The Janesville Jets, members of the North American Hockey League (NAHL), are proud to announce that Conner Brown has won the NAHL 2023-2024 Defenseman of the Year Award. Conner broke the NAHL all-time regular season points record as a defensemen this past season with 61 points. Counting the playoffs, Conner ended the season with 67 total points with 10 goals and an astonishing 57 assists. With a huge offensive presence as a defensemen, the Jets are excited for Conner to be accepting this award and his future endeavors as he takes his hockey skills to the NCAA Division I level this upcoming year at Ferris State University.
The native of Wisconsin spent his childhood playing with pee wee’s in River Falls. His family moved to Maplewood, Minnesota, following his peewee season. Conner was a member of the Tartan youth program for one season before he enrolled at Gentry Academy in St. Paul, Minnesota. The premise of the approved school Gentry Academy is that “tomorrow’s leaders are created today.”
Conner, in his second season with the Jets, led the entire NAHL in both goals and assists for a defensemen. The talented Jets defensemen also tallied 4 game winning goals showing how clutch he truly is during high pressure moments, along with 3 power play goals on the season. His extra work in the defensive zone has shown with Conner’s +/- record being at plus 29 on the season.
Having worked hard during the off-season and also during the regular season, Conner Brown is thrilled to have received such a prestigious award. Conner also knows that he still has lots of work to do in his future with the Ferris State University Bulldogs during the next few years of his hockey career.
The Jets ended the season with 33 wins and 25 losses and had a great run during the Robertson Cup playoffs but fell short in the first round. Nothing like that could have been done without the hard work and dedication from players like Conner Brown so on behalf of all of Janesville, thank you for everything you’ve done Conner! We hope to have more players like you in the future.