minus ever recorded by a Gladiator in a single season, behind only Jim Jackson (+34 in 2003-04) and Brad Schell (+32 in 2005-06).

Less has spent time with Worcester, Iowa, Adirondack and Atlanta over the last five seasons, logging 56 points (7g-49a) in 180 career regular-season ECHL games, as well as 20 career Kelly Cup Playoff games. Less also appeared in one AHL game with the Syracuse Crunch in the 2024-25 season.

The native of Kinnelon, New Jersey spent four years at Dartmouth College from 2017-21 prior to playing at Quinnipiac for the 2021-22 season. In 125 NCAA games, Less notched 36 points (6g-30a). After completing his college career, he joined the Worcester Railers to end the 2021-22 season.