The Senators’ 11th overall pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft got off to a roaring start with the Windsor Spitfires in the OHL last season. Brown began the 2016-17 campaign with a seven-game point streak, in which he recorded 6 goals and 11 assists.
The then 18-year-old was amongst the top scorers in the league for the first half of the season, until injury trouble in mid-November and January had him miss a great deal of games. Brown finished the year with 40 points, having only played 35 games.
Though his health was questionable in early December, USA Hockey refused to name him to their World Juniors roster.