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Acquired by the Knights from Sarnia in December, Ryan Brown has excelled as a key forward in London, producing more than a point per game, significantly outpacing his offensive output with the Sting.
Ryan Brown never envisioned himself wearing the green and gold of the London Knights, but it’s been a perfect match since he joined the team in late December.
The 18-year-old spent the first two and half seasons of his OHL career with the Sarnia Sting, suiting up for 13 games against the Knights during that time. So, he’s more than familiar with playing in London, just from the opposing bench.
“If you asked me my first year if I’d end up in London, I’d say no way that was going to happen, but being here and playing on this side of the rink is really cool,” Brown told Gameday London. “Playing here when I was with Sarnia, you’d score and you hear all the boos, but now playing for London you have those 10,000 fans cheering for you. It’s pretty special.”
Brown’s first two games as a Knight came against his former team. That took some getting used to, he says, but it actually helped along the transition.
“It was a pretty weird adjustment. The first couple of shifts I almost passed the puck to the other team,” Brown said with a laugh. “But it was good to get it out of the way and get more comfortable with my new team.”
And get comfortable he certainly did. Since joining the team, he’s tallied 15 goals and 35 points in 28 games as a Knight. It’s by far his most productive stretch as an OHLer.
Brown credits the output to the chemistry he has with linemates Evan Van Gorp and Jesse Nurmi. The trio has combined for 33 goals and 45 assists since Brown made his Knights debut.
“Playing with those two has been awesome. I don’t think I’ve ever really had that, playing with the same guys every day and having that kind of chemistry right away.”
Brown’s run from mid-January to mid-February was one of the hottest stretches from an OHL player this season. He recorded 24 points during a 13-game point streak, the fourth longest in the league this year. He also tallied an assist in 10 straight games, the second longest such streak in the OHL this season.
Rick Steadman, Knights assistant coach, says that the team was familiar with Brown’s game and that the 18-year-old came to the team ready to play.
“He’s been awesome. He came in with a great attitude, willing to learn and willing to listen. He’s just been going out there and working hard every day. And he’s getting rewarded for it,” Steadman told Gameday London.
During Brown’s time in Sarnia, he scored three goals against the Knights.
“Ever since he came into the league, he’s always had good games against us,” Steadman said. “He always played hard and found ways to get points, so when it came up that he was available, we jumped at it.”
Brown is nearing 200 games played in his OHL career, a benchmark that he’ll reach early next season. However, he’s yet to play a playoff game. That will change in a couple of weeks, and it’s something he’s very much looking forward to.
“Pre-season, regular season and then the second half, all three of those feel a bit different, and the playoffs will just be another level to that,” he said. “I knew coming in here that we’d be a deep team and have a chance to make a run in the playoffs. It’s really exciting.”
The forward understands that playing in London comes with some added pressure and higher expectations.
“Being with Sarnia, any time you came into London you really wanted to beat them. And now that I’m here, you really feel like you have a bit of a target on your back,” he said. “Teams want to come in and beat us, especially the teams from the Eastern Conference who only play here once a year. It’s really cool that every game has that level of intensity and feels meaningful.”
Following his lengthy point streak, Brown was held off the scoresheet in four out of his next five games. But he’s since found that scoring touch again with two goals and six points in his last three contests.
He’s averaging 1.25 points per game as a Knight, a significant bump from the 0.68 points he averaged with Sarnia prior to the trade.
“It’s given me a lot more confidence being here and getting a fresh start,” Brown said. “The guys I’ve been playing with have been great, we really click, and we’ve been getting each other the puck in dangerous areas.”
Following a stretch of dominating seasons that included two OHL Championships and a Memorial Cup, the Knights are in a rare rebuild mode this season. But with London’s top six scorers all eligible to come back next season, Brown says the players are confident they can reach that level again soon.
“Most of our big plays are coming from players that are going to be here next year. Seeing this group, we’re going to grow and grow, and we’ll come back next year and we’ll be even stronger.”
With a late birthday in 2007, Brown is eligible for the NHL draft for the first time this spring, and his second half scoring surge has certainly put him in the mix.
