FALCONS ACQUIRE HOUSTON WILSON, JOHN LARKIN IN TRADE WITH PORT HURON

FRESNO, Calif. — The Fresno Falcons have added another pair of experienced pieces ahead of the 2026-27 season, acquiring forward Houston Wilson and defenseman John Larkin from the Port Huron Prowlers in exchange for future considerations.

The move adds two very different but potentially impactful players to the Falcons organization. Wilson arrives as an established professional forward coming off one of the most productive seasons of his career, while Larkin brings a strong NCAA Division I background and immediately showed offensive upside from the blue line after making the jump to professional hockey late last season.

For Fresno, the trade continues an offseason centered around adding experience, versatility and players capable of making an impact throughout the lineup.

WILSON BRINGS PROVEN FPHL PRODUCTION

Wilson, a 6-foot right-shot forward from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is already well established at the professional level and is coming off an outstanding 2025-26 season with the Pee Dee IceCats.

The veteran forward recorded 18 goals and 41 assists for 59 points in 48 regular-season games, finishing third on Pee Dee in both assists and overall scoring. He also served as an alternate captain for an IceCats team that eventually advanced all the way to the Commissioner’s Cup Final.

His impact became even greater once the postseason arrived.

Wilson scored seven goals and added three assists for 10 points in nine playoff games, placing him among the FPHL's leading postseason scorers. His playoff run included a hat trick and the overtime series-clinching goal in Game 3 against the Columbus River Dragons, sending Pee Dee through to the Commissioner’s Cup Final.

That combination of regular-season consistency and playoff production adds another proven offensive weapon to Fresno's forward group.

Wilson is no stranger to the FPHL. Across stops with Pee Dee, Monroe, Elmira and Delaware, he has accumulated 125 points in 127 FPHL regular-season games, nearly a point-per-game pace over an extended sample at the professional level.

But his professional experience extends well beyond the Federal Prospects Hockey League.

Wilson has appeared in 122 SPHL games, recording 24 goals and 33 assists for 57 points while skating with the Birmingham Bulls, Vermilion County Bobcats, Pensacola Ice Flyers and Quad City Storm. His strongest full SPHL campaign came with Pensacola in 2023-24, when he recorded 10 goals and 17 assists for 27 points in 37 games.

He has also earned an opportunity at the ECHL level, receiving a loan from the Delaware Thunder to the Reading Royals during the 2022-23 season and later participating in Reading's 2023 training camp.

Wilson's path to professional hockey began at Stevenson University, where he played four collegiate seasons. He totaled 39 points in 91 games for the Mustangs, including an eight-goal, 17-point junior season in 2019-20. Before Stevenson, Wilson developed with the East Coast Wizards of the Eastern Hockey League, producing 26 points in 30 games before earning his college opportunity.

Now 30, Wilson gives Fresno more than just another scoring option. He brings extensive experience navigating professional hockey, the ability to contribute in different situations and recent experience playing meaningful games deep into the postseason.

LARKIN ADDS NCAA DIVISION I PEDIGREE TO THE BLUE LINE

While Wilson arrives with years of professional experience, Larkin represents a different type of addition.

The 25-year-old defenseman only began his professional career late in the 2025-26 season, but his first 11 games with Port Huron provided an immediate glimpse of what he can bring from the back end.

After joining the Prowlers directly from NCAA Division I Mercyhurst University, Larkin recorded seven assists in just five regular-season games, finishing the regular season with a plus-five rating.

He followed that performance with another four assists in six postseason games, giving him 11 assists in his first 11 professional appearances between the regular season and playoffs. He finished those 11 games with a combined plus-10 rating.

At 6-foot-2 and approximately 195 pounds, the left-shot defenseman gives Fresno size while also displaying the ability to move the puck and contribute offensively.

Larkin spent the 2025-26 collegiate season at Mercyhurst University, recording a goal and five assists for six points in 36 games from the blue line. He helped Mercyhurst advance through the opening round of the Atlantic Hockey Association postseason before concluding his college career and joining Port Huron.

Before transferring to Mercyhurst, Larkin spent three seasons at Ohio State University, competing in the Big Ten.

The Northville, Michigan native appeared in 19 games during his first three seasons with the Buckeyes and scored his first NCAA goal against Omaha during the 2023-24 campaign. Away from the ice, he was twice named Academic All-Big Ten and was a three-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete before earning his bachelor's degree in accounting.

Larkin also brings an extensive junior hockey background.

Before beginning his NCAA career, he spent three full seasons in the United States Hockey League, playing for the Youngstown Phantoms and Muskegon Lumberjacks. He appeared in more than 150 USHL regular-season games before moving to the Austin Bruins of the NAHL for the 2021-22 season.

His year in Austin showed the offensive side of his game that resurfaced during his first professional stint. Larkin produced two goals and 25 assists for 27 points in 49 regular-season games from the Bruins' blue line.

That experience at the USHL, NAHL, Big Ten and Atlantic Hockey levels gives Fresno a defenseman who has spent much of his career competing in structured, high-level environments.

His immediate production in Port Huron suggests that skill set translated quickly when he reached professional hockey.

TWO DIFFERENT ADDITIONS, TWO POTENTIAL IMPACT PLAYERS

The trade gives Fresno two players at very different points in their professional careers.

With Wilson, the Falcons add a veteran who has already demonstrated that he can be a high-end offensive producer in the FPHL. His 59-point regular season and seven-goal playoff performance last year give Fresno another player capable of creating offense while bringing experience from both the FPHL and SPHL.

With Larkin, Fresno adds a defenseman whose professional career may only be 11 games old, but whose résumé already includes extensive USHL experience, four seasons of NCAA Division I hockey and an impressive introduction to the professional game.

Together, the additions give the Falcons another established scoring threat up front and an intriguing puck-moving option on the blue line as the organization continues assembling its roster ahead of training camp.

Fresno receives Houston Wilson and John Larkin in the transaction, while Port Huron receives future considerations.

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