While Josh Brown is back on the ice with former Florida teammates Evgenii Dadonov and Micheal Haley, there's another familiar face on hand: Sens head coach D.J. Smith.
"He's very similar to how he was in junior," Brown said. "There's definitely a comfort level there. I know how he expects me to play which is great right off the bat, knowing that you have that connection with the coach, so it's been great so far."
Brown played under Smith with the OHL's Oshawa Generals for three seasons, culminating in the pair winning an OHL title and Memorial Cup in 2014-15 where Brown was the team's captain.
"He is exactly the same as he was then," Smith said of Brown. "Blocking shots, plays tough, boxes out. He's really competitive. The skating has improved to allow him to play in the NHL. He's a really good defender. He's big, he's strong and he's a guy that is going to help us get better here."
Brown is still relatively young in his NHL career having played just 95 games. After 37 games in 2018-19 with Florida, he became a regular the following season with the Panthers appearing in 56 games averaging 13:25 a night.
Through two games in Ottawa this season, he's averaged 14:54 a night.
"Becoming more of a regular night in, night out last year, it definitely just helps build your confidence and let's you know that you can play in this league," Brown said. "I've had a couple more minutes these last two games and hopefully I can keep going with that and run with it."
He's also running with the chance to play alongside Braydon Coburn. The Stanley Cup champion is a veteran of 966 NHL games and like Brown, stands 6'5", making them an intimidating pairing to play against.
"We're a pretty big, physical, D core," Brown said. "He's a great veteran guy to listen to and watch his preparation. I think for me, being a sponge around a guy like that who has so much experience, and I know he can really help me take another step in my career as well.
"It's been great being partnered with him and being around a veteran guy like that."
