Could anyone truly imagine that Derick Brassard would be performing as well as he is right now?
"A star in the making, Brassard needs to get a regular shot on a scoring line to get to the top level. In the meantime, he is good enough for regular duty." –The Hockey News Ultimate Fantasy Pool Guide 2008-2009.
He is already a star, just 18 games into his first full NHL season. He is second on the team behind Rick in goals with eight, while he leads the Columbus Blue Jackets with 17 points. Not only is he doing well offensively, he is playing well in the defensive zone, as his plus-9 rating reflects.
That’s not all. He has the best shot percentage among Blue Jackets that have played at least five games this season with a 25% shooting percentage. (Nikita Filatov has one goal on two shots, but has only played in four games this season). No wonder the scouts tell him he needs to shoot more.
After Brassard was drafted sixth overall by Columbus in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, Sportsnet.ca explained his play. They said that he "excels at both ends of the ice, and is a determined athlete. [He] skates well and possesses plenty of scoring instincts."
They also went on to say that he has to improve on a few things, including the fact that he has to "learn to shoot more" to mix things up a bit when going in on an NHL defenseman. He was also told that at 6’1 and 190 pounds, he needed to “add more strength to fully maximize his vast potential.”
Derick Brassard was a gem in major juniors, scoring 218 points in 151 career QMJHL games, a league not known so much for high scoring.
In addition to those numbers he also had an astonishing 141 penalty minutes in his major junior career. He was on the tops of many people’s lists, but ultimately fell to number six, mainly because of his size, and the presence of other great prospects, including Erik Johnson, Phil Kessel, Nicklas Backstrom, and others.
Then Columbus senior scout Don Boyd was apparently in love with Brassard when he first saw this kid play, as he called his General Manager Doug MacLean, saying, "I just saw Joe Sakic."
According to the Columbus War Room, Brassard had speed, creativity, hands, and great hockey sense. They too, however, were worried about the size of young Derick, at about 170 pounds at the time.
Kjell Larsson, Columbus’ then European scout, did not think that he was an NHL-ready player, but that he could be. "He’s not a goal scorer now—he’s in the elite league, playing against pros. But a a goal scorer, I think he will become that."
And a goal scorer he did become.
(The source for the previous paragraph was Gare Joyce’s book, Future Greats and Heartbreaks).
The 21-year old wonder was playing in Drummondville in late 2006 when he was assigned by the Columbus Blue Jackets to the NHL team. While there, he managed a mere two points in 17 games.
He was sent down to the AHL to Syracuse, where he proceeded to score 51 points in 42 games. He then spent the offseason training in Columbus in order to make the NHL team out of training camp, which he did.
"[The Blue Jackets] are weak at center…rookie Derick Brassard needs time to develop" –THN Pool Guide.
Now, he is being paired with Kristian Huselius and Rick Nash on the top line for the Blue Jackets, as he continues to average a point per game. He indeed has the makings of a star; he is already one in Columbus. It is only a matter of time before he becomes known as a star in the NHL.
Is this season a one-year wonder? Perhaps. Will he even continue to score points on a nightly basis? Maybe not.
But in the last ten games, he has 13 points. After starting off the season with a "mere" six points in eight games, Derick Brassard is hot. If he continues to get the playing time he has received from coach Ken Hitchcock, and if he continues to play with superstar Rick Nash, he will most likely continue to score at this pace, and perhaps increase his production.
The skies are limitless for Brassard. We have seen players like Thomas Vanek have a monstrous season, and then go on to drop down the stat sheet. Or, we have players like Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin who pop into the league and almost easily score hundreds of points. Which one will he be?
There are many players who seem to be having breakout seasons in the NHL this year, including Derick Brassard, Alexander Semin, Devin Setoguchi, and JP Dumont. Will all of these players continue to be stars in the National Hockey League? Who knows.
But I’ll bet my money that Derick Brassard is going to be a perennial star in the NHL for years to come.
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about 1 month ago
Thankfully, I have a friend with Center Ice, so I've gotten to see him on numerous occasions. He definitely benefits from playing on the top line in Columbus, but that is not taking away from his talents. He's also been an unexpected boost to my fantasy team too.
about 1 month ago
I dropped Nylander for him in my keeper league on October 12th and haven't looked back. Best free agent pick of up the year IMO (okay, maybe it was Auld but he's a close 2nd).
about 1 month ago
I'm high on him too but beware, as he will quite likely run into the rookie wall in late Feb/early mMrch. Great addition for a keeper league though and he is going to be a well rounded star, probably most similar to Mike Richards!
about 1 month ago
March*
about 1 month ago
Great piece Alan. Columbus lost 7-2 to Edmonton the other night, and Brassard still had two assists. How about that? I've got him in my fantasy pool and he's been piling up the points for me. Check out my article on the Calder Trophy race with Brassard and Versteeg if you get a chance.
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