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Vegas AHL Affiliate Announces Name, Logo

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It’s official, the new AHL affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights will be known as the Henderson Silver Knights. While the name comes as little surprise after reports months ago, the logo—which is very reminiscent of the Golden Knights themselves—was revealed in a ceremony tonight.

The Silver Knights were born when the Golden Knights bought the San Antonio Rampage earlier this year and almost immediately announced they would be relocating to Henderson. The team will play out of Orleans Arena in Las Vegas until a new facility is constructed.

As with everything the Golden Knights have done so far, the production value on a minor league name announcement was top notch. As Patrick Williams of NHL.com tweets, the event “raises the bar” for the AHL as a whole. Bill Foley, owner of both teams, announced that his goal is to “bring the Stanley Cup here and now also the Calder Cup.”

The Silver Knights will begin play in the 2020-21 season. Foley announced tonight that 7,600 season ticket deposits have already been taken.

Latest On NHL’s Hub City Plan

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The NHL still doesn’t have a concrete idea of when or how the season will resume, but continue to work on potential options for a restart. One of those is a “hub city” proposal, where teams would gather in one location to play games in front of empty arenas. Gary Bettman spoke this morning, and Nick Cotsonika of NHL.com relayed his most important points. Among them is the idea that the league continues to look at “eight or nine different places” that would be able to host up to a dozen teams in one location. That would need ample hotel and practice facilities, obviously ruling out some markets in North America.

On Sportsnet radio today, Chris Johnston explained that he has heard the two leading candidate cities are Las Vegas and Columbus, though there is still work to do on both fronts. Johnston does explain that the league and NHLPA are “getting closer to having the actual format essentially nailed down.”

The two-city hub idea would have each conference split to complete some play-in games before a regular playoffs and would allow the league to operate without dealing with multiple state, provincial or federal governments. Remember, as Cotsonika writes, 17 percent of the league’s players are currently outside of North America and will likely need a quarantine period following their return.

Both Johnston and Bettman focus on testing as the biggest question the league has to solve before anything can come back. The commissioner explained that the amount of tests is a “fundamental question” though he did sound optimistic about the increased capacity.

To be clear, nothing has been announced officially from the league at this point on which cities would be used as hubs. As with anything related to coronavirus contingencies, a new outbreak or wave could immediately change (or scrap) any plans.

League Notes: June Draft, Phase 2, Hub Cities, NHL Awards

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After indications earlier in the month that the NHL was favoring a June draft, little has come out of that so far. However, that may change soon. The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun (subscription required) writes that NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly indicated a decision should come shortly and likely will be part of the discussion with the NHL Board of Governors at their meeting on Monday afternoon.

A June draft before the NHL 2019-20 season ends has become a controversial discussion since introduced with the general belief that many GMs are against conducting a draft in the middle of the season. However, LeBrun notes that the draft does not need an official Board of Governors vote, meaning that if commissioner Gary Bettman believes it will be in the NHL’s best interest in conducting the draft in June, it can happen that way.

  • In the same article, LeBrun adds that the NHL must come up with a timeline for Phase 2, which would lift the ban of self-isolation and players can start using team facilities in small groups. That would also start the process of NHL players living in Europe returning to their NHL cities and beginning their own self-quarantines. There are a number of players who are opposed to return to action anytime soon, however, and may not be thrilled with the idea of returning to their NHL squads, which could risk their health and their families.
  • LeBrun, in a separate article, writes that 15 cities showed interest in becoming hub cities for a four-site playoff plan. The NHL has already informed some of those cities that they have been eliminated with eight or nine teams still in the mix. There are still some major cities still under consideration, including Las Vegas, Edmonton, Vancouver, Minnesota and Toronto. The Athletic’s Scott Burnside (subscription required) writes that the plan would be that 12 teams in each conference would go to the playoffs, which would be split into groups of six. Each group of six teams would end up in that host city throughout the playoffs, although if an NHL team’s city is a hub city, then that team would not be allowed to play there, meaning the Maple Leafs would not be allowed to play in Toronto and the Golden Knights wouldn’t play in Vegas.
  • One potential possibility that could get underway soon would be NHL awards. With a playoff format likely be announced soon, whether it be a 20-team playoff or a 24-team format, LeBrun writes that it will likely end the season of non-playoff teams. The NHL would likely take advantage of that by beginning voting for regular season awards and start producing finalists and winners to begin promoting the NHL while play remains on suspension.

