Connor Brown (ice hockey)

Connor Brown
Born	(1994-01-14) January 14, 1994 Canada
Occupation	Professional ice hockey player
Years active	2011–present
Known for	Playing in the NHL for Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, Washington Capitals, Edmonton Oilers, New Jersey Devils

Connor Brown (born January 14, 1994) is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger currently playing for the New Jersey Devils in the National Hockey League (NHL). Chosen by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the sixth round, 156th overall, of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Brown spent his junior career with the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) from 2011 through 2014. He then played nearly two full seasons with Toronto’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, before earning a permanent spot on the Maple Leafs roster in the 2016–17 campaign. After two additional seasons in Toronto, Brown was traded to the Ottawa Senators in 2019, where he served as an alternate captain over three years. Prior to the 2022–23 season, he was traded to the Washington Capitals but appeared in only four games due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury. In 2023, Brown signed as a free agent with the Edmonton Oilers.

Amateur

Brown’s early hockey development took place in the Toronto area, beginning with the West Mall Lightning team coached by his father. This squad eventually became part of the Greater Toronto Hockey League’s Toronto Marlboros program for players born in 1994, forming a core group that won ten consecutive city championships and produced seven NHL draftees in 2012, including Brown. In the 2010 OHL Priority Draft, he was picked in the 13th round, 251st overall, by the Erie Otters. During the 2010–11 season, Brown competed at the Junior "A" level with the St. Michael's Buzzers of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL), where he accumulated 39 points over 49 games.

Brown joined Erie for the 2011–12 season and led his team with 53 points despite a challenging –72 plus-minus rating caused by playing on a last-place squad; his performance earned him a spot on the OHL All-Rookie Team. Serving as captain in 2012–13, he improved his output to 69 points and a –11 plus-minus. The following year, playing alongside Connor McDavid, Brown achieved career-best statistics with 128 points (45 goals and 83 assists) and added 18 points during the playoffs. His outstanding play that season garnered several awards: the Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy as top-scoring right winger, the Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy for leading scorer in the OHL, and the Red Tilson Trophy recognizing him as the league’s most outstanding player. At that time, he held Erie’s single-season points record until teammate Dylan Strome surpassed it later.

Toronto Maple Leafs

In the sixth round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Brown was selected 156th overall by his hometown team, the Toronto Maple Leafs. Despite concerns regarding his smaller size and plus-minus statistics, his offensive capabilities convinced Toronto to make this pick. On November 22, 2013, Brown inked a three-year entry-level contract with the Maple Leafs. During his initial season with their AHL affiliate Toronto Marlies, he was their sole participant at the AHL All-Star Game and led all rookies in scoring with 21 goals and 40 assists over 76 games. The Marlies qualified for the 2015 Calder Cup playoffs, where Brown contributed five points across five games before being eliminated in the first round. His impressive rookie campaign earned him AHL Rookie of the Year honors along with a selection to the All-Rookie Team.

Brown narrowly missed securing a spot on Toronto’s NHL roster for the 2015–16 NHL season, beginning instead in the AHL before suffering an ankle fracture early on that sidelined him for 34 games. Upon returning in January 2016, he recorded 11 goals and totaled 29 points over 34 games. Late that season, Brown made his NHL debut on March 17 against the Florida Panthers and scored his first NHL goal one week later versus the Anaheim Ducks. He finished with seven points in seven NHL contests before rejoining the Marlies for their playoff run, adding seven goals and nine points across fifteen games as Toronto advanced to the conference finals.

Brown secured a full-time role on Toronto’s roster for the 2016–17 season, initially playing limited minutes on the fourth line before earning increased ice time following veteran Milan Michálek’s waiver placement. Frequently paired with Nazem Kadri and Leo Komarov, he tallied twenty goals and amassed thirty-six points throughout the regular season. The Maple Leafs qualified for the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs, where Brown appeared in six games and recorded one assist before being eliminated by the Washington Capitals.

On August 26, 2017, as a restricted free agent, Brown agreed to a three-year contract extension worth $6.3 million with Toronto. During the 2017–18 season, he played all eighty-two games for Toronto, contributing fourteen goals and twenty-eight points. The team reached the first round of the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs, where Brown scored his inaugural NHL playoff goal against the Boston Bruins but was eliminated after seven games.

In the 2018–19 season, Brown registered eight goals and twenty-nine points across eighty-two games. On December 18, he recorded his second career game with three assists. Once again facing Boston in a seven-game first-round playoff series, Brown contributed one assist before Toronto was ousted from postseason contention.

Ottawa Senators

On July 1, 2019, Brown was traded to the Ottawa Senators alongside Nikita Zaitsev and Michael Carcone in exchange for Cody Ceci, Ben Harpur, Aaron Luchuk, and a third-round selection in the 2020 NHL entry draft. After joining Ottawa, Brown took on a more prominent role following limited ice time in Toronto. He made his debut on the opening night of the 2019–20 season against his former team Toronto, contributing an assist on Brady Tkachuk's goal. Brown netted his first goal for Ottawa on October 27 during a 5–2 victory over the San Jose Sharks, also assisting on Nick Paul's second tally. He ended the season ranked second on the team with 16 goals and a total of 43 points across 71 contests. The campaign was halted on March 12, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic; as a team undergoing reconstruction with a losing record, the Senators did not qualify for the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs qualifying round.

