Rookie Sensation Brown Re-signs with Beast
Brampton Beast Media Release
Brampton, ON – The Brampton Beast are thrilled to announce the return of rookie sensation Jeff Brown for the 2015-2016 ECHL season.
Brown, a Toronto native, will continue his career as a ‘Hometown Kid’ after making the jump to pro hockey with the Beast last February. Fresh from wrapping up his senior campaign with the University of Toronto Varsity Blues (CIS), the young forward joined the Beast mid-season, and looked like anything but a rookie after notching five points in his first five games with the team.
“Jeff came in last year as the 10th forward and earned his way,” says Beast Head Coach Colin Chaulk. “He is a guy that does a little bit of everything and we expect him to challenge and push our top six forwards. He plays the right way; on the penalty kill, on special teams, and at the same time he can run a guy over. The biggest thing that stood out after watching game tape was his level of physicality and his willingness to compete, and those are valuable assets to our team.”
A force to be reckoned with at both ends of the ice, Brown instantly became a fan favourite with his soft hands and hard hits, playing every shift with a ferocious energy and bringing the Powerade Centre crowd to their feet again and again during his 21 games with the team.
“I think a big part of that early success comes from the way I play my game,” says Brown. “I want to by that gritty, hard-nosed player, the two-way guy that can use strength and skill around the net and put up some good numbers.”
This combination of determination, skill and drive are qualities that Team President and General Manager Cary Kaplan also has on his checklist this summer as he continues to assemble next season’s roster.
“In a very short period of time Jeff showed a tenacity and fearlessness in his game that we are really looking for,” says Kaplan, who discussed the importance of players like Brown, who truly appreciate playing the game they love at a high level in front of such passionate fans, during the tough nights that come with a long ECHL season.
Despite several offers to play professionally overseas, Brown chose to continue his development closer to home. The older brother of prospect Connor Brown, the Toronto Marlies leading scorer this past season, Jeff will spend the summer training at the MasterCard Centre with a number of Marlies and Maple Leafs players under the supervision of former Marlies trainer Bryan Marshall.
“I had a few offers over in Europe that I turned down,” says Brown. “Returning to the ECHL to play for the Beast was my first choice. It’s a great opportunity with the Montreal Canadiens becoming our new NHL affiliate, and having the chance to sit down with Chaulk was a big part of the decision to come back and sign. He has a smart hockey mind and I like the direction he is planning on taking the team, and I want to be a big part of that this season.”
Prior to making the jump to pro, the 6’1”, 200-pound winger spent four years playing Canadian Interuniversity Sport Hockey for the Varsity Blues, scoring at a clip of over a point-per-game with 40 goals, 46 assists and 86 points in 83 total contests. Brown truly found his groove with the Blues in his final season, where he notched 13 goals and 18 assists in 27 games while becoming an on and off-ice leader for the team.
During his junior career, Brown spent two and a half seasons with the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League before being traded to the Windsor Spitfires in his final year of eligibility. During his 182-game OHL career, Brown scored 51 goals and 58 assists to go along with 263 penalty minutes.
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