Logan Brown’s game has only gotten better-and-better over the last year-or-so, and this showcase really helped him show off some of his talents. He was reading that game at both ends of the ice a step above his competition, getting into space with ease, intercepting pucks and immediately beginning counterattacks heading the other way, the quickness in his decision making made him lethal in transitioning from defense to offense. Starting from the defensive side of things, his stick work, compete, and awareness to close gaps, and intercept pucks was very strong. Upon collecting a puck, he’d get his feet going with excellent acceleration and through the neutral zone with shifty maneuvers and changes in direction gave himself space to work come the offensive zone. A niche skill of his that really matters was his ability to calmly receive a pass even when moving at speed, collecting pucks in awkward positions and making something of it, there was seemingly never a bad reception from Brown, and he often made the best of bad passes or bounces. In the offensive zone his reads were phenomenal. With great vision he connected on several great passes to the slot, anticipating his teammates movements and connecting on area passes, he needed very little opportunity to make his presence felt. At times it felt like he had the puck on his stick the entire time in the offensive zone, dancing around defenders, eluding checks, all while playing with his head up and moving the puck to teammates. The gains in strength have developed nicely for Brown, along with the confidence and poise to hang onto the puck an extra bit longer, establish delays and pauses in his game, all going a long way to help create time and space. One of the better showings from this Phoenix Showcase in my observation.

Logan Brown is the exact type of player I like to watch and see grow and excel in camps like this. His speed and presence seemingly only grew throughout the match, despite being a smaller player, he was able to attack off the rush, get leverage, drop the shoulder, and carve out some space for some scoring chances. Very strong edgework and balance enabled him to maintain good posture and strength as he got under opponents and shielded the puck. He had a few breakaway chances showing off excellent speed, whether it be winning a puck race, or carrying the puck through the neutral zone and getting the step to escape the reach of the nearby defender, leaving them in the dust as he moved up ice. He had another very nice play later in the game, absorbing a bodycheck behind the net, almost executing a reverse check, and then created the space needed to send a quick pass to Jonathan Bloedow in the slot. The skill and quick bursts, along with underrated strength and physical ability made Brown a treat to watch in this one.

Despite being held off the scoresheet in this one, I thought Brown was consistently generating scoring chances for himself and his teammates throughout this game. A lot of his offense came off pressuring opposing defenders in the offensive zone, forcing turnovers and jumping on loose pucks before making quick passes to teammates. There was one impressive sequence in the first half of the game when he jumped on a loose puck in the offensive, made a quick backhand chip over a defender before executing a cross-ice pass to a teammate for a dangerous chance.

I felt for portions in this game the Dallas Stars Elite were starved for offence, but Logan Brown managed to inject some pace and quickness to their attack that eventually helped get his linemates up to speed as well. Immediately it was clear that he has some strong acceleration, can change directions in a pinch, and reacts well to oncoming pressure. He created some brief pockets of space as a result of these assets, and fired some pucks on net in stride before opponents could converge on him. One of his better set-ups plays of the game came when absorbing a heavy check along the wall, remaining in possession of the puck, and quickly centering a pass to the middle that narrowly missed a teammate’s blade. As a whole, he was one of Dallas’ lead play drivers, getting his feet moving, attacking different lanes and routes, and adding some creativity to the attack of his team.

Logan Brown was second to Drew Fox in this one in regard to puck carrying ability and driving play. I think where Brown excelled the most was his ability to take the middle of the ice in transition and continue skating across the line through the middle without deferring to going wide with the puck, as a result he consistently kept his options open regarding his passing options to either wing, and on occasion found some space to slide between the pair of defenders and created a few partial breaks for himself. He reacted well to oncoming skaters and stick checks, quickly handling the puck away from trouble and protecting it with a nice reach and strong upper body capable of boxing out checkers. You’d maybe like to see a little bit more direct playmaking through the middle of the ice considering his ability to carry the puck through the middle, but he made some good lead passes to his wingers with speed through the neutral zone and from high in the offensive zone that had also resulted in shot attempts.