T. J. Brennan

T. J. Brennan
Born	April 3, 1989 Moorestown, NJ, USA
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	216 lb (98 kg; 15 st 6 lb)
Position	Defense
Shoots	Left
NHL team (P) Cur. team Former teams	Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto Marlies (AHL) Buffalo Sabres Florida Panthers
NHL Draft	31st overall, 2007 Buffalo Sabres
Playing career	2009–present

Terrance James Brennan (born April 3, 1989) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman currently playing for the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League (AHL). Under contract to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL), Brennan was originally selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the second round, 31st overall, of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, and has also previously played for the Florida Panthers at the NHL level. Brennan has been cited as an elite offensive AHL defenceman, scoring at a pace of nearly a point-per-game, a rare feat for a player of his position.

Playing career

Amateur

Brennan is from Willingboro Township, New Jersey^[1] and grew up in Moorestown, New Jersey.^[2] He left Moorestown High School during his senior year to begin his career as a hockey player, later playing two seasons with the now-defunct St. John's Fog Devils of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) before moving with the team to Montreal, when it became the Montreal Junior Hockey Club.

During the 2006–07 season, Brennan scored 16 goals and 25 assists in 68 games, winning the Raymond Lagacé Trophy as the QMJHL defensive rookie of the year. The following year, he played three fewer games and matched his offensive output from the year before while averaging a point per game in his team's six-game playoff run.

Professional

On April 18, 2009, Brennan signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Buffalo Sabres that began in the 2009–10 season. Throughout the season, Brennan spent acclimatizing to the professional level whilst with Portland, further developing his defensive game that he had begun to work on in Montreal, when his point totals dropped as he looked to become stronger as a defenseman. His work ethic also improved–Brennan quickly learned that to stay in the line-up, he would have to continue to earn his place every night, or be a healthy scratch; his hard work paid off, and he didn't miss two games back-to-back from January 12, 2010, to the end of the Pirates' post-season.

On November 23, 2011, Brennan made his NHL debut for the Sabres, also scoring his first career NHL goal against goaltender Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins.^[3]

On March 15, 2013, Brennan was traded to the Florida Panthers in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.^[4]

On June 14, 2013, he was traded from the Panthers to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Bobby Butler. Brennan was not qualified by the Predators, however, and was released as a free agent on July 1. On July 5, he then signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs worth $600,000.

On July 4, 2014, Brennan buoyed by his successful season with the AHL's Toronto Marlies and signed as an unrestricted free agent on a one-year NHL contract with the New York Islanders.^[5] However, after partaking in the Islanders' 2014 training camp, on October 4, Brennan was traded prior to the 2014–15 season, along with Ville Pokka and Anders Nilsson, to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for defenseman Nick Leddy.^[6] Brennan was assigned to the Rockford IceHogs, the Blackhawks' AHL affiliate, after clearing waivers.

On February 26, 2015, Brennan was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Spencer Abbott. He was then reassigned for a second stint with the Marlies.^[7] During this season, he would also make his first appearance for the Maple Leafs, playing in 6 games for the club. Brennan was re-signed to a one year contract following the seasons completion. The following year, Brennan was a staple defenceman on the league leading Marlies, remaining at a point a game throughout the season and recording the second most points in the AHL. Brennan was called up to play in one game on March 9, 2016 due to an influx of injuries. However, a few weeks later, on March 31, with few games remaining in the season, Brennan was called up to the Maple Leafs to finish the year, in reward for his strong minor league play.^[8] On April 4, Brennan scored his first goal in the NHL in nearly 3 years, potting one in a 4-3 defeat of the Florida Panthers. Ironically, Brennan's last goal was on April 11, 2013, while playing for the Panthers.

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2006–07	St. John's Fog Devils	QMJHL		68	16	25	41	79		4	1	1	2	4
2007–08	St. John's Fog Devils	QMJHL		65	16	25	41	92		6	2	4	6	12
2008–09	Montreal Junior Hockey Club	QMJHL		59	5	29	34	63		10	4	8	12	34
2009–10	Portland Pirates	AHL		65	6	17	23	64		4	0	1	1	2
2010–11	Portland Pirates	AHL		72	15	24	39	49		4	0	1	1	6
2011–12	Rochester Americans	AHL		52	16	14	30	39		3	2	0	2	6
2011–12	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		11	1	0	1	6		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Rochester Americans	AHL		36	14	21	35	57		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		10	1	0	1	6		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Florida Panthers	NHL		19	2	7	9	2		—	—	—	—	—
2013–14	Toronto Marlies	AHL		76	25	47	72	115		14	6	8	14	10
2014–15	Rockford IceHogs	AHL		54	9	27	36	59		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	Toronto Marlies	AHL		19	3	13	16	12		5	3	4	7	12
2014–15	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		6	0	1	1	9		—	—	—	—	—
2015–16	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		7	1	0	1	6		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				53	5	8	13	29		—	—	—	—	—

Awards and honours

Awards

Award	Year
QMJHL Raymond Lagacé Trophy	2006–07
AHL First All-Star Team	2013–14	[9]
AHL Eddie Shore Award	2013–14
AHL All-Star Classic	2014-15
AHL All-Star Classic	2016	[10]
AHL First All-Star Team	2015–16	[11]

Honours

All of the listed were won in the American Hockey League.

• 2011-12 Most Goals by Defenseman (16)
• 2012-13 Player of the Week (Dec. 30)
• 2013–14 AHL Most Goals by Defenseman (25)
• 2013-14 AHL Most Points by Defenseman (72)
• 2013-14 AHL Player of the Week (Oct. 6)
• 2013-14 AHL Playoffs Most Goals by Defenseman (6)

References

1. Wawrow, John. "Sabres select Brennan 31st", Toronto Star, June 23, 2007. Accessed October 31, 2015. "'Once I started, I didn't want to stop,' said Brennan, a Willingboro, N.J. native, of his interest in hockey."
2. Donnellon, Sam. "Sam Donnellon / Moorestown's.", Philadelphia Daily News, June 22, 2006. Accessed March 1, 2011. "His future lay 1,805 miles away, on the easternmost point of an island nearer the Arctic Circle than his Moorestown home. This is where the National Hockey League would discover T.J. Brennan."
3. "Bruins edge Sabres for 10th straight win". National Hockey League. 2011-11-23. Retrieved 2011-11-23.
4. "Panthers acquire defenseman T.J. Brennan". Florida Panthers. 2013-03-15. Retrieved 2013-03-15.
5. "Islanders sign Johnson, Conacher and Brennan". National Hockey League. 2014-07-01. Retrieved 2014-07-01.
6. "Blackhawks acquire prospects from Islanders for Leddy". Chicago Blackhawks. 2014-10-04. Retrieved 2014-10-04.
7. "Blackhawks acquire Abbott from Maple Leafs". National Hockey League. 2015-02-26. Retrieved 2015-02-26.
8. "Mass Recall: Tobias Lindberg, Kasperi Kapanen, Andrew Campbell, TJ Brennan called up; Projected Lines vs. Buffalo". Maple Leafs Hot Stove. 2016-03-31. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
9. "First and Second AHL All-Star Teams named". American Hockey League. 2014-04-14. Retrieved 2014-04-14.
10. "Playing Rosters Announced for 2016 Toyota American Hockey League All-Star Classic". Toronto Marlies. 2016-01-07. Retrieved 2016-01-12.
11. "First Team AHL All-Star". Toronto Marlies. 2016-04-07. Retrieved 2016-04-07.

External links

• T. J. Brennan's career statistics at EliteProspects.com
• T. J. Brennan's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database