Quick Facts
Biography
Terrance James Brennan (born April 3, 1989) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman currently playing for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL), Brennan was originally selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the second round, 31st overall, of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, and has also previously played for the Florida Panthers at the NHL level. Brennan has been cited as an elite offensive AHL defenseman, scoring at a pace of nearly a point-per-game, a rare feat for a player of his position.
Playing career
Amateur
Brennan is from Willingboro Township, New Jersey and grew up in Moorestown, New Jersey. He left Moorestown High School during his senior year to begin his career as a hockey player, later playing two seasons with the now-defunct St. John's Fog Devils of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) before moving with the team to Montreal, when it became the Montreal Junior Hockey Club.
During the 2006–07 season, Brennan scored 16 goals and 25 assists in 68 games, winning the Raymond Lagacé Trophy as the QMJHL defensive rookie of the year. The following year, he played three fewer games and matched his offensive output from the year before while averaging a point per game in his team's six-game playoff run.
Professional
On April 18, 2009, Brennan signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Buffalo Sabres that began in the 2009–10 season. Throughout the season, Brennan spent acclimatizing to the professional level whilst with Portland, further developing his defensive game that he had begun to work on in Montreal, when his point totals dropped as he looked to become stronger as a defenseman. His work ethic also improved–Brennan quickly learned that to stay in the line-up, he would have to continue to earn his place every night, or be a healthy scratch; his hard work paid off, and he didn't miss two games back-to-back from January 12, 2010, to the end of the Pirates' post-season.
On November 23, 2011, Brennan made his NHL debut for the Sabres, also scoring his first career NHL goal against goaltender Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins.
On March 15, 2013, Brennan was traded to the Florida Panthers in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
On June 14, 2013, he was traded from the Panthers to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Bobby Butler. Brennan was not qualified by the Predators, however, and was released as a free agent on July 1. On July 5, he then signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs worth $600,000.
On July 4, 2014, Brennan buoyed by his successful season with the AHL's Toronto Marlies and signed as an unrestricted free agent on a one-year NHL contract with the New York Islanders. However, after partaking in the Islanders' 2014 training camp, on October 4, Brennan was traded prior to the 2014–15 season, along with Ville Pokka and Anders Nilsson, to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for defenseman Nick Leddy. Brennan was assigned to the Rockford IceHogs, the Blackhawks' AHL affiliate, after clearing waivers.
On February 26, 2015, Brennan was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Spencer Abbott. He was then reassigned for a second stint with the Marlies. During this season, he would also make his first appearance for the Maple Leafs, playing in 6 games for the club. Brennan was re-signed to a one-year contract following the seasons completion. The following year, Brennan was a staple defenseman on the league leading Marlies, remaining at a point a game throughout the season and recording the second most points in the AHL. Brennan was called up to play in one game on March 9, 2016 due to an influx of injuries. However, a few weeks later, on March 31, with few games remaining in the season, Brennan was called up to the Maple Leafs to finish the year, in reward for his strong minor league play. On April 4, Brennan scored his first goal in the NHL in nearly 3 years, potting one in a 4-3 defeat of the Florida Panthers. Ironically, Brennan's last goal was on April 11, 2013, while playing for the Panthers.
On July 5, 2016, Brennan signed a multi-year contract with his hometown Philadelphia Flyers.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2006–07 | St. John's Fog Devils | QMJHL | 68 | 16 | 25 | 41 | 79 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 2007–08 | St. John's Fog Devils | QMJHL | 65 | 16 | 25 | 41 | 92 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 12 | ||
| 2008–09 | Montreal Junior Hockey Club | QMJHL | 59 | 5 | 29 | 34 | 63 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 34 | ||
| 2009–10 | Portland Pirates | AHL | 65 | 6 | 17 | 23 | 64 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2010–11 | Portland Pirates | AHL | 72 | 15 | 24 | 39 | 49 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 2011–12 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 52 | 16 | 14 | 30 | 39 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 2011–12 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 36 | 14 | 21 | 35 | 57 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 19 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Toronto Marlies | AHL | 76 | 25 | 47 | 72 | 115 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 10 | ||
| 2014–15 | Rockford IceHogs | AHL | 54 | 9 | 27 | 36 | 59 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Toronto Marlies | AHL | 19 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 12 | ||
| 2014–15 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Toronto Marlies | AHL | 69 | 25 | 43 | 68 | 53 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 14 | ||
| 2015–16 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 53 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
Awards and honors
Awards
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| QMJHL Raymond Lagacé Trophy | 2006–07 | |
| AHL First All-Star Team | 2013–14 | |
| AHL Eddie Shore Award | 2013–14 | |
| AHL All-Star Classic | 2014-15 | |
| AHL All-Star Classic | 2016 | |
| AHL First All-Star Team | 2015–16 |
Honors
All of the listed were won in the American Hockey League.
- 2011-12 Most Goals by Defenseman (16)
- 2012-13 Player of the Week (Dec. 30)
- 2013–14 AHL Most Goals by Defenseman (25)
- 2013-14 AHL Most Points by Defenseman (72)
- 2013-14 AHL Player of the Week (Oct. 6)
- 2013-14 AHL Playoffs Most Goals by Defenseman (6)