Snapshots: Las Vegas, Draft Update, Avalanche, Brackett

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With two different leagues, the NHL and NBA, looking into neutral sites to finish out their 2019-20 seasons, Las Vegas looks to be at the top of the list. MGM Resorts have reportedly shown interest, offering to host either league in the city. However, Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey Now reports that Vegas has become the source of a turf battle between the two leagues as the main neutral site for the playoffs.

The NHL might have the advantage, however, considering that the Golden Knights are well established in the city, while there is no NBA team. The NBA is also considering Disney World as a potential site.

  • While talk of an early June draft has quieted somewhat in the last week, that doesn’t mean the idea is dead. According to The Hockey News’ Ryan Kennedy, an NHL general manager told him that the league has been consistently telling teams that they will have at least one month’s notice before the draft, meaning that the original projected date of June 5 isn’t going to happen. The earliest the league could put a draft together would be mid-June. Of course, with many general managers resisting an early draft, it remains completely up in the air, meaning it could happen soon or in the October/November time frame.
  • In his most recent mailbag series, the Denver Post’s Mike Chambers warns fans not to get too excited about the UFA free agent market and the fact that Colorado should have plenty of money to spend. With two star players potentially available in winger Taylor Hall and defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, many have felt that Colorado might add a star to push themselves to the top of the Central Division. However, Chambers said the team is not interested in either player and is more interested in continuing to build its team from within. The team is happy with its top-six and with Cale Makar and Erik Johnson on the right side, as well as the fact that prospect Conor Timmins is close to NHL ready, there isn’t any room for Pietrangelo either.
  • Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre writes that the Vancouver Canucks are likely to lose Judd Brackett, the team’s director of amateur scouting when his contract is up at the end of June. Brackett has been a key figure in Vancouver since he was promoted to the position back in 2015 and has been a key piece in rebuilding the franchise. However Elliotte Friedman recently reported on 650 radio in Vancouver that the two sides are likely to break ties after he rejected an extension offer recently. “Judd Brackett and the Vancouver Canucks clearly are not comfortable with each other. For whatever reason, the organization is not comfortable with him, and he is not comfortable with them. I think everybody can see that at this point in time,” Friedman said. MacIntyre also notes that the impasse between the two teams has nothing to do with pay or job title, but more likely because despite drafting well the last few years with Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes, the team shook up the scouting department last offseason, firing four of his scouts.

College Notes: Dugan, Zegras, York, Beecher, Ahcan, Chaffee, Richards

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So far when it comes to the college market, the Vegas Golden Knights have been quiet. However, rumors suggested that the Vegas franchise intended to bring aboard Hobey Baker Award finalist Jack Dugan, who wrapped up his sophomore season at Providence College. General manager Kelly McCrimmon confirmed that they will begin negotiations soon with Dugan, who led the NCAA in points this season, according to Las Vegas Review-Journal’s David Schoen.

“We’ll have discussions with his representatives here at an appropriate point,” said McCrimmon. “It hasn’t been pressing because there’s no hockey being played. But those are conversations we’ll have here as we move along.”

Dugan, the team’s fifth-round pick in 2017, has driven up his stock in two years at Providence. He had an impressive rookie season where he posted 10 goals and 39 points in 41 games and followed that up with a much more dominant sophomore campaign, scoring 10 goals and 52 points in just 34 games. The 6-foot-2 winger would likely challenge for a role with the Golden Knights if he signs, although the team could send him to the AHL to further develop his skills.

