Oilers' Josh Brown Pummels Opponent in Hardcore AHL Fight

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Liam McCormick
October 12, 2024 (7:03 PM)

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The Edmonton Oilers made a clear mistake with the signing of Josh Brown, but he's still fighting to make an impression on his new team.

In his first game with the AHL's Bakersfield Condors, Josh Brown paired off with Nikolas Brouillard for a fight at centre ice. Brown is 6 inches taller and 50 pounds heavier than Brouillard, and it clearly showed in the fight. Brown was calm and collected while Brouillard jockeyed for position at first, before the much bigger defenceman started throwing hardcore right hooks. The referees had to step in fairly quickly to make sure it didn't get ugly.

Click here to see the video of the fight between Josh Brown and Nikolas Brouillard.

The Oilers signed Josh Brown this offseason to a three year contract for $1M each season, and it quickly went sour in the preseason. Brown severely struggled with moving the puck, and he was routinely getting caught out of position so he couldn't even use his size.

The Oilers admitted the signing of Brown was a mistake by waiving him before the season, but hopefully he can recover his game in the AHL. Fighting and getting physically involved is one way to earn himself some ice time. Josh Brown is 30 years old and has only played 190 career NHL games, and has been ranked as the third worst defenceman in those minutes.

For now, the Oilers have replaced Josh Brown by signing defenceman Travis Dermott, a younger defenceman who's posted much better results so far. Even if Dermott doesn't pan out, Troy Stecher is waiting in the wings for an opportunity. Brown's play in the preseason seems to have been so abysmal to the front office that his salary could be buried in the AHL for most of the year.