The Ottawa Senators season has been a tire fire this year. Whether it’s been the trio of Ryan Dzingel, Matt Duchene and Mark Stone possibly being traded, or just the terrible play the team has put on, this season has been one to forget.
Through all the pain the team has faced, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Just not with the NHL club per se. While their AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators are not doing much better, there has been one player who has caught fire in 2019. That player being Logan Brown.
Logan Brown’s road to the pros
While being picked 11th overall in the 2016 NHL entry draft, Brown has been one of the most polarizing players amongst all the rookies the Sens have. He has faced multiple injuries ever since being drafted.
That has become one of the reasons fans have questioned Brown’s abilities. But there are reasons to doubt. When a player at the age of 19 and 20 is getting hurt consistently, you start to question how valuable they are. After facing a plague of injuries ever since he was drafted, Logan Brown was yet to fully perform at the level the management has hoped he could.
Logan Brown and his rocky start
Heading into the 2018-19 season, Brown was no longer eligible to play in juniors and was set to join the Belleville Senators as a graduate from the OHL. He did just that. But things quickly turned south. Brown was injured in Belleville’s season opener on Oct. 6th versus the Utica Comets. Rocking the youngster with a lower-body injury which caused him to miss four to six weeks.
Brown eventually came back on Nov. 16th, where he scored a goal against the Toronto Marlies. He managed to score 12 points in 20 games after coming back from his injury. At that point in time, it was a step in the right direction. Even after having a great 20 game span after dealing with an injury, Brown knew he still had ways to go.
New year, new player: Logan Brown has exploded onto the scene for the Senators
Logan Brown has gotten off to an impressive start in 2019, to say the least. While he still carried his weight in 2018, the new year has been something else for Brown. The rookie has been on fire and is showcasing his range of skills. In the 15 games Belleville has played in 2019, Brown has tallied 21 points. Seven of those being goals and 14 assists.
In 36 games played, Brown has 12 goals and 21 assists for a total of 33 points. He ranks second on the Belleville squad among rookie scoring, and third among all forwards on the team. He also ranks ninth among rookie scoring in the entire AHL. Considering how his season started off, Logan Brown has turned quite a few heads in Ottawa since the start of 2019.
The numbers on Logan Brown
One of the most interesting things about Brown is his shooting percentage. Sitting at an SH% of 21.1, Brown has only managed to put 12 in the back of the net. While that may not make him look like a scoring threat, there is an explanation that only helps his case for how brilliant he’s been.
Brown has 57 shots on goal for the year, ranking him 82nd amongst all AHL rookies for SOG. While only playing 36 games and shooting the puck 57 times, he still has managed to score 12 times. Drake Batherson, another highly touted rookie, has peppered 88 shots on goaltenders this year at the AHL level. He has only four more goals than Brown at 16, and the SOG difference between the two is -31. Oh, and it should be mentioned Batherson has played only one more game than Brown due to being called up earlier this year.
Whether you believe in Logan Brown for the long-term or not, you cannot deny that he has been a treat to follow in the year of 2019 where Sens fans are looking for any glimpse of positivity.
The future for Logan Brown and the Ottawa Senators
As previously mentioned, the faces of Matt Duchene, Mark Stone and Ryan Dzingel seem like they’re on the way out. If all three forwards are moved, the Sens will need to find players to fill those roster spots. In a scenario where the team could end up getting NHL players in return, call-ups could be less likely. But it seems like the returns could consist of picks and possibly prospects that aren’t quite ready yet. In that case, Brown could be one of the few call-ups the Sens organization will have to make.
The future could be very bright for Logan Brown if he continues his level of play. The Sens seem to be going into a rebuild mode, and the more young talent they have the better it is for them in the long-term.
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