Logan Brown – The Next Ones: NHL 2016 Draft Prospect Profile

by

by Eldon MacDonald (edited by @ChrisRalphTHW)

Logan Brown

2015-16 Team: #21, Windsor Spitfires

Date of birth: 05-Mar-98

Place of birth: Raleigh, NC

Ht: 6’6”   Wt: 220 lbs.

Shoots: L

Position: Centre

NHL Draft Eligibility: 2016 1st year eligible

Twitter: @21LBrown

THW The Next Ones Ranking: 13

THW War Room Rankings: 6

Other Rankings

  • Consensus: 9
  • Craig Button (TSN) – 7
  • ISS: 7
  • Hockey Prospect: 7
  • McKeens: 9
  • NHL Central Scouting Combined: 10
  • Corey Pronman: 12
  • Draft Buzz: 12
  • Future Considerations: 12
  • Bob McKenzie (TSN) – 13

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Logan Brown, Mr. Revs Up

Logan Brown is a prospect with the size (6’6, 200 lbs.) and the skills (passing, shot, net presence, board work plus decent skating) to be a top five prospect. However, at the start of the year, Logan had a great deal of difficulty in giving an effort and compete level to match his skills. He was often invisible for long stretches in a game. He was the master of low revs. After Christmas, Windsor traded for the master of high revs and irritability, Brendan Lemieux (son of the legendary agitator, Claude Lemieux). Brendan instantly made it his mission in life to bring up Logan’s revs to make the most of his God-given size and skills. Success wasn’t instantaneous but before long Logan was starting to follow Brendan’s example and exude a lot more effort, consistency, and revs. By the time of the U18s Tournament, Logan was able to show consistent effort and compete even without Brendan Lemieux at his side. He ended up fourth in scoring in the tournament with 12 points in 7 games. He was Mr. Revs Up.

The best part about Logan’s Brown’s game is that there is so much more to come. It is like the oldie from Bachman Turner Overdrive, You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet. Consider the following:

  • Growth: He is 6’6 in height with a 79’5” wingspan (6th at the 2016 NHL Combine) and he is still growing.
  • Strength: He is just at the very beginning of his strength work in the gym as his Dad, former NHLer, Jeff Brown, thought it would stunt his growth.
  • Shot: It is great but he is just starting to use it with the frequency it deserves.
  • Intensity: Yes, it has improved a lot under the tutelage of Brendan Lemieux but there is still so much room for further improvement.

While it is unlikely Logan will go before the big three (Matthews, Laine and Puljujarvi), anything is possible after that.

Five Reasons Mr. Revs Up Logan Brown Is Top 10 Worthy

  • Size: Domination size now, still growing
  • Skills: NHL passing, shot, stickhandling – augment that with a high-end vision to augment the effectiveness of his domination size and NHL skillset
  • Net presence and board work: Can be dominating (I am using that word again for a reason)
  • So much more to come: Very good right now with a heavy promise of elite to come
  • NHL Bloodlines: His Dad, Jeff Brown, played 747 games in the NHL

Offense

It is already high-end and it is not even remotely close to its potential.

  • Passing: Elite with a touch of vision and creativity to upgrade its effectiveness. Top 5 in this draft.
  • Stickhandling: Elite with high-end puck protection to make it a lot more effective. Again, top 5 in this draft.
  • Reach: Uses the big body to shield or retrieve the puck, just learning how dominant that reach can be. His wingspan was top 6 at this year’s Draft Combine.
  • Shot: Ready for the NHL, just needs to use it more. We just started to see how effective it was towards the end of the season.
  • Vision and creativity: Has the vision to sense an opening, the calmness to wait for it and the creativity to make a play work even in heavy traffic.

Defense

It is a work in progress. A high-end work ethic combined with some added strength through some work in the gym is likely to pick up this part of his game as the Windsor Spitfires attempt to hoist the Memorial Cup in their home city next season.

  • Reach: Uses his wide reach and long stick to make it difficult for a puck carrier to get by him
  • Battles: Willing to battle but will be more effective when his strength more closely aligns to his enormous size.
  • Work ethic: Just ask his Dad, he has always been one of the hardest workers.
  • Hockey sense : Has that innate ability to make the right play at the right time.

