Joshua Brown

History

2009-10: Joshua Brown appeared in one game for the London Junior Knights midget AAA team and was one of the top defensemen on the Knights’ Gold minor midget team. He had no points nor penalty minutes in his one game with the midget AAA team. Brown scored 5 goals with 13 assists in 43 games with the Knights Gold team and had 43 penalty minutes. He skated in five OHL Cup games with the Knights Gold team and had 1 assist with 6 penalty minutes. Brown was selected by Oshawa in the third round (44th overall) of the 2010 OHL Priority Draft.

2010-11: Brown played junior A hockey with the Whitby Fury in the Ontario Junior Hockey League. In 35 games he scored 6 goals with 4 assists and had 59 penalty minutes.

2011-12: Brown played 46 games for Oshawa in his first OHL season. He had 4 assists and was -9 with 49 penalty minutes. Oshawa was third in the East Division and faced Niagara in a first round playoff series. Brown played in two of six playoff games and was -1 with no points nor penalty minutes.

2012-13: Brown assumed a leadership role with Oshawa in his second OHL season; skating in all 68 games for the Generals. He had 16 assists and was +17 with 79 penalty minutes. Oshawa finished second in the East Division and reached the second round in the playoffs. Brown played nine playoff games, scoring his first OHL goal and finishing +1 with 4 assists and 11 penalty minutes. Ranked 174th amongst North American skaters in Central Scouting’s final rankings, Brown was selected by Florida in the 6th round (152nd overall) of the 2013 NHL Draft.

2013-14: Brown was a team captain for Oshawa in his second season with the Generals and represented the OHL in the 2013 Subway Series against Russia. In 56 regular season games he scored 2 goals with 10 assists and was +7 with 83 penalty minutes. Oshawa finished first in the East Division and lost to North Bay in the Eastern Conference finals. Brown was +5 with no points and 18 penalty minutes in nine playoff games.

2014-15: Brown returned to Oshawa for an overage season and was a team captain for the Memorial Cup champions. In 60 regular season games he scored 4 goals with 17 assists and was +49 with 92 penalty minutes. The Generals finished first in the East Division, defeating the Erie Otters in the OHL finals to reach the Memorial Cup. Brown scored 2 goals with 2 assists and was +5 with 30 penalty minutes in 21 playoff games. The Generals faced WHL champion Kelowna in the Memorial Cup championship game, defeating the Generals 2-1 in overtime. Brown was +1 with 1 assist and 2 penalty minutes in four Memorial Cup games. He signed a three-year entry-level contract with Florida in April 2015.

2015-16: Brown played in 10 games with the AHL’s Portland Pirates, spending most of his first pro season in the ECHL with Manchester. He was -2 with 1 assist and 7 penalty minuets playing for the Pirates. In 54 games with Manchester he scored 1 goal with 11 assists and was +10 with 80 penalty minutes. The Monarchs finished first in the East Divison, falling to Adirondack in a first-round playoff series. Brown had an even plus/minus with no points and 4 penalty minutes in five playoff games.

Talent Analysis

Brown is a big, shut-down defenseman with little offensive upside. He contributes to the team by punishing opponents and using his strength to deny attacking forwards any comfortable spot to set up opportunities.

Future

Brown appeared in 10 AHL games with the Portland Pirates in 2015-16, spending the bulk of his first pro season in the ECHL. A big, physical defenseman who will come to the aid of teammates and is a natural leader, he gets the most of his ability but will need to add mobility and improve his technical skill and tactical play to one day reach the NHL. Brown projects as a lower-pairing defense-first defenseman.