Recapping Golden Knights Brendan Brisson’s Performance for Team USA

The Vegas Golden Knights were unable to send anyone to the Olympics due to the NHL’s COVID restrictions and protocol rules. Although upsetting, the Knights were still able to get one of their top prospects, Brendan Brisson, on the biggest stage in the world.

The Golden Knights likely would’ve had quite a few players representing their respective countries had the NHL not denied them the opportunity. Nonetheless, the Knights were able to get their top prospect there so he could play against the best competition in the world.

Brendan Brisson was a former first-round pick of the Vegas Golden Knights and is currently at the University of Michigan finishing out his four years before transitioning into the Golden Knights organization. Which, personally, I can’t wait for.

Before we start getting into how he performed, let’s talk a little bit about Brisson and what we know about him.

Breakdown

Brendan Brisson is currently a wing for the University of Michigan and the growth he has had as a player there is incredible. However, the one thing that stands out with Brisson is the similarities in his game to former Wolverine, and current Golden Knight, Max Pacioretty.

Brisson who currently plays the wing with former second-overall pick by the Seattle Kraken, Matthew Beniers. Furthermore, he also was on a line with fifth overall pick by the Columbus Blue Jackets, Kent Johnson. Between playing with those two, scoring was pretty easy for him.

Brisson is currently playing for team USA in the Olympics and is playing pretty well. He has played in three games and has two goals. Which, as you can tell, is a small sample size. But the fact that he is scoring is promising.

But, let’s talk about the player we have in Brendan Brisson and why I feel he should be compared to Max Pacioretty.

Brisson is a average skater in terms of speed, but the style in which he plays doesn’t need speed. Therefore, as far as I’m concerned it’s obsolete. Now, I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t a Michigan fan. But the way I chose to look at it is the fact that I know his game pretty well.

Brisson, even though he isn’t necessarily the best skater on the ice and doesn’t have a big frame to him, he plays a great offensive game. With a one-timer that just pops off the screen, a great wrist shot, a terrific snap shot, the ability to find angles and direct the puck using misinterpretations with the angles.

With that shot that he’s known for it makes him a huge PP1 threat that need’s to be watched. Once again with his one-timer being top tier, he has to be watched at all times.

The one thing that need’s to be worked on the most is his tendency to try and be too fancy at points. There were times during games that he’d try to do too much or make a unnecessary play that led to a breakaway or having to start a breakup again.

The talent is there and he has a natural act for scoring, but he will more than likely need a year in the AHL to fine tune some of his tendencies before getting a shot in the NHL with the Golden Knights.

How Did Brendan Brisson Perform For Team USA?

Brendan Brisson played in four games for Team USA during the 2022 Olympics, and he performed about as expected. Well from a productive standpoint that is.

Brisson in his four games with team USA had two goals, but did not collect an assist. Now, that’s not really a shocker because his play style is definitely catered to his shot, but it still would’ve been nice to see him use that opportunity to show off his passing ability. However, he still performed pretty well regardless.

Given the small sample size, its hard to really get much from the games, but from what we could tell, he played pretty well. Hopefully, this can be a stepping stone as he continues to develop his game.