  • In a Q&A, The Athletic’s Eric Stephens (subscription required) writes that from everyone he’s talked to, it’s expected that top prospect Trevor Zegras will leave Boston University and sign with Anaheim at some point during the offseason. Zegras, the ninth-overall pick in the 2019 draft, dominated at the World Junior Championships in December, leading the United States with nine assists in five games. He had 11 goals and 36 points in 33 games. Considered to be one of the top prospects in hockey, Zegras could conceivably make the Ducks squad next year and challenge for the Calder Trophy.
  • Michigan Daily’s Bailey Johnson reports that University of Michigan head coach Mel Pearson said that while he hasn’t had exit meetings with two of his top players, defenseman Cam York and center John Beecher, he expects both players to return to the Wolverines next season. York, the Philadelphia Flyers first-round pick (14th overall) in 2019, had five goals and 16 points in 30 games for Michigan. Beecher, the Boston Bruins first-round pick (30th overall) had nine goals and 16 points in 31 contests for the Wolverines. Pearson said both players are home and he’s giving them time before discussing the subject with them, but he believes both intend to stay in school.
  • AHL reporter Mark Divver reports that the Boston Bruins are expected to be in the mix for two of the remaining top NCAA free agents in St. Cloud State’s Jack Ahcan and University of Massachusetts-Amherst’s Mitchell Chaffee. Ahcan, a 22-year-old defenseman, wrapped up his senior campaign with seven goals and 25 points. Chaffee, who also is 22, scored 16 goals and 29 points in 30 games last season, his junior year, and is rumored to be courted by the Golden Knights as well. Divver adds that University of Minnesota-Duluth center Justin Richards is also on Boston’s radar.

Vegas Golden Knights Purchase San Antonio Rampage

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February 28: The AHL’s board has approved the sale and the relocation to Henderson, effective for the 2020-21 season. The team will play at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas next season.

February 6: The Vegas Golden Knights now own their very own AHL franchise, purchasing the San Antonio Rampage. The team is applying for relocation with the intention to move the minor league club to Henderson/Las Vegas, Nevada. Golden Knights CEO Bill Foley released a short statement:

Since our initial season ticket drive began five years ago in February 2015, we have witnessed first-hand the incredible passion and enthusiasm our community has for hockey. By every relevant metric, the growth of the game here the last few years at all levels has been remarkable. We could not be more proud to bring a second professional hockey club to the Valley to accelerate this growth even further.

The Golden Knights are currently affiliated with the Chicago Wolves, who will be looking for a new NHL partner next season should the relocation go through. It is still pending AHL Board of Governors approval, but if everything goes according to plan the Rampage would relocate for the 2020-21 season. The team is expected to be named the Henderson Silver Knights.

The Rampage will remain affiliated with the St. Louis Blues through the end of the 2019-20 season. Blues GM Doug Armstrong announced that the team will begin the search for a new affiliate immediately, despite signing a five-year agreement with San Antonio in 2017.

College Hockey Round-Up: 02/26/20

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With just one or two weekends left in the regular season for NCAA programs, every game counts a little more as teams are jockeying for position in their conference tournaments. The Big Ten, ECAC, WCHA, and Atlantic kick off their tournament play on March 6th, while Hockey East and the NCHC play an extra week of regular season matchups and get underway on March 13th. The winners of each tournament get an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, while the rest of the field is selected based on the national rankings.

In the Big Ten, all seven teams make the postseason and preseason favorite Wisconsin already has the sad distinction of locking up the bottom seed and a meeting with the second seed in the first round. All other spots are still up for grabs, but the conferences only ranked teams – No. 9 Penn State, No. 10 Ohio State, and No. 18 Minnesota – are the only ones left in the running for the coveted first-round bye.

In Hockey East, only eight of eleven teams make the tournaments and Vermont and Merrimack have already been eliminated from contention. That leaves nine teams, all within a nine-point range and having two-to-four games remaining, to battle for seeding in what should be an excellent conference tournament.

The WCHA uses a similar structure as Hockey East, allowing eight of their ten teams into the tournament. It’s a good thing too, as this past weekend showed that the likes of No. 2 Minnesota State and current WCHA bottom-dweller Alabama-Huntsville do not need a playoff series to determine who is better. In fact, the balance of power in the conference is so much that a tournament win by anyone other than Minnesota State or No. 11 Bemidji State would be a major upset and would cause a shift in the NCAA Tournament landscape.

The NCHC has the same 1-8 format, except that the conference only houses eight teams. No team has locked up a specific seed yet, but the field is deep behind No. 3 North Dakota, No. 5 Minnesota Duluth, No. 6 Denver, No. 16 Western Michigan, and unranked but formidable St. Cloud State.

The ECAC also allows all 12 of its teams to compete in the conference tournament, with the top four seeds earning a bye. It is clear that No. 1 Cornell and No. 7 Clarkson will be among that top quartet, but the likes of No. 17 Quinnipiac, Harvard, and surprise Rensselaer will battle for the final two byes this week.

