Boston Bruins 2016 NHL Draft: Logan Brown

Boston Bruins 2016 NHL Draft: Logan Brown Would Be A Good, Large Addition To The Team

The Boston Bruins need to find their identity. It’s been no secret that the Bruins have been in between identities over the last few seasons and the change started when the team allowed Shawn Thornton to leave in free agency, followed by the trading of Johnny Boychuk. The real kicker came when the Bruins traded away Milan Lucic last offseason due to salary cap purposes. The Boston Bruins managed to sign Matt Beleskey last offseason to a five year contract worth 19 million dollars. The Bruins have already stated that they need to get heavier, and drafting Logan Brown of the Windsor Spitfires in the OHL with the 14th overall draft pick could be a smart move for them down the line.

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In his first season in the OHL, Logan Brown posted 17 goals and 26 assists for 43 points in 56 games. He also was a minus-8 on the season and accumulated 20 penalty minutes. The big center was able to improve upon this numbers in his second season, however, which bodes well for his draft status. In 59 games last season with the Windsor Spitfires, Logan Brown scored 21 goals and had 53 assists for 74 points to go along with 40 penalty minutes and a drastically improved plus-24 rating.

Logan Brown is 6-foot-6 and weights 218 pounds. Size like that simply can’t be taught, but what’s even more impressive is the skill that Brown possesses despite being so large. Tyler Parchem of Elite Prospects had this to say about Logan Brown:

"“Brown is a huge center that excels at both ends of the ice. He can be dominant in the offensive zone but takes care of his own end as well. His 6’6 frame is key to his success as he uses his body to shield his puck and his reach to keep it off other players sticks. He is not overly physical for a player his size, but will finish every check and battle down low very effectively. He has a good shot with a pro like release as well as good creativity and maturity when passing the puck.” (Tyler Parchem, EP 2016).Original statement found from: here"

What’s important to note is that despite Brown’s huge frame, he’s “not overly physical”. This might lead Bruins’ fans to think of Dougie Hamilton who is also a large player at 6-foot-6 and 210 pounds, but was unwilling to throw his body around the way one might expect for a player of his stature. Another example of this is Jimmy Hayes. The Massachusett’s native was traded to the Bruins last season and the first thing that jumped out at people was the fact that Hayes is 6-foot-6 and weighs 221 pounds. Jimmy Hayes has never been one to throw his body around, and that led to a lot of criticism from Bruins’ fans over the course of the 2015-16 season.

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If Logan Brown is drafted by the Bruins in the first round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, it will be important to understand that he isn’t a typical power-forward, but he’s still willing to use his size to his advantage. Brown’s skating is one of his most impressive traits considering his size, and his upside seems endless given how much he’s developed in his two seasons so far at the AHL level. Despite the fact that Brown doesn’t use his frame the same way a player like Milan Lucic, or Matt Beleskey does, his ability to finish his body checks shouldn’t be viewed as any less impressive. A player with the size of Logan Brown is a hot commodity in the NHL, and that’s enough to have take a chance on him so early in the NHL Draft.

Logan Brown could always learn to use his size more effectively, as well, which would just add to his already large upside. Brown also needs to learn to shoot the puck more as he has a very strong, and accurate shot that allowed him to score 21 goals last season, but his decision to pass the puck more-often-than-not might hurt him at the NHL level. Teaching a player to trust in his own ability as much as he trusts in his teammates is something that cannot be emphasized enough, and Logan Brown has the ability to be a legitimate offensive threat in both the shooting, and passing aspects of the game.

Dennis MacInnis, the director of scouting for the International Scouting Services had this to say about Brown:

“Man, this kid’s got tremendous upside,” Dennis MacInnis said. “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.”

Logan Brown might not be on the draft board by the time the Bruins make their first selection, but he’d certainly be a steal for them at 14th overall. His size, smooth skating, high hockey IQ and defensive accountability make him an ideal fit for the Bruins offense. Large centers are hard to come by, and the Bruins’ would be wise to start replenishing their top-tier center prospect pool with both David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron both sitting on the wrong side of 30.

Next: 2016 NHL Draft: Mikhail Sergachev

The Boston Bruins certainly have options in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, and Logan Brown sliding to 14th overall would lead to a very good situation for them. Brown is currently ranked 7th among North American skaters according to the NHL Draft Prospect Rankings which is an improvement from midterm rank of 14th overall. With the NHL Draft approaching closer every day, the Bruins front office will need to do their due diligence on every player available in the draft; whether the project to be available by the 14th overall pick or not.