Dustin Brown

He was drafted in the second round, 26th overall, by the Guelph Storm in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Priority Selection Draft.

Brown played three seasons for Guelph, scoring 194 points in 174 games.

Dustin James Brown (born November 4, 1984) is an American former professional ice hockey right winger.

Brown spent his entire NHL career with the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL), who drafted him 13th overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.

He was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the first round, 13 overall, in 2003.

Brown signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Kings and made the Kings' 2003–04 team out of training camp.

His first NHL game was October 9, 2003, against the Detroit Red Wings.

Brown saw fourth-line ice time in his rookie year, and he scored his first NHL goal on November 22, 2003, in a 2–0 win over the Colorado Avalanche.

He managed just 1 goal and 5 points in 31 games before his season was cut short by a high ankle sprain.

Nonetheless, Brown's physicality made a favorable impression with the Kings' coaching staff.

The following season was cancelled due to the NHL lockout.

Brown was assigned to the Manchester Monarchs, the Kings' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, in order to develop his offensive game.

He performed well in Manchester, averaging nearly a point per game and readying himself for an expanded NHL role.

Internationally, Brown has represented the United States at three World Championships, winning a bronze medal in 2004, and two World Junior Championships.

With the lockout over, and NHL play resuming in 2005–06, Brown cemented his place on the team.

As a 21-year-old checking forward, he managed 28 points in 79 games.

A restricted free agent at the end of the year, Brown signed a two-year contract before the start of the 2006–07 season.

Brown's third season saw an expansion in his role, as he was placed on the top line with star rookie center Anže Kopitar.

The two young forwards became frequent linemates, as Brown's hitting abilities and willingness to shoot complemented Kopitar's dynamic passing and puck possession skills.

Receiving the third-most ice time among Kings forwards, Brown responded with career-highs of 17 goals and 46 points in 81 games.

Brown also received the most short-handed ice time among Kings forwards, a sign of his growing defensive reliability.

He finished second in the NHL in hits, the first of six consecutive years that he ranked top three in the NHL in that category.

On October 26, 2007, shortly after the start of the 2007–08 season, the Kings and Brown agreed to a six-year, $19.05 million contract extension that ran through the 2013–14 season.

The contract was signed a full year before Brown hit restricted free agency, partially because young forwards Dustin Penner of the Anaheim Ducks and Thomas Vanek of the Buffalo Sabres had just received lucrative offer sheets in restricted free agency, and the Kings did not want Brown to receive one.

Brown produced his best offensive season that year.

Continuing to play top-line minutes with Kopitar, he recorded 33 goals and 60 points.

To date, that season remains the only year Brown has managed to reach the 30-goal plateau.

Despite his personal success, the rebuilding Kings missed the Stanley Cup playoffs for the fifth-straight year.

He is the Kings all-time games leader and served as team captain from 2008 to 2016; during this time he led the Kings to the 2012 and 2014 Stanley Cup championships, becoming the first Kings captain and second American captain (behind Derian Hatcher) to win the Stanley Cup.

The Kings named Brown the 13th captain in team history on October 8, 2008, just after the start of the 2008–09 season.

Brown's appointment filled the vacancy created when prior captain Rob Blake left the Kings in free agency to sign with the San Jose Sharks on July 3, 2008.

Just 23 years old when he assumed the captaincy, Brown became the youngest captain and the only American captain in Kings history.

Head coach Terry Murray pointed to Brown's work ethic and commitment to the Kings to explain the decision, saying Brown "shows that he cares tremendously about this team, about winning every night. I just want him to follow through with that, and he will because that's his personality. Just keep blazing that trail, and players on the team will follow".

Kings management was impressed by Brown's emergence as a vocal leader in the locker room, especially after the departure of veteran presences Mattias Norström and Rob Blake.

He won a silver medal as an alternate captain of the United States national team at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Brown received the 2011 NHL Foundation Player Award for his extensive charity work in the Los Angeles community, and the Mark Messier Leadership Award in 2014.

After playing hockey at Ithaca High School for two years, Brown left his hometown to play junior hockey at age 16.

During the 2012–13 NHL lockout, he played for ZSC Lions in the Swiss National League A.

Brown was noted for his physical playing style, consistently ranking among NHL leaders in hits and penalties drawn, and his reserved, lead-by-example approach to his captaincy of the Kings.

More impressively, he led the team (and ranked 13th in the NHL) with 175 hits, and he drew the second most penalties in the NHL despite his limited ice time.