The elder statesman of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft hasn’t just been taken down by the injury bug.

It’s also ended his season.

Barrie Colts forward Tanner Pearson has played his last game of the season after suffering a broken right fibula in the third period of Saturday’s 5-2 loss to the Brampton Battalion.

Pearson, an overager in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, was one of the Canadian Hockey League’s feel-good stories. After just 42 points last season, the Kitchener, ON. product exploded for 37 goals and 91 points this season and represented Canada at the 2012 World Junior Championship where he had one goal and five points in six games.

He’s the latest of the 2012 draft class to suffer a significant injury, joining the list of Alex Galchenyuk, Morgan Rielly, Slater Koekkoek, Martin Frk, Matia Marcantuoni, Nail Yakupov Ryan Murray and Olli Maatta, among others, who have suffered a serious injury this season.

The six-foot, 196-pound winger exercised caution in talking about the injury bug that has riddled the 2012 draft at the NHL/CHL Top Prospects’ Game last month.

“I try not to think about that,” said Pearson. “It’s been pretty bad so far. There are lots of guys getting injured which is unfortunate for them, but they’re all high skilled players so they’ll probably bounce back.”

How Pearson responds will not be known until next year.