Whether it’s through an Expansion Draft, Entry Draft, waivers, free agency, or a trade, the Golden Knights have a type. They like a well-rounded, 200-foot player who plays in all situations, but beyond all, they really value “character.”
On July 1st, the Golden Knights signed Patrick Brown, a 27-year-old right-handed center/winger who has spent a majority of his career in the AHL. He’s scored 125 points in 334 AHL games plus another 14 in 24 playoff games.
An undrafted free agent out of Boston College, Brown signed with the Carolina Hurricanes in May of 2014. Each of his first three seasons as a pro he bounced between the Charlotte Checkers and the Hurricanes, playing a total of 28 games in the NHL. Then, he found his niche.
Brown was named an alternate captain of the Checkers in 2015-16 before being named captain of the team in 16-17. He’s held that title for each of the past three seasons including through the Checkers run to the Calder Cup this year.
Patrick served as captain in Charlotte again last season and was the heart and soul of the team. He is a tremendous leader on and off the ice and is a reliable, hard-working player. We are excited to keep him in the organization again next season. -Don Waddell, Hurricanes GM on June 6th, 2018
Brown was one of the first forwards called up to the Hurricanes during the 2018-19 season and even found himself in the playoffs after Andrei Svechnikov was hurt in a fight.
This is yet another example of the Golden Knights finding hidden gems to fill their AHL roster with while also creating depth at the NHL level. As Ryan Carpenter, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Daniel Carr, Brooks Macek, and Tomas Hyka walk out the door, one of the players to fill that void will be Brown. Plus, if you ask another new Golden Knight, Nicolas Roy, Brown’s teammate in Charlotte, Brown might make some noise with the new opportunity.
Our captain Patrick Brown has been in the AHL for most of his career but he’s a really good player, a really good teammate, leader. He brings a lot too, playing the same style as me, good offensively and defensively, but I think he’s been overlooked a little bit. He’s a really good player. –Nicholas Roy on Popternative
Obviously, the Golden Knights saw something they liked in the Calder Cup Final as Brown captained his team to a win over the Wolves. He seems to now fit into a group of current Golden Knights with Tomas Nosek, Nicolas Roy, Curtis McKenzie, Gage Quinney, Valentin Zykov, and Stefan Matteau. There’s probably room for one, if not two, of those guys to make the NHL roster.
Don’t be shocked if Patrick Brown makes a push towards that 4th line center spot when training camp rolls around. But even if he doesn’t, Rocky Thompson and the Wolves are going to be glad to have him.
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