Finally, there is Atlantic Hockey, the spoiler conference. The tournament winner, often a surprise, is also almost always outside the top 16 seeds, causing a shakeup to the national tourney. This year, either one of No. 20 American International or previously ranked Sacred Heart could potentially hold their own on the NCAA, but they will be bumping a better team nevertheless.

Recent Results

There has been another shift at the top of the national rankings in recent weeks. Despite sweeping No. 6 Denver two weeks ago, North Dakota drops to No. 3 after recording a tie and a loss against St. Cloud State this past weekend. In their stead, Cornell moves back up to No. 1 with four wins over four different ECAC opponents, while Minnesota State slides into No. 2 with just two wins but a whopping 18-0 differential against Alabama Huntsville.

Boston College established itself as both a true national contender and the team to beat out of Hockey East this year with a convincing four-win stretch over Merrimack and No. 13 Northeastern. Northeastern fans may be scratching their heads a bit, as the team currently sits one spot behind No. 12 UMass Lowell, who they swept two weeks ago and who picked up just one win in their most recent home-and-home against No. 8 UMass. One way or another, these four programs seem like a lock for the national stage barring a collapse in the final weeks or the conference tournament. The real question is whether No. 15 Maine or the severely slumping No. 19 Providence College can get into the NCAA Tournament on merit or if they will have to win Hockey East to get in, like UConn and Boston University must do.

The Big Ten’s top teams finally appear to be turning things around. While a 2-1-1 record in recent weeks is not stunning, it was enough for Penn State to move up to No. 9. Meanwhile, Ohio State has climbed to No. 10 following a sweep of Michigan State. Quietly, No. 18 Minnesota has also climbed into the national conversation, but will need a strong final week and conference tourney showing to get in.

Three ranked teams that currently qualify as wild cards right now are No. 11 Bemidji State, No. 14 Arizona State, and No. 20 America International. Bemidji has been moving up the rankings for some time now, but a recent 3-0-1 run has catapulted them to right outside the top-ten. Yet, when it comes to evaluating the weak competition of the WCHA, there’s a chance that Bemidji could be a bubble team if they don’t at least reach the conference tournament final against Minnesota State. Arizona State, an independent, must get into the NCAA Tournament on merit, but a recent sweep by Wisconsin to end their regular season doesn’t help. A spoiler or two in conference tournaments seems likely to bounce ASU, as they now have to sit back and be at the mercy of other teams for the next few weeks. Finally, there’s American International, the newest addition to the national rankings. AIC has won eleven straight games and will only move up the rankings further if they close out the regular season by extending that streak. However, the team plays in the weakest conference in college hockey and are 0-6 in nonconference play this season. Barring a drop-off from several top teams over the next few weeks, AIC will very likely need to win the Atlantic to move on with their season.

Tyler Madden Out Indefinitely

When it comes to college prospects, this year’s NHL Trade Deadline was somewhat of a bust. Of all the deals made, only two current NCAA prospects were dealt and zero NCAA-bound prospects were moved. Denver defenseman Slava Demin was traded by the Vegas Golden Knights to the Chicago Blackhawks as part of the three-team Robin Lehner trade, but the sophomore blue liner is still somewhat of a raw product and his acquisition did not move the needle on the national scale. However, the Los Angeles Kings’ acquisition of Northeastern star Tyler Madden is a much bigger deal. Madden, acquired in the Tyler Toffoli deal, is one of the very best goal scorers in the NCAA. The sophomore forward has 37 points in 27 games this season, which places him in the top five of per-game producers at the college level. His 19 goals also places him in the top ten. Madden just recently helped the Huskies win their third straight Beanpot title and has a strong chance of leading the team in scoring this season.

However, his current totals will likely have to hold for the rest of the year. Madden suffered a hand injury on Friday, February 14th against UMass Lowell, just two days before his rights were traded to L.A. Head coach Jim Madigan announced last week that Madden is out indefinitely, while other sources have stated that the timeline is six-to-eight weeks. The early end of that timeline would allow Madden to return in time for the NCAA Tournament, but the latter would only allow him to play in a potential Final Four appearance. Judging by how Northeastern played against Boston College this past weekend, dropping both games and the second by a score of 10-1, the Huskies will have to fight just to get into the national tournament and a long run seems like a long shot. Fortunately, even if he misses the remainder of the campaign, Madden is expected back at Northeastern next year even after his trade to the Kings and will be looking to re-assert himself as one of the best players in college hockey and his team as a national contender.

