J.T. Brown

J.T. Brown (born Joshua Thomas Brown on July 2, 1990) is an American professional ice hockey right winger currently playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL).

College Playing Career
J.T. attended the University of Minnesota Duluth after playing junior hockey in the United States Hockey League (USHL) 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 the Bulldogs ice hockey team.

Professional Playing Career
Undrafted in the NHL, J.T. signed a two-year, entry level contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 28, 2012.

Upon signing with Tampa Bay, Lightning General Manager Steve Yzerman said, "I'm anxious to see him play."

On March 31, 2012, J.T. made his NHL debut in Tampa Bay's 3–2 overtime victory against the Winnipeg Jets. On April 7, 2012, he recorded his first career NHL assist in a 4–3 overtime win, also coming against the Winnipeg Jets.

On September 9, 2012, the Tampa Bay Lightning assigned J.T. (along with 17 other players) to the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League (AHL), their top minor league affiliate.

This was done in part due to the ongoing 2012–13 NHL lockout that cancelled the first half of the 2012–13 season until late January.

On December 28, 2012, J.T. sustained a shoulder injury in a 4–2 Crunch victory over the Norfolk Admirals. Prior to the injury, he had six goals, 17 points and four penalty minutes in 26 games for Syracuse. It was revealed later in the day that he had suffered a broken collarbone, which required surgery to repair it.

Although expected to compete for a roster spot with the Lightning once NHL play resumed, the injury was expected to sideline J.T. for six-to-eight weeks.

On July 7, 2013, Tampa Bay announced that they had re-signed J.T. to a one-year, two-way contract. At the end of the season, he had skated in 51 games with the Crunch, recording 10 goals and 28 points to go along with 27 penalty minutes.

Additionally, J.T. played 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, J.T. was reassigned to the Crunch by the Lightning as part of roster cuts for the upcoming 2013–14 season, but on November 11, 2013, Tampa Bay recalled him from Syracuse.

Prior to being recalled, J.T. was on a two-game point streak, with a goal and an assist. It was during this time that he received the nickname "Brownov" as the third "Russian" on a successful forward line with Vladislav Namestnikov and Nikita Kucherov.

On November 16, 2013, J.T. scored his first career NHL goal in a 6–3 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes.

On June 6, 2014, the Lightning announced the re-signing of forward J.T. to a two-year, one-way contract. He appeared in 63 games with the Lightning during the 2014–15 season, posting four goals and 19 points while averaging 13:02 in ice time per game.

J.T. also played in all four Stanley Cup playoff games in 2014, notching two assists in Tampa Bay's four-game series defeat at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Quarter-finals. During the post-season, he was averaging 14:59 minutes in ice time.

On May 3, 2015, J.T. scored his first career Stanley Cup playoff goal in a 6–2 Lightning win over the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Semi-finals.

International Play
J.T. played with the United States at the 2012 IIHF World Championships. He scored his first goal against Kazakhstan on May 11, 2012.

Personal Life
J.T. was born in Burnsville, Minnesota and raised in nearby Rosemount, Minnesota.

He is the son of former National Football League (NFL) running back Ted Brown, who played eight NFL seasons (1979–1986) for the Minnesota Vikings.