# Brandon Prust
**Brandon Prust** (born 1984 in [London, Ontario](https://www.edgepedia.org/london-ontario)) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played 486 regular-season NHL games for the [Calgary Flames](https://www.edgepedia.org/calgary-flames), Phoenix Coyotes, New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens, and [Vancouver Canucks](https://www.edgepedia.org/vancouver-canucks), and who was known as a modern-style enforcer, a fighter who could also take a regular shift.[1](https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/8920/brandon-prust) • [2](https://www.nhl.com/news/brandon-prust-hopes-to-make-kings-roster-reach-nhl-milestone-290632442) After his NHL career he moved into coaching in junior hockey in his hometown.[3](https://nationals.gohl.ca/london-nationals-thank-brandon-prust-for-his-time-as-head-coach)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1984, London, Ontario, Canada; shoots left; left/right wing, 182 cm (6'0"), 88 kg (194 lbs)[1](https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/8920/brandon-prust) |
| Draft | Third round, No. 70 overall, by the Calgary Flames in the 2004 NHL Draft[1](https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/8920/brandon-prust) • [2](https://www.nhl.com/news/brandon-prust-hopes-to-make-kings-roster-reach-nhl-milestone-290632442) |
| NHL career | 486 regular-season games, 40 goals, 75 assists, 115 points, 1,036 penalty minutes with CGY, PHX, NYR, MTL, and VAN[2](https://www.nhl.com/news/brandon-prust-hopes-to-make-kings-roster-reach-nhl-milestone-290632442) |
| Junior highlight | Member of the London Knights' 2005 Memorial Cup championship team, won against Sidney Crosby and the Rimouski Oceanic[2](https://www.nhl.com/news/brandon-prust-hopes-to-make-kings-roster-reach-nhl-milestone-290632442) |
| Montreal deal | Four-year, $10 million free-agent contract signed with the Canadiens in the summer of 2012[4](https://thehockeywriters.com/brandon-prust-the-new-age-enforcer/) |
| Last NHL season | 2015-16 with Vancouver: seven points (one goal, six assists) in 35 games; last NHL game January 19, 2016[2](https://www.nhl.com/news/brandon-prust-hopes-to-make-kings-roster-reach-nhl-milestone-290632442) |
| Post-NHL playing | 29 games with the Nürnberg Ice Tigers of the DEL in 2016-17 (8 points, 67 penalty minutes)[1](https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/8920/brandon-prust) |
| Coaching | Head coach of the GOJHL's London Nationals until December 2025[3](https://nationals.gohl.ca/london-nationals-thank-brandon-prust-for-his-time-as-head-coach) |
## Junior hockey
Prust was an undrafted junior walk-on with the London Knights of the [Ontario Hockey League](https://www.edgepedia.org/ontario-hockey-league) in 2002, and he spent three OHL seasons with the club, recording 41 goals, 70 assists, and 537 penalty minutes in 177 regular-season games.[2](https://www.nhl.com/news/brandon-prust-hopes-to-make-kings-roster-reach-nhl-milestone-290632442) • [1](https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/8920/brandon-prust) In his own account, he arrived as an 18-year-old who was neither a skilled player nor much of a fighter, and he decided he had to add something to his game to stand out; with advice from his teammate and best friend Chris Bane, the Knights' enforcer, he learned to fight.[5](https://www.theplayerstribune.com/articles/why-we-fight)
In 2005 he was part of the London team that won the [Memorial Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/memorial-cup), major-junior hockey's championship, against [Sidney Crosby](https://www.edgepedia.org/sidney-crosby) and the Rimouski Oceanic; a Flames Nation profile later noted that he played an instrumental role shutting down Crosby in that tournament.[2](https://www.nhl.com/news/brandon-prust-hopes-to-make-kings-roster-reach-nhl-milestone-290632442) • [6](https://flamesnation.ca/news/prospect-profiles-lance-bouma) In his final year of junior eligibility, the Calgary Flames selected him in the third round, No. 70 overall, of the 2004 NHL Draft.[2](https://www.nhl.com/news/brandon-prust-hopes-to-make-kings-roster-reach-nhl-milestone-290632442)
