Patrick Williams, TheAHL.com Features Writer
Brendan Brisson took in plenty of high-stakes hockey in 2023, when he was a “black ace” with the Vegas Golden Knights on the way to their first Stanley Cup championship.
Now, as the calendar turns to 2024 and the AHL season quickly approaches its midpoint, the Henderson Silver Knights forward is gearing up for a playoff run of his own.
The pursuer in 2022-23, the Silver Knights are now the pursued. A 6-15-0-1 start eventually doomed the club’s season a year ago. The Silver Knights managed to make something of a second-half push, but they came up six points shy of a playoff berth. This year’s team won seven of its first nine games and remains in the thick of the Pacific Division race entering January.
An offseason overhaul included bringing in head coach Ryan Craig, who had been an assistant with Vegas for the previous six campaigns. In came Adam Cracknell, Grigori Denisenko, Tyler Benson and 2023 Calder Cup winner Mason Morelli as part of a rather significant roster makeover.
And the 22-year-old Brisson is being looked to for a greater role in year two.
The Silver Knights sit one point out of third place in the Pacific as they welcome San Diego to the Dollar Loan Center tonight. The top seven clubs in the division will make the postseason cut, and currently just six points separate sixth-place Henderson from division-leading Calgary.
“All-around it’s just been unreal this year,” said Brisson, who has totaled nine goals and 13 assists in 32 contests. “I’m looking forward to the second half of the season here [to] keep getting better and keep winning games.”
Vegas made Brisson a first-round selection in the 2020 NHL Draft, but pressure and navigating the highest levels of the hockey world are hardly new to him: His father is Pat Brisson, one of the top hockey agents in the industry and someone with a superstar list of NHL clients to match. Brendan also spent two seasons playing at the University of Michigan, and represented the United States at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing.
After producing 42 points (21 goals, 21 assists) in 38 games and reaching the Frozen Four in 2022, it was time to turn pro. Brisson headed off to Henderson for a late-season cameo, collecting eight points in seven games to begin his pro career. Then came last season, and while the Silver Knights struggled, Brisson did not, tallying 37 points in 58 games as a rookie.
Brisson’s second pro season has gone to plan. He…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at TheAHL.com | The American Hockey League…