Bids Placed For Future Frozen Fours

The bidding on hosting the Frozen Four in 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026 closed earlier this month and featured some interesting locations. This year’s Frozen Four is set to return to Detroit for the first time since 2010, while the next two years are set for familiar cities in Pittsburgh and Boston. However, a new name seems likely to host in the coming years: Las Vegas. After hosting holiday tournaments over the past few years, the city is hoping to move up to the biggest NCAA stage by hosting the Final Four. The games would take place at T-Mobile Arena, home of the Vegas Golden Knights. Another city itching for a return to the grand stage of college hockey is St. Louis. The 2007 hosts have been frequent bidders in recent years, but now the home of the defending Stanley Cup champs and this year’s NHL All-Star Game have as good a chance as ever. Columbus would also like to get in on the action. The city last hosted in 2005, but on the campus of Ohio State. This time around, Blue Jackets’ home of Nationwide Arena would be the epicenter of the action, while college town atmosphere would still be present. Perhaps the most exciting opportunity could be the bid from Seattle, which has the support of the NCHC. Soon to be the NHL’s newest city, a Frozen Four in Seattle would only further the growth of the hockey fan base in the area. Among other bids were Chicago, Dallas, Kansas City, Milwaukee, New York, Philadelphia, and Tampa.

Western Notes: Vegas AHL Affiliate, Minnesota, Winnipeg

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Just recently, the Vegas Golden Knights were reportedly working on purchasing an AHL team and bringing it to Las Vegas to be their new minor league affiliate as quickly as next season, possibly calling them the Henderson Silver Knights. While it looked to be just speculation, it looks to be true as the Chicago Sun-Times’ Brian Sandalow writes that Vegas’ current AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, are expected to find a new franchise to work with starting next season.

“The Chicago Wolves will be here next season,” chairman Don Levin told the Sun-Times before the Wolves beat the Manitoba Moose 5-2 on Saturday. “But I don’t know who we’ll be affiliated with.”

Levin went on to say that there is “no scenario at all” in which the Wolves would be affiliated with the Vegas Golden Knights next season. He added that he’s heard that Vegas has talked to every independent team if they wanted to sell, but hasn’t heard whether the Golden Knights’ franchise has found a buyer.

  • The Athletic’s Michael Russo (subscription required) writes that changes in Minnesota may be coming soon after the Minnesota Wild suffered an embarrassing 4-0 shutout loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday. While the scribe is just conjecturing, he said that it might not be coincidence that the entire Minnesota front office is in town, including advisor Jack Ferreira and general manager Bill Guerin looked upset and stood for 10 straight minutes after David Pastrnak scored to give Boston a 4-0 lead. The team has quite a few issues to deal with, the most challenging is the fact that it has just one unrestricted free agent coming off the books this summer in Mikko Koivu.
  •  The Winnipeg Jets and general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff will soon have to make a decision about whether the team will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline. After a big victory over the first-place Blues Saturday, The Athletic’s Murat Ates (subscription required) writes that what the Jets need more than anything is secondary scoring. The team is without their top two checkers in Adam Lowry and Mathieu Perreault, both injured, meaning instead of sending out their checking line to stop the opposing team’s top line, Winnipeg is now forced to send their top line out instead. The team needs help in its secondary scoring, although the play of Jack Roslovic of late could make quite a difference if he can keep it up. The team could have some cap room to work if it’s true that Dustin Byfuglien will miss the season due to injury.

Snapshots: Hurricanes, Krebs, Suzuki, Poehling

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Justin Williams has left the door open to return to the Carolina Hurricanes at some point during the upcoming season, but the team can’t rely on that possibility as part of their identity moving forward. For that reason, the team will replace him as captain, at least at some point. “Be perfectly clear on it”, head coach Rod Brind’Amour told the Associated Press, “He’s not part of the group. We’re moving on as if he’s not going to be here. If he comes to us in January or February and says, `Maybe I want to come back’… it’s not going to catch us by surprise. He’s earned the right to make that decision”. Veteran forward Jordan Staal echoed the sentiment, saying “as of now, we’re moving on from Willie as our captain and we’ll see where it takes us.”

