An advance look at the Minnesota Wild roster, taking a look at each player ahead of the new season. Today, we start with at look at J.T. Brown.
Forward J.T. Brown joined the Minnesota Wild on July 1st as a free agent signing, one of seven so far. He will be a new face in the locker room and look to lock himself into playing time during training camp and preseason action
History
An undrafted rookie signing by the Tampa Bay Lightning, originally from the University of Minnesota-Duluth, he was claimed off waivers by the Anaheim Ducks last January before testing free agency for the first time this summer.
Since entering the NHL in 2011-12, Brown has been primarily used as a bottom line forward and asked to lean his game towards physicality and picking up the dirty goals in and around the goal crease. That is definitely misleading towards his true skill, however.
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A quick look at his highlights will show that he has a wicked wrister from the hash marks, the ability to deke out a goalie on a breakways, and he’s not afraid to drop the gloves to stand up for a teammate. Some of you may remember February 2018, in a game against Minnesota where Brown dropped the gloves with Nate Prosser after a hit on his then Anaheim teammate.
As a bonus, Brown was also a member of the 2014-15 Tampa Bay team that went to Game 6 in the Stanley Cup Finals. This is a player who has been on a deep playoff run and can hopefully be part of a similar run for the State of Hockey.
Season Outlook
J.T. was brought in to fill out the Wild roster for the new year. He is not likely to be a top line, top scoring producer but he could definitely provide some scoring depth in the way Minnesota fans have become used to from Chris Stewart or even Erik Haula and Jordan Schroeder in recent years.
His resume doesn’t light up on the scoreboard, maxing out at 8 Goals and 22 Points in a single Season (2015-16, per NHL.com). He had a career low with only 2 goals last season, along with 5 assists for a total of 7 points in time spent between the Lightning and Ducks. He definitely has the skill to still leave an impression on fans with a couple highlight-reel goals and a fight or two through the season.
I can see the value in the signing and I expect a solid season on the 4th Line, potentially even moving up to a temporary 3rd Line role if the injury bug bites again. Here’s hoping he can find some linemates that will fit his playing style and perhaps show flashes of the university player UMD fans remember.
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At 28 years old, JT fits in well with the median age of the Wild roster and should be able to find a spot where his skill and team-first mentality could mesh with a Wild roster in desperate need of some team chemistry.