J. T. Brown

Joshua Thomas Brown (born July 2, 1990) is an American ice hockey player. He is currently playing with the Tampa Bay Lightning which competes in the National Hockey League. He was born in High Point, North Carolina, but he was raised in Rosemount, Minnesota.

University of Minnesota Duluth
Brown attended the University of Minnesota Duluth after playing junior hockey in the United States Hockey League with the Waterloo Black Hawks. In 2011, he was named the Most Outstanding Player award at the 2011 Frozen Four while capturing the national championship with UMD.

Tampa Bay Lightning
Brown signed a two year entry level deal with the Lightning on March 28, 2012. Upon signing with Tampa Bay, General Manager Steve Yzerman said "I'm anxious to see him play". On March 31, 2012, Brown made his NHL debut in a Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 overtime win against the Winnipeg Jets. On April 7, 2012, Brown recorded his first NHL assist in a Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 overtime win over the Winnipeg Jets.

Syracuse Crunch
On September 9, 2012, the Tampa Bay Lightning assigned Brown and seventeen other players to the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League. This was done in part due to the ongoing 2012–13 NHL lockout. On December 28, 2012, Brown sustained a shoulder injury in a 4-2 Syracuse Crunch victory over the Norfolk Admirals. Prior to the injury, Brown had six goals, 17 points and four penalty minutes in 26 games for Syracuse. It was revealed later in the day that Brown had suffered a broken collarbone, which required surgery to repair it. Brown was expected to compete for a roster spot with the Tampa Bay Lightning, but he was expected to be out six to eight weeks.

On July 7, 2013, the Tampa Bay Lightning announced they had re-signed Brown to a one-year, two-way contract. Brown, skated int 51 one games with the Syracuse Crunch, recording 10 goals and 28 points to go along with 27 penalty minutes. Additionally, Brown skated in 18 Calder Cup Playoff games with Syracuse, registering four goals and nine points to go along with 18 penalty minutes.

On September 29, 2013, Brown was reassigned to the Syracuse Crunch by the Tampa Bay Lightning as part of roster cuts for the coming NHL season. On November 11, 2013, The Tampa Bay Lightning recalled Brown from the Syracuse Crunch. Brown had played in 13 games with the Crunch, recording four goals and 10 points with a plus-5 rating. Prior to being recalled, Brown was a two-game point streak, with a goal and an assist.

Tampa Bay Lightning
On November 16, 2013, Brown scored his first NHL goal in a Tampa Bay Lightning 6-3 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes.

On June 6, 2014, The Tampa Bay Lightning announced the re-signing of forward J.T. Brown to a two-year, one-way contract. Brown appeared in 63 games with the Lightning last season, posting four goals and 19 points while averaging 13:02 in ice time per game. Brown also played in all four Stanley Cup playoff games in 2014, notching two assists. During the post season Brown was averaging 14:59 minutes in ice time.

International
Brown played with the United States National team at the IIHF World Championships. He scored his first goal against Kazakhstan on May 11, 2012.

Family
Brown is the son of former National Football League running back Ted Brown. In an interview, Brown gave credit to his father for having played a vital role in being able to push his game to new heights. Speaking about his father, "he has always been someone to lean on. He and the rest of my family always have always really supported me. I can't thank them enough."