Who’s this Guy? — Brandon Prust

Kathy K

July 20, 2012


Brandon Prust – Left Wing
	Height: 6’0” Weight: 195 lbs. Shoots: Left Born: March 16th, 1984 Birthplace: London, Ontario, Canada Drafted: Calgary’s 3rd rounder (70th overall) in 2004. Acquired: Signed as an unrestricted free agent.
The Specs
The London native has come a long way after playing for his hometown Knights. Drafted by Calgary after their trip to the Cup Finals, his first full season was in 2008-09 where he won over quite a few fans (ex.: yours truly) with his gritty play before being traded to Phoenix at the deadline. He made a return to Calgary the next time trade period opened up, at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. That stint lasted 43 games before he was traded yet again, this time to the New York Rangers, where this time he attracted the ire of several opposing fans who, of course, took note of the fact that he would become an unrestricted free agent this July 1st.
The Skinny
Never one to back down from a challenge (he has fought opponents up to and probably even past 6’7” over the course of his career), Prust has a bit of a knack for the net as well. He is relentless in the less-desirable areas of the ice and is a pesky one to try and move out of the play. What (little) he does produce in terms of scoring, he earns 110% of.
What you’ve probably heard by now
Last season, his name and Brian Boyle’s would surface often as threats to the Montreal net. By now, you must have seen at least one reference to his tournament, Prusty4Kids. Who his girlfriend is.
What you may not know
Was traded for and with the same player, and both transactions included the Calgary Flames. The player? Olli Jokinen. Like Armstrong, he is a Memorial Cup winner. Sidney Crosby is probably not his buddy, though (the Knights beat the Oceanic in order to capture the title). He wasn’t drafted in the OHL. He became a member of the London Knights as a walk-on tryout. He went on to lead the whole team in plus/minus that year as well as led rookies in goals, assists and points. He scored five shorthanded goals in 2010-11 which at some point that season led the league. He is not too shabby in the one-on-one. (Even if he missed in that instance.) His uncle was on Broadway, according to his former Rangers’ bio. He’s had his jaw broken twice, the first time by former Canadiens’ tough guy Brad Staubitz back in the OHL. Let him tell you more things about himself, here.
The Stats
--- Regular Season --- ---- Playoffs ---- Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2002-03 London Knights OHL 65 12 17 29 94 14 2 1 3 21 2003-04 London Knights OHL 64 19 33 52 269 15 7 13 20 33 2004-05 London Knights OHL 48 10 20 30 174 15 3 5 8 71 2005-06 Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights AHL 79 12 14 26 294 -- -- -- -- -- 2006-07 Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights AHL 63 17 10 27 211 6 0 3 3 20 2006-07 Calgary Flames NHL 10 0 0 0 25 -- -- -- -- -- 2007-08 Quad City Flames AHL 79 10 27 37 248 -- -- -- -- -- 2008-09 Calgary Flames NHL 25 1 1 2 79 -- -- -- -- -- 2008-09 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 11 0 1 1 29 -- -- -- -- -- 2009-10 Calgary Flames NHL 43 1 4 5 98 -- -- -- -- -- 2009-10 New York Rangers NHL 26 4 5 9 65 -- -- -- -- -- 2010-11 New York Rangers NHL 82 13 16 29 160 5 0 1 1 4 2011-12 New York Rangers NHL 82 5 12 17 156 19 1 1 2 31 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NHL Totals 279 24 39 63 612 24 1 2 3 35
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(Photo: The Associated Press)