Of course, Staal was on of two co-captains in Carolina in the season prior to Williams’ arrival, alongside defenseman Justin Faulk. Before that there had been no captain since the departure of the face of the franchise, Eric Staal, in 2016. It doesn’t appear as though these Hurricanes will let the captain role lie dormant in Williams’ wake as they did Staal, but Brind’Amour did say that it may take some time to name a replacement. The younger Staal and Faulk are both strong candidates to take over again. Top young players Jaccob Slavin and Sebastian Aho are also top options. For his part, Staal believes there are actually a number of possible players who can fill the role: ”I think as a core, as a group, we’ve got a lot of good kids and a lot of good leaders. ’Usually, as a captain, there’s a lot of guys beside him that are helping him out. I think Willie was a great leader, but as a core, I think there were a lot of great guys that showed up every day ready to work.”

  • On ability alone, Peyton Krebs should not have been the No. 17 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. The talented young forward out of the WHL’s Winnipeg Ice (formerly Kootenay) was talked about as a possible top-five and certainly top-ten pick last season. However, Krebs tore his Achilles tendon during off-season training prior to the draft and teams became fearful of how it might affect his development. Krebs tumbled down the draft board until the Vegas Golden Knights felt his skill was too attractive to pass up. It seems the team already has a plan in place to best manage the injury as well. The Athletic’s Jesse Granger received word from GM Kelly McCrimmon that Krebs will remain in Las Vegas under the supervision of the team’s medical staff and conditioning team for as long as the Knights deem necessary. The club wants to keep a close eye on their new top prospect’s progress rather than send him back to junior and hope for the best. In fact, Krebs will not re-join the ice until he is game-ready. Early expectations were that Krebs could miss the entire 2019-20 season, so it could be that he doesn’t return to WHL action until this time next year. But if that’s what it takes to ensure that Krebs’ injury doesn’t further set his development back by taking the ice too soon, both team and player should be amenable to the arrangement.
  • Rookies Nick Suzuki and Ryan Poehling are undoubtedly aiming to make the Montreal Canadiens roster out of training camp. Both are high draft picks with considerable skill who should be ready for the highest level. However, head coach Joel Bouchard of the Canadiens’ AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket, feels they should at least begin the year in the minors. He tells Sportsnet’s Eric Engels that, while his main objective is to graduate players to the NHL, he thinks the duo could benefit from a stint in the AHL and has spoken to both about the possibility. Bouchard lays out the difference between the two levels and why two players that Montreal hopes will be core forwards at some point may be better off starting in Laval, especially in a season where the Canadiens feel they can be playoff contenders:

The NHL is a performance league, it’s not a development league. We’re not making decisions for the same reasons. For Claude (Julien), everything is about now… Claude can’t do what we do. He doesn’t have the time. I put players in situations where they’re 100 per cent going to fail, face-offs on their wrong side just so they can learn. Claude can’t do that. It’s not like I’m doing it all the time like I want to lose the game… but at the end of the day, it’s about development.

Golden Knights Sign Patrick Brown

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The Vegas Golden Knights are adding some depth up front, inking Patrick Brown to a two-year contract, per TSN’s Darren Dreger. The deal holds a minimum $700K NHL salary in both seasons, but is a two-way deal in year one and a one-way deal in year two. Brown is set to join recently acquired Nicolas Roy as members of the defending champion Charlotte Checkers of the AHL now pushing for play time in Las Vegas.

The 27-year-old Brown will be able to replace a lot of the lost talent that the Calder Cup finalist Chicago Wolves lost. Coincidentally, it was Brown’s team that helped Carolina to winning the Calder Cup title, defeating Chicago in the finals. However, the Wolves will be without several key players including AHL MVP Daniel Carr as well as Tomas Hyka and Brooks Macek, who are both expected to return to Europe.

Brown posted a career-high 19 goals for the Charlotte Checkers and while he didn’t get into a regular season game this year for the Hurricanes, he did find himself on the playoff roster, playing in all eight games, although he didn’t tally a point. However, he provided some physical needs to help some of the injured Carolina players.

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