Tampa Bay Lightning: Five Players We’re Thankful For This Season
May 7, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning right wing J.T. Brown (23) against the Montreal Canadiens in game four of the second round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
5. J.T. Brown
We would be lying to you if we told you that coming into this season we did not have our reservations about young Tampa Bay Lightning right wing J.T. Brown. Thankfully, we can tell you with the sincerest of honesty that J.T. Brown has fought hard and seriously changed our outlook on the twenty five year old forward.
When J.T. Brown was first brought up from the Tampa Bay Lightning’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, people expected great things out of him. At first it seemed as if he would be able to live up to the expectations set by those around him and in the stands, but slowly things started to wean off and Brown found himself as a healthy scratch on more than one occasion.
We are not sure what J.T. Brown did during the off-season that set him on the path he is on right now, but the one thing we know for sure is we want him to use this as a starting point and build on it for many seasons to come. Over the course of the season, and especially in the last few games, Brown has proved himself to be a valuable asset to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
In the month of November, Brown has registered one goal and four assists for a total of five points accompanying a season-long plus/minus rating of plus 5. Two of those assists came in just the last two games.
The Minnesota native would earn himself an assist on the game winning shorthanded goal by Valtteri Filppula in the Lightning’s 2-1 win over the New York Rangers, the win which seemed to spark the Tampa Bay Lightning’s turnaround this season. Brown’s second assist would come on a goal from Brian Boyle in the early moments of the third period in the Lightning’s astonishing 5-0 shutout win over the Anaheim Ducks last Saturday night.
J.T. Brown has incredible speed, good situational awareness, and a durability about him that has become absolutely invaluable this season. He is also rather skilled at getting in the face of his opponents and breaking up a play when it really matters. It is no wonder Brown is one of the players we are most thankful for this season.
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