The Ottawa Senators have decided to send 19-year old Logan Brown back to the OHL, ending his first stint in the NHL early. Brown will have to stay with the Windsor Spitfires (or at least in the OHL) for the rest of the season except in emergency circumstances. By sending him back with only four games played, the Senators will not burn one of his entry-level contract years.
Brown was selected 11th-overall in the 2016 draft, but dealt with injury last year for the Spitfires. In 35 games he scored 40 points, but it was a little surprising when the Senators kept him around this fall. Perhaps the team looked at his 6’6″ frame and believed he could make an impact right away, but averaging eight minutes a night every few games was never the way to develop him properly.
He’ll return to a Windsor team coming off a Memorial Cup championship that could certainly use his help. Gabe Vilardi hasn’t suited up for them yet due to injury, while Mikhail Sergachev looks more and more like he’ll stay in the NHL all year. There is actually a real chance that Brown could be moved somewhere else in the OHL this season, like fellow first-round pick Logan Stanley was earlier this summer.