BLOG: Brown finding comfort, familiarity in bounce-back opportunity with Oilers

EDMONTON, AB -- Coming off a major knee injury in 2022-23 that limited his output to only four NHL games, winger Connor Brown believes he’s found the perfect landing spot with the Edmonton Oilers to mount his comeback.

“I feel up to speed and I feel ready to go,” the forward said, speaking to the media outside the Oilers dressing room following Thursday’s Captain’s Skate at Rogers Place.

“There was obviously a lot of adversity this year. I learned a lot. It was a lot of hard work digging myself out of that hole, so I’m that much more grateful not only to be playing again, but to be able to play with this group.”

Brown is back skating like his normal tenacious, hard-working self at this week’s Captain’s Skates in Oil Country after signing a bonus-laden one-year contract with an AAV of $4 million this offseason to compete for a Stanley Cup in the Oilers top-six forwards, where he’ll likely start the season playing alongside one of Leon Draisaitl or Connor McDavid -- the latter of which he spent two seasons with as a member of the OHL’s Erie Otters from 2012-14.

The 29-year-old has registered two 20-goal NHL seasons over his career, including in 2020-21 when he scored 21 goals in 56 games for the Ottawa Senators, and has a strong chance to expand that total this season as an impact top-six forward for the Oilers who'll work tirelessly for his teammates on both sides of the puck.

The opportunity for Brown to immediately start contributing to this determined Oilers group’s quest for a Stanley Cup comes after suffering a torn ACL back on Oct. 18 against the Vancouver Canucks in only the fourth game of his campaign with the Washington Capitals, ending his year almost right as it started.

After surgery and some hard months during his recovery, the winger now believes he’s in the right spot both in terms of opportunity and organization to showcase what he can bring to this group’s lofty ambitions of lifting the Stanley Cup.

“It's a mental grind to get yourself back to a point where you feel confident, and I feel like I'm there,” he said. “I wasn't at it alone. I have a great support system -- my wife, family and friends -- and the Edmonton staff has been amazing, as well as my teammates here. I feel very grateful to have the situation that I have to bounce back. 

To his benefit, Brown already has a number of familiar faces in Edmonton that can vouch for his selfless personality and hard-nosed playstyle.

Brown played alongside and became strong friends with Zach Hyman over five seasons together in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, sharing a lot of similarities with his fellow winger when it comes to their personas on and off the ice.

Forward Leon Draisaitl, who’s faced Brown plenty of times over the years and got to know him this summer while training in Toronto, praised his dogged workrate that draws direct comparisons to that of the winger’s former Toronto teammate.

“He's got a big motor to him,” Draisaitl said. “He seems like another Hyman-type player and obviously, he had a tough year last year, but he looks really good. I think we're going to make sure that he feels comfortable and that he gets the time that he needs to get up and rolling.”

After combining for 126 goals, 236 assists and 362 points over two OHL seasons with McDavid in Erie, it’s also understandable why the former sixth-round pick in 2012 would want to re-acquaint himself with his former junior teammate in the NHL.

Brown was three years McDavid’s senior when this highly-touted kid from the Greater Toronto Hockey League’s Toronto Marlboros joined the Otters ahead of the 2012-13 OHL season, but it was his dedication and wisdom beyond his years that really stood out to the former Otters captain, who would record 45 goals and 128 points in 68 games during his final junior season in Erie before McDavid assumed the club's captaincy.

“I always say that as an 18-to-19-year-old in the league, three years older than him when he was 15 or 16, I don't think there's anyone I learned more from than playing with him -- even when he was three years younger than me,” Brown said. “Just the way he approached the game at that age too, but also, just what he does on the ice, his compete level and the way he uses his speed. Little things within the game.

"I'm excited to be front and center and be able to learn some more from him and try to improve my game.”

Nine seasons later, Brown is looking forward to reigniting that partnership as both serve major roles in Edmonton's hopes to hoist a Stanley Cup with the same mindsets they operated with as OHL teammates in Erie.

"I think we're still the same people," he said. "I think we both want to win first and foremost, and same with everyone in that room. I think that's what makes it so special, so I think that's first and foremost.

"It's the NHL. It's a long way from junior hockey, but we've both been around for I think nine seasons now, so we know what to expect at this level. Everyone in this group will just bring what they bring and collectively get this team to the next level.