Toronto Maple Leafs: 2017-18 Player Profiles – Connor Brown

We’re back with another episode of Toronto Maple Leafs player profiles.

The other day, we took a look at Tyler Bozak and the career he’s had in the NHL thus far. He’s spent his entire eight year career with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Moving on in alphabetical order, today we’re going to be taking a look at a rare gem from the Brian Burke draft era, Connor Brown.

Brown’s Career

Brown is the type of hockey player than Don Cherry loves. A good ol’ Canadian boy born and raised in Toronto who grew up a Leafs fan. He played AAA with the Toronto Marlboros of the GTHL and then in 2011-12, he kicked off his OHL career playing for the Erie Otters. Despite being on the smaller side, Brown had an edge to his game and proved to be a hard worker, which intrigued Leafs management.

How he got to Toronto

The Toronto Maple Leafs selected Connor Brown in the sixth round at 156th overall of the 2012 NHL Draft. He had a successful first OHL season after spending the year prior playing for the St. Michael’s Buzzers of the OJHL. He put up 53 points in 68 games for the Otters in 2011-12.

After the Draft

Fast-forward to the 2013-14 OHL season. Brown had just completed a solid campaign the year before that saw him put up 69 points in 63 games. In 2013-14, however, he absolutely exploded. Brown put up 45 goals and 128 points through 68 games for the Otters, the eventual OHL scoring champion.

The Otters had the highest scoring and most dominant line in the OHL that year, featuring current Oilers superstar Connor McDavid along with winger Dane Fox. Brown, Fox, and McDavid each finished with 128, 107, and 99 points respectively. Leaf fans were excited by these totals, but knew not to get too excited considering he was playing alongside of McDavid.

Brown and the Toronto Maple Leafs

Brown decided to show Leafs management that he could still be productive even without a star centre. He would join the Toronto Marlies and lead them in scoring in his first pro season. He finished with 61 points in 76 games.

The year after that, Brown experienced some unfortunate injuries that held him out of a lot of the 2015-16 season. When he was playing, he put up 29 points in 34 games, and he even got a taste of NHL action where he didn’t disappoint. The Toronto native would register five points in the six games he appeared in.

Brown Last Season

Brown impressed head coach Mike Babcock and the rest of management with his gritty, hard-working play style and offensive touch in training camp. He would go on to score a spot on the Leafs roster, and he enjoyed a solid season. Throughout the year, Brown put up 20 goals and 36 points in 82 games while being used in a defensive role.

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He saw some time playing right wing alongside of Auston Matthews and Zach Hyman, but eventually found his way to Nazem Kadri’s right wing. He would remain there for the rest of the season.

Brown’s Role Next Season: Third Line Right Wing

Brown is currently without a contract heading into next season, but will almost certainly sign soon.  The Toronto Maple Leafs experienced success with their top three lines last season, so there’s no reason Brown should be moved from his spot. The beauty with Mike Babcock is that the terms “First line, second line, third line, etc” don’t really mean a lot.

Next: Morgan Rielly Is Better Than You Think

All three of those lines saw a more-or-less equal amount of ice time, so Brown will get lots of exposure next year. After 20 goals in his first taste of NHL action, there’s no reason Brown shouldn’t continue to boost his skills and totals next year.