Sunday 15 December 2013

Player Profile: Logan Brown (2014 OHL Draft)



Logan Brown

Indiana Jr. Ice

Forward

6'5

Year of birth: 1998



Despite missing a considerable portion of the season due to injuries, all signs seem to indicate a return to form for Logan Brown. The 6’5 forward with the Indiana Jr. Ice has picked up where he left before his setback in October.

Last season with the St. Louis AAA Blues, Brown made an impact consistently in every aspect of the game. Perhaps the most underrated or unknown quality of his style of play is the dedication to two-way hockey.
Away from the puck, Brown has a strong work ethic, dedicated forecheck, and overall defensive awareness in all three zones. Brown was frequently used and excelled at killing penalties due to his positioning and size which effectively suffocated puck advancement, particularly in close with the carrier.  Brown’s use of his size is exemplary, using his long reach and tenacity to win puck battles.

Brown has a powerful stride which swallows ice and his reach is maximized again in combination with good speed to gain access to the puck first and shield it once obtained. With puck possession, Brown’s decision making is astute and his execution swift. Brown uses his vision to find players through a crowded neutral zone yet, he is capable of gathering speed in the defensive zone and carrying the puck up the middle of the ice into high percentage shooting areas and has done so several times throughout games. 

In the offensive zone, Brown can surprise with a toe drag or once again use his wing span and leverage to cut in from the boards to the home plate area. Brown regularly quarterbacked the powerplay with the Blues last year and effectively distributed the puck from the point.

Logan Brown projects as a power forward and is, in the author’s opinion, the top OHL eligible forward from the 1998 age group.



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