Beast Sign ECHL Scoring Champion Brandon Marino
Brampton Beast Media Release
BRAMPTON, ON – The Brampton Beast are excited to announce the acquisition of 2012 CHL MVP and 2014 ECHL Top Scorer, Brandon Marino. During those years, from 2012 – 2014, Marino scored more points than any other AA hockey player at the CHL and ECHL level.
The California native will be the first American-born player signed by the Beast in franchise history, demonstrating the Beast’s focus on building the best team possible regardless of nationality.
“Brandon Marino is an elite ECHL scorer and simply one of the league’s best all-around players,” said Beast President and General Manager Cary Kaplan. “We wanted the first US player that the Brampton Beast have ever signed to make a statement on our commitment to winning for our fans. With Brandon, Yannick Tifu, Scott Howes and Cal Wild as our four veteran players, we are confident in our powerful leadership core.”
The fourth veteran player signed to the Beast this offseason (out of a maximum of four veteran spots allowed per team), Marino is an elite forward with a proven ability to score, having notched 162 points in 143 ECHL games across two seasons with the Fort Wayne Komets. He was named Team MVP and “Mr. Hustle” for being the hardest working player on the squad both years he was with the Komets, in addition to bringing home one of the league’s most coveted awards as the ECHL’s top scorer in 2013-2014.
“I was given the opportunity to play on the first line and on the powerplay, much of the time with Chris Auger,” said Marino of his success with the Komets. “Having good teammates to play with, that’s what its all about. You’re only as good as the guys you’re playing with, and I think with the group [Colin] Chaulk is putting together we are going to be a tough team to beat.”
After spending last season overseas in the EBEL, Austria’s top tier hockey league, it was largely the recruiting of Head Coach Chaulk that brought the former scoring champion to Brampton.
“Chaulk was definitely a huge part of it, there was a lot of mutual respect from our time together in Fort Wayne,” said Marino. “His demeanor in the room when he was playing, and then the way he took on the assistant coaching duties when he wasn’t able to play, I saw how good of a coach he is going to be. The intelligence he has for the game, his commitment to winning, and the fact that he played at this level for so many years are a dangerous combination.”
Prior to suiting up for the Komets, Marino spent two years playing for the Quad City Mallards of the CHL. In his second season with the team, he led the league in goals (41) and was second in points (90) in just 65 regular season games, earning him the title of CHL MVP in 2011-2012.
“Marino is a former league MVP and scoring champion, whose speed and will to win are unmatched,” said Coach Chaulk. “Most importantly he can play in all situations, and will be a valuable asset for the Beast this season.”