## NHL career
Prust turned professional with Calgary's AHL affiliate, the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights, where his 2005-06 rookie season included more than 240 penalty minutes, placing him in the league's top ten.[7](https://theahl.com/news/rookie-prust-a-throwback-for-knights) He made his NHL debut with the Flames in 2006-07, appearing in 10 games, and spent most of the next two seasons in the AHL before returning to Calgary's NHL lineup in 2008-09; that season he also appeared in 11 games for the Phoenix Coyotes.[1](https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/8920/brandon-prust)
Traded to the [New York Rangers](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-rangers) in February 2010, Prust established himself there over three full seasons, including a career-high 29 points (13 goals, 16 assists) in 82 games in 2010-11.[1](https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/8920/brandon-prust) As a Ranger he fought frequently, 25, 18, and 20 times in his three seasons according to hockeyfights.com, and he was used on the third and fourth lines and as a regular on the penalty kill.[4](https://thehockeywriters.com/brandon-prust-the-new-age-enforcer/)
**Montreal years.** As a free agent in the summer of 2012, Prust was heavily pursued by the [Montreal Canadiens](https://www.edgepedia.org/montreal-canadiens), who signed him to a four-year, $10 million deal.[4](https://thehockeywriters.com/brandon-prust-the-new-age-enforcer/) He played three seasons in Montreal, appearing in 38, 52, and 82 games from 2012-13 through 2014-15, and reaching his 100th NHL point in his 403rd game.[1](https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/8920/brandon-prust) • [4](https://thehockeywriters.com/brandon-prust-the-new-age-enforcer/) On July 1, 2015, the Canadiens traded him to the Vancouver Canucks.[1](https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/8920/brandon-prust)
**Injury and departure.** Prust's final NHL season ended early. He suffered an ankle injury in October 2015 that required surgery in May, and his lingering recovery, and perhaps a premature return, put him at odds with Canucks management. Vancouver placed him on waivers on February 2, 2016, and he played nine games for the Utica Comets in the [American Hockey League](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-hockey-league) before being shut down in a mutual agreement a month later. His last NHL game came on January 19, 2016.[2](https://www.nhl.com/news/brandon-prust-hopes-to-make-kings-roster-reach-nhl-milestone-290632442)
## Playing style
Prust is described as a modern-day enforcer rather than a traditional goon: at 6'0" and about 195 pounds he was considered a lightweight among fighters, but he had no qualms about facing bigger opponents, and unlike the one-dimensional tough guys of earlier eras he could play a regular shift and contribute offensively.[4](https://thehockeywriters.com/brandon-prust-the-new-age-enforcer/) • [7](https://theahl.com/news/rookie-prust-a-throwback-for-knights) His career high in points in a season was 29, output consistent with his checking role.[4](https://thehockeywriters.com/brandon-prust-the-new-age-enforcer/) The physical style took a toll: he suffered multiple shoulder injuries over his career.[4](https://thehockeywriters.com/brandon-prust-the-new-age-enforcer/) He wrote a first-person essay, "[Why We Fight](https://www.edgepedia.org/why-we-fight)," for The Players' Tribune in February 2015 explaining the enforcer's role.[5](https://www.theplayerstribune.com/articles/why-we-fight)
## After the NHL
In 2016-17 Prust played in Europe, signing with the Nürnberg Ice Tigers of Germany's DEL in November 2016 and recording eight points and 67 penalty minutes in 29 games.[2](https://www.nhl.com/news/brandon-prust-hopes-to-make-kings-roster-reach-nhl-milestone-290632442) • [1](https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/8920/brandon-prust) In August 2017, at age 33, he reported to [Los Angeles Kings](https://www.edgepedia.org/