Silver Knights prodigy Brisson a complete player

By Danny Webster

Friday, April 15, 2022 | 2 a.m.

Brendan Brisson surveyed the scene, saw the puck drop back to defenseman Kaedan Korczak and got ready from the right circle.

Normally, he’ll fall slightly back toward the faceoff dot for more optical space to fire his shot. Instead, Brisson moved below the circle toward the goal line for a sharper angle. He received the pass from Korczak and fired a one-timer past Stockton Heat goalie Adam Werner.

“I just wanted a good lane for [Korczak] to find me,” he said. “Maybe if I was a little bit higher, a little bit lower, he wouldn’t have been able to do that."

With his first shot in his professional debut, Brisson proved why he’s a coveted asset within the Golden Knights organization, one they might keep this time around rather than trade.

Brisson’s power-play goal was the highlight of his first game with the Henderson Silver Knights on Wednesday in a 4-3 overtime loss to Stockton.

The Silver Knights signed the 2020 first-round pick to a tryout deal, and he will be on the roster for Henderson during its run in the Calder Cup Playoffs. He’ll be playing more high-pressured hockey after helping the University of Michigan reach the collegiate Frozen Four last week.

“I kind of have some job’s-not-finished [mentality],” Brisson said after Michigan lost to Denver. “I’m just going to do everything I can to buy into the team and help win games in the playoffs.”

Scoring is what Brisson is known for, especially with the one-timer from the right circle. On a team with fellow Michigan stars Owen Power (Buffalo), Matty Beniers (Seattle) and Kent Johnson (Columbus), Brisson led this year’s Wolverines team with 21 goals this season.

Other elements of Brisson’s game are a work-in-progress. He wasn’t on the ice as much as expected Wednesday. Henderson committed seven penalties, not allowing Brisson as much 5-on-5 time.

“Bright kid and really skilled here, too,” Silver Knights coach Manny Viveiros said. “His hockey instinct, he picks up real quick. There’s some little intricacies he’s going to have to know … That’ll come. It takes guys a long time, but there’s a reason why he’s a first-round pick and he’s had success so far in his young career.”

Here are some observations after watching Brisson play live for the first time:

Brisson is committed to defensive play

Brisson said Tuesday one of the biggest areas of focus going from his freshman to sophomore year in college was becoming a better 200-foot player.

One way to aid in that area would have been putting Brisson on the penalty kill, but that’s another experiment for another day.

At the time he was on 5-on-5, he showed eagerness to play the defensive zone. He was often one of the first to get back and didn't focus solely on his offensive play.

It could have been wanting to make a good first impression, but his willingness to want to improve his all-around game will put Brisson on the fast track to getting a shot at the NHL level.

The threat of his shot

There have not been many Golden Knights prospects who have come through the organization who have the shot Brisson does.

Brisson had only two shots on goal Wednesday. Outside of the one finding the back of the net, it showed teams have to account for him at all times, especially on the power play.

Leading up to Brisson’s goal, two Stockton players converged on Henderson forward Colt Conrad behind the net, while Brisson was able to sneak away to the weak side. Korczak immediately found Brisson with no one covering him for the goal.

“I feel like I just got good passers who have always been feeding me,” Brisson said. “Just opens up a chance for me to take my one-timer, and hopefully I hit the net and it goes in.”

Not backing down

There was a moment during the second period where Brisson showed he belonged, and it had nothing to do with his offensive game.

Brisson laid a big hit on a Stockton player along the boards near center ice. Moments later, a Stockton player tried to retaliate with a hit of his own, but Brisson stayed up and withstood the contact.

“I feel like I was hitting a lot in Michigan,” Brisson said.

Defenseman Ian McCoshen called Brisson “a 200-foot player.”

Younger players always say the biggest adjustments to the professional game are that the opponents are bigger and faster and the pace of the game is quicker.

That hasn’t seemed to bother the 6-foot, 185-pound Brisson early on. Time will tell how quickly he can adjust.

Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on Twitter at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.