by Mike Ries, Staff Writer, AHL Report

Goaltender Bryan Pitton is in his second season with the Brampton Beast and first full season as the full-time number two goalie on the team. Pitton appeared in only one game with the Beast in the 2015-’16 season as he suffered a lower-body injury causing him to miss the remainder of the season. Brampton used a total of 11 different goalies that season as they searched for the steadying influence that Pitton had delivered to the position and the team.

A native of Mississauga, Ontario, Pitton spent his entire three-year OHL career with the Brampton Battalion and compiled 64 victories over that period. He was selected in the fifth round, 133rd overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

Since turning pro in the 2007-’08 season, Pitton has enjoyed success at the ECHL and AHL levels. His career has also taken him abroad, where he played in the EIHL for the Fife Flyers in 2012-’13 with his older brother, Jason. Drafted in the eighth round of the 2004 draft, Jason played for the ECHL’s Brampton Beast in 2014-15, wearing an ‘A’ and recording 45 points in 70 games.

Additionally, Bryan played a full season with K.H. Sanok of the Polish Hockey League before joining the Beast. His travels in the world of professional hockey have finally brought him back to where it all started.

Pitton has been involved with the Brampton community as far back as his time in the OHL with the Battalion. In 2007, he started a program called “Saves for Kids” that raised approximately $5,000 for the pediatrics ward of the Brampton Civic Hospital.

Pitton’s connection with the Brampton community is still strong, as he has teamed with the Beast in supporting the William Osler Health System Foundation for the pediatric unit of the Peel Memorial Centre. The Beast have pledged to donate $25,000 over the next five years in $5,000 increments.

Pitton has also started “Pitton’s Saves for Kids”, a foundation that has seen him donate $1 for every save he makes this season. Additionally, he is attempting to get the Brampton business community, as well as individual Brampton Beast fans to contribute to his cause.

Pitton is the prototypical goaltender of his era at 6-feet-2-inches. He possesses good lateral movement and is adept at tracking the puck. At the age of 28, Pitton has plenty of hockey left to play if he wishes. He has parlayed his skill set into a solid nine-year career and has been called up to the St. John’s IceCaps of the AHL this season.

What is not in the stats is the influence that Pitton has had on fellow goaltender, Zach Fucale. Both have a great rapport on and off the ice turning into an effective goalie tandem for the Beast. Pitton has a wealth of knowledge and experience from being part of the Edmonton Oilers system and has been a great and steadying influence not only on Fucale, but also the younger players on the Beast this season.

Pitton has become a valuable player for the Beast for his work on the the ice and has become a contributing member of the Brampton community for his work off the ice.