Back in October, Michigan Tech had a flurry of verbal commitments and near the end, the Huskies signed Travis Brown. Brown is a defenseman from Rogers, Minnesota, who plays for the fledgling Rogers Royals hockey program. The Royals have only been around for nine seasons and they’re already producing Division I talent. Brown would be the third Rogers Royals player to play college hockey at its highest level, joining Nick Jensen (St. Cloud State) and Jesse Ramsey (Air Force), who were both members of Rogers inaugural team in 2006–07. If Michigan Tech has found a player of Nick Jensen’s caliber, they will be in great shape with this addition.
The 6’1″ blueliner got noticed by scouts this year as he participated in the 2012 Elite League for Team Northwest and was paired with Minnetonka’s Tommy Vannelli. Brown had 11 points including 2 goals in 21 games while helping Team Northwest to the best record this fall. His performance as a sophomore for Rogers was also very impressive (23 points including 6 goals in 28 games), earning him a spot on Team Northwest and being recognized by some as one of the 20 best sophomores in Minnesota. This year, Brown is tied for the team lead in goals with 8 and has nine points through the first 15 games of the season. In November, Brown was mentioned as top-twelve junior in Minnesota.
Brown also participated in Minnesota tryouts for the National Select 16 and 17 Festivals. Brown was considered by some to be one of the top six defensemen at the event, but he was not chosen to go on to the national tryouts. The Tri-City Storm selected Brown in the fifth round of the 2012 USHL Futures Draft, seven picks before another Husky, Tristan Rostagno, was drafted by Muskegon. It’s a great sign that the Huskies are adding players coveted by USHL teams and participating in National Select tryouts. Travis Brown could potentially suit up for Tri-City next season but it’s more likely he will join the Storm for the 2014–15 season before heading to Houghton in the fall of 2015 with Rostagno.
*Featured Image provided courtesy of Youth Hockey Hub
Tim is a 2004 graduate of Michigan Tech. He is a co-founder of both Mitch’s Misfits and Tech Hockey Guide. With recent additions to the staff, Tim is again able to focus on his passion, recruiting. He currently works as an environmental engineer and resides in the Minneapolis/St. Paul Area.
