PLAYER PROFILE | Beast’s Brandon MacLean, A Thinking Man’s Player

by Mike Ries, Staff Writer, AHL Report

Brandon MacLean is a 29-year-old left-winger with the Brampton Beast of the ECHL. MacLean is best described as a steady, solid two-way forward. He is the type of player that rarely gets noticed for his hard work on the ice by the casual fan. That said, hockey scouts and coaches clamor to have a player of his ilk on their team.

MacLean is competent at both ends of the ice, and is a player that coaches can trust in all situations of the game. He has been a true leader on and off the ice in every stop in his hockey career. Although MacLean is not blessed with great skating ability, he makes it up with strong will and a desire to excel that is rarely seen.

Brandon spent his entire four-year OHL career with the Soo Greyhounds, but was overlooked in the NHL draft. He then took advantage of the education package offered by the OHL and attended Carleton University for four years. Additionally, he captained the Ravens hockey team in his final season.

MacLean received an undergraduate degree in law and set himself up for his life after hockey. This is a true testament to his dedication and drive to succeed in hockey and in life.

His professional hockey career started in the ECHL with the Florida Everblades. MacLean played for three seasons and scored the series-winning goal in the Everblades’ first ever ECHL Kelly Cup championship. His play over that time advanced his career to the AHL, playing for both the Rochester Americans, and the full 2014-’15 season (40 games) with the St. John’s IceCaps (under their affiliation with the Winnipeg Jets.)

Without a contract after the 2014-’15 season, MacLean was quickly signed to play overseas in Germany with the Ravensburg Towerstars. This was a season in which he recorded more than a point per game. The bigger ice surface was a benefit to MacLean’s smooth skating. It also let the talented playmaker become more creative and in a sense allowed him to rediscover his knack for finding the open man on the rush.

In his return to the ECHL this season, MacLean has kept his point production to almost a point per game. He is currently fifth in team scoring this season, only having played in 30 of the Brampton games. MacLean isn’t the flashy scorer as some of his teammates are, but he is a player that does his job night in and night out, which has resulted in a call-up with the IceCaps where he suited up for two games.