The Toronto Sun believes Connor Brown has been having a bit of a unique experience as captain of the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League.
The Leafs draft pick, who was taken 156th overall this past June in Pittsburgh, is to provide leadership and stability, as any player wearing the captain’s letter would.
But Brown has been riding shotgun on a line with 15-year-old star Connor McDavid, and despite the age difference between the two — Brown is two years and 364 days older than McDavid — it’s Brown who has been benefitting.
“It’s a little extra help when you are playing with a guy like that,” Brown said. “I just try to make the best of it, get open for him and put the puck in the net. He is pretty easy to play with.”
A native of Etobicoke, Brown is well on his way to eclipsing his points total of a year ago, when he had 53 (25 goals and 28 assists) as a rookie with the Otters. In 18 games this season, Brown has 14 goals and seven assists for 21 points. Brown also wants to forget about the minus-72 mark he had in 2011-12. Right now, he is minus-4 on a young Otters team that has just four victories.
Brown is encouraged to be part of a Leafs group of prospects who are regarded as leaders, joining Mississauga’s Stuart Percy and Guelph’s Matt Finn as captains in the OHL.
“All the guys drafted by the Leafs who I have met are character guys, and that’s what they are looking for,” Brown said. “For a bunch of guys to have the letter on the jersey, it says a lot.”