Brown re-signed with Ottawa as a restricted free agent on October 22, agreeing to a three-year contract averaging $3.6 million annually. Throughout the shortened 2020–21 season, he posted 21 goals and accumulated 35 points over 56 games. On April 10, 2021, Brown established a franchise record by scoring in seven consecutive games. He registered two goals on April 20 during a 4–2 victory against the Calgary Flames. On May 8, he delivered a three-point performance with one goal and two assists on Tim Stützle's goals in a win versus the Winnipeg Jets. The Senators again failed to reach the playoffs.

During the 2021–22 season, Brown tallied 10 goals and contributed a total of 39 points across 64 games. On October 17, he equaled his personal best with three assists in one game by setting up goals from Nick Paul and two from Chris Tierney. Ottawa missed postseason play for the fifth year running.

Washington Capitals

Following three seasons with the Senators, Brown was traded on July 13, 2022, to the Washington Capitals in exchange for a second-round selection in the 2024 NHL entry draft. During the 2022–23 campaign, he appeared in just four games before sustaining an ACL injury that required surgical intervention, which sidelined him for the rest of the season.

Edmonton Oilers

After completing a season curtailed by injury and entering free agency unrestricted, Brown agreed to a one-year deal worth $4 million with the Edmonton Oilers for the 2023–24 season. He made his first appearance on October 12 in an 8–1 defeat against the Vancouver Canucks and initially faced challenges while regaining form from his knee surgery. On March 13, 2024, Brown broke a personal goalless streak spanning 72 games by scoring in a 7–2 victory over his former team, the Capitals.

Following Edmonton's acquisition of Adam Henrique on March 6, Brown became part of a pivotal third line alongside Henrique and Mattias Janmark, playing a vital role in the Oilers’ playoff push. He concluded the regular season with totals of four goals and twelve points across seventy-one games. The Oilers progressed to face the Florida Panthers in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, where Brown contributed significantly to the league's top-ranked penalty kill unit, which operated at a 98.6% success rate. Edmonton ultimately fell in seven games; Brown recorded two goals and six points over nineteen postseason contests.

On July 1, 2024, Brown secured a one-year contract extension with Edmonton valued at $1 million for the 2024–25 campaign.

New Jersey Devils

As an unrestricted free agent once more, Brown signed a four-year contract worth $12 million with the New Jersey Devils on July 1, 2025.

International play

Brown represented Canada at the 2021 World Championship, playing a crucial role in securing Canada's gold medal. After a sluggish start to the tournament, team performance improved markedly when Andrew Mangiapane joined Brown and Henrique on the top line. In the final match against Finland, Brown assisted on all three goals, including Nick Paul's overtime winner.

Personal life

Brown became engaged in January 2020 and married in August 2021. The couple has one child.

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2009–10	Toronto Marlboros	GTHL		80	25	44	69	16		—	—	—	—	—
2010–11	St. Michael's Buzzers	OJHL		49	17	22	39	18		3	0	1	1	0
2011–12	Erie Otters	OHL		68	25	28	53	14		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Erie Otters	OHL		63	28	41	69	39		—	—	—	—	—
2013–14	Erie Otters	OHL		68	45	83	128	22		14	8	10	18	8
2014–15	Toronto Marlies	AHL		76	21	40	61	10		5	1	3	4	2
2015–16	Toronto Marlies	AHL		34	11	18	29	8		15	7	2	9	6
2015–16	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		7	1	5	6	0		—	—	—	—	—
2016–17	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		82	20	16	36	10		6	0	1	1	0
2017–18	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		82	14	14	28	18		7	1	2	3	0
2018–19	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		82	8	21	29	16		7	0	1	1	2
2019–20	Ottawa Senators	NHL		71	16	27	43	24		—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	Ottawa Senators	NHL		56	21	14	35	12
2021–22	Ottawa Senators	NHL		64	10	29	39	10
2022–23	Washington Capitals	NHL		4	0	0	0	0
2023–24	Edmonton Oilers	NHL		71	4	8	12	10		19	2	4	6	6
2024–25	Edmonton Oilers	NHL		82	13	17	30	10		20	5	4	9	2
NHL totals !601				107	151	258	110 !59	8		12	20	10

International

Year	Country	Tournament	Outcome	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
Overall senior statistics !10 !2 !14 !16 !2

Awards and honours

Honour	Year
OHL
OHL First All-Rookie Team	2012
Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy	2014
Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy	2014
Red Tilson Trophy	2014
OHL First All-Star Team	2014
AHL
AHL All-Star Game	2015
AHL All-Rookie Team	2015