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Name: Josh Brittain (@realjbrittain)
Age: 22
Hometown: Milton, Canada
Position: Left Wing
Drafted: Drafted by the Ducks in the third round of the 2008 draft, number 71 overall.
How'd he become a Duck? We drafted (and kept) him!
This Year's Assignment for the Lockout: The Norfolk Admirals of the AHL.
Last Year's Team(s): 38 games with the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL and 9 games with the Elmira Jackals of the ECHL.
Extra Experience: Sadly, no. Pugilism doesn't play well on the international stage
Last Year's Stats: In his time at Syracuse, Brittain accumulated 6 points (2 goals, 4 assists) over 38 games. The impressive stat? The 37 PIM in those 38 games. He showed a bit more of a scoring touch in the ECHL, picking up 5 goals and 0 assists in 9 games. He managed to be a somewhat better citizens in the "E," only picking up 4 PIM in 9 games.
Scout's Take: A quick look at the stats pretty much tells you all you need to know: Brittain is a physical, imposing player (6'5" and 210 lbs) that seems better suited to punishing other players than putting the puck in the net. Hockey's Future is a big fan of Brittain's frame and praises him for his willingness to stick up for his teammates. That said, Brittain must pick up the offensive side of his game if he ever wants a sniff at the NHL level. Maybe we can covert him to a crease-clearing defenseman?
Work-in-progress, Future Trade-bait, or a Keeper? I'd say he's future trade-bait, but that's probably charitable at best. Guys like Brittain make for good role players, but even Georgie showed a better offensive upside than Josh ever has. He'll probably be a fan favorite in the minors, but he's probably not likely to ever see fourth line time anywhere.
Should We Be Excited? I like Brittain's tenacity, but I don't know that the Ducks have a huge need for that right now. Then again, with Bob Murray's ever-oscillating desires as they relate to physical makeup, I suppose we can never truly write him off. I'd rate him a 1 out of 5.