Brian is the third-oldest, one of seven boys and four girls. The Halonen kids range in age from 26 down to 8. Jim works for Honeywell and Carol operates an insurance brokerage.
"Every one of them is special to me," he said of his large family.
There is a special quality about Halonen's game. The Delano, MN native had 44 points (36GP-21G-23A) for Michigan Tech in his senior season, which ended last weekend one step short of the Frozen Four. His offensive stats put him near the top of most NCAA/CCHA categories, including first in the nation in 5-on-5 goals.
The stellar campaign earned him a nomination as one of 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker award.
Fellow Devils prospect Luke Hughes, a Michigan freshman who is in action with the Wolverines next weekend at the Frozen Four, was also named as a Hobey Baker finalist. But both Halonen and Hughes were not named in the final list when it was whittled down to three on Thursday.
"It was just very humbling," Halonen said of the top 10 nomination, "what Hobey Baker did for college hockey speaks for itself."
The Devils' interest speaks for itself given his now completed college career. Other NHL clubs were also intrigued, why did he like the Devils?
In his own words:
"The Devils are a first-class organization, they do everything right and that was obvious when I talked to the development staff. They are a team on the rise. There were other (interested) teams but everything about the Devils stood out to me ... I'm very happy."
Halonen has reported to the Utica Comets and will play the rest of the season on an amateur contract. His two-year, NHL deal kicks in next season.
At 6-feet, 215 pounds, Halonen said that the strength of his game is playing a typical power forward role.
"I really like to shoot the puck," he says, "and get it down low and towards the net."
Doing that as a pro is going to require commitment.
"I don't think there's any one area that I need to work on especially, I want to improve in all areas. I think that's what it's going to take to be a good pro."
For now, Halonen is adapting to his new surroundings in Utica. He was hesitant to say when that will mean game action as he's just getting his feet wet with the big club's American Hockey League affiliate. In the next six weeks or so he is also finishing up his mechanical engineering degree from Michigan Tech.
It's been a dizzying whirl, including saying goodbye to his college teammates with whom he spent four years.
And there is another interesting family story about Halonen, aside from his gaggle of siblings. He is the cousin of former Devil Blake Pietilla, who played 38 games for the NHL club, the most recent in 2019. Six years older, Pietilla also played at Michigan Tech.
Coincidentally, Michigan Tech's goalie is also named Blake Pietilla, but is no relation to either cousin.
"It's a common Finnish name in that part of Northern Michigan," explained Halonen, who has Finnish heritage on both sides of his family. "Way back then, a lot of Finns and Swedes immigrated to Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Manitoba because it was very similar to (where they came)."
