DENVER – Garrett Brown was just starting to get into a rhythm playing and being a contributor on the Denver Pioneers hockey team when his freshman campaign ended abruptly.
 
A lower-body injury in a practice after just eight games into his rookie year needed season-ending surgery and forced him off the ice and into the training room for the remainder of the season.
 
"It was a tough year for him," said Denver Richard and Kitzia Goodman Hockey Head Coach David Carle. "He did a medical redshirt. You feel for him. It was a long road to recovery."
 
Healing from a serious injury like the one the 6-foot-3, 190-pound defenseman sustained can be a tough proposition for any hockey player. It moves them from the ice to beyond the boards to recover while their teammates continue to play games and progress in their development.
 
While there were certainly challenges in his journey back, Brown took the positives from the experience. He supported the team from the bench during practices, provided feedback and encouragement when needed, and he on the ice—albeit in street clothes while wearing his No. 5 jersey—when the Pioneers raised their NCAA-record 10th national championship trophy on the ice at Xcel Energy Center on April 13 in St. Paul, Minnesota.
 
"I had never had anything that serious before, so it was interesting," Brown said. "Overall, I do think it was a good experience as I was able to take a lot out of it and learn."
 
After 11 months away from game action, Brown finally made his return on Oct. 6 in DU's second contest of the season at Alaska Anchorage. It was his first game since playing on Nov. 11, 2023 at Arizona State.
 
"It felt awesome," Brown said of his season debut. "It was mostly just great to get back on the ice for the first time in a while. Not being out there for a bit, you get anxious and excited."
 
While certainly rusty, Brown didn't look out of place in the outing in Alaska and even had a good scoring chance that nearly resulted in his first career goal in the first period.
 
The pace of a game is certainly different than what can be replicated in a practice or scrimmage, but Brown did all he could to push himself to be ready for that situation once he was cleared for captains' skates and eventually as a full participant in the team's three-week training camp.
 
"I was pretty well prepared, obviously, with our team here," Brown said. "We've had a tough training camp and the pace of which we've been practicing has been super high, which is nice for preparation. Obviously, I've been out for a long time, so there is still going to be that jump. But I think I've also played here at this pace before and it felt good."
 
Brown had suffered tough injuries before, including one to his shoulder in his last year in junior that took him out of the lineup for about a month, but nothing to the extent of what he experienced just weeks into his first season at DU.
 
The eight months off the ice was probably the longest Brown had ever gone without skating since he was a young kid, and while his usual offseason training was delayed until he was cleared to skate, he did all he could in the weight room to prepare his body for his sophomore season.
 
"Once I got to the summer and we're getting closer to games approaching in a few months and with the team getting back, I think it was just getting a little more intense with workouts and upping the weights and stuff like that," Brown said. "You just got your legs under you that much more and upping all of the off-ice stuff so that it translates to on-ice."
 
A fourth-round draft pick of the Winnipeg Jets in 2022 (99th overall), the Pioneers are letting Brown continue to find his groove in the early start to this season. He finished his abbreviated first campaign with four assists, with each coming his last five outings he played, and the plan is for him to get back at that level where he can contribute offensively from the backend while also being reliable defensively.
 
With an eight-member defensive corps this season that features just one upperclassmen, Brown is expected to be a key member on the blue line to help Denver get back to championship form this year and in years to come.
 
"He's long, very rangy, and can close on people," Carle said. "He's a great passer and has pretty good skill for a big man. I'm happy for him to come back into the lineup."
 

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