Summary Commentary

  • Revs Up – Any hesitation that I had in not ranking Logan Brown in the top 10 was wiped away by his revved up performance at the IIHF U18s Tournament. He then followed that up by being one of the best interviews at the Combine.

 

NHL Draft Projection

As I said before, this kid could be off the board any time after the big three are taken. I fully expect he will be the second or third centre taken in the draft – most likely in the 5 to 9 region. I have him at 6th overall.

 

Quotables

“There’s a premium for big centres and I think there’s a shot he goes in the top five. He was great at U18s and in the second half of the season. He’s almost 6-foot-7 and he might be that by the end of the summer. In his interview he told us that he doesn’t know if he has stopped growing yet. He was a good interview, funny kid, not really like his father (former NHLer Jeff Brown), who was not the most social guy.”

– Gare Joyce at Sportsnet.ca

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“…the second half of the year, it was like the light finally went on and Brown realized how dominant he could be if he started attacking the net with consistency. Currently listed at 6’6, he might even be bigger than that now. When he makes that power move to the middle of the ice, putting defenders on his back, he’s nearly unstoppable. And he has great vision, so when he starts drawing extra attention, it opens up so many opportunities for his linemates. Better yet, I think there’s even more potential there, when he improves his confidence in his shot, as he’s got a good one.”

– Brock Otten at OHLProspects.Blogspot.ca

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“Man, this kid’s got tremendous upside. He’s 6-5 now, a smooth skater. He was in tough against Kitchener (in the playoffs) because he was up against the No. 1 line. But Brown handled himself well. At that size down the middle, when you can skate and handle the puck like he can, he could go anywhere from seven on down.”

Dennis MacInnis, the Director of Scouting for International Scouting Services at OttawaSun.com

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“He’s still growing, which is amazing because he’s already big as it is. His skating has developed and I just think it will take a little more time for the rest of it to catch up to his body. When he has the confidence and assertiveness to play to his size and play a little more selfishly, then his numbers will rise and good things will begin to happen.”

– Dan Marr, NHL Director of Central Scouting at NHL.com

***

Statistics

Strengths

  • Size – Big rig, 6’6 and still growing
  • Passing – Joe Thornton like
  • Shot – Velocity, accuracy and release
  • Intelligence and hockey sense
  • Vision
  • Ability to dominate in front of the net or along the boards
  • Calmness under pressure
  • Stickhandling – Elite

 

Under Construction (Improvements to Make)

  • Defense and play in the defensive zone: It is coming but it is still a work in progress
  • Strength: His Dad, Jeff Brown, didn’t want him to hit the gym because he feared it would inhibit his growth. Well, Dad, your theory worked in spades. Logan, it is time to hit the gym this summer.
  • Shot” It is great but Logan just needs to utilize it more often.

 

NHL Potential

Logan Brown has all the physical skills needed to be a number one premium centre in today’s NHL – huge size and reach, elite passing, NHL serviceable skating, a great shot, the ability to absolutely dominate in close or along the boards. The mental skills to go with the physical skills took a huge leap in the second half of the year. Do you remember Logan Brown’s intensity wavering at the U18’s? I don’t. The most ridiculous thing about him is there is strong evidence that he is just starting on the development curve in many areas.

  • The size: still growing.
  • The strength: just starting full scale strength training
  • The shot: just realizing how good it is and how its more frequent usage improves the rest of his offense
  • The intensity level: it showed so much improvement at the end of the year but there is more to come
  • The physicality: he can dominate now at times but with a little more strength he is more likely to utilize this facet of the game.

Yes, for me, Logan Brown is likely to be a number one centre in today’s NHL.

https://twitter.com/DraftGeekHockey/status/741339039496691712

 

Risk-Reward Analysis 

Risk = 3/5   Reward = 5/5                  

 

Fantasy Hockey Potential

Offensive = 9/10   Defensive = 6/10

 

Awards/Achievements

  • 2015-16: U18 – Bronze Medal with Team USA
  • 2015-16: CHL – Top Prospects Game
  • 2014-15: OHL – Second Team All-Rookie

 

Interview/Profile Links

 

Videos

2015-16 Highlights – Link here

U18 Highlights – Link here

Combine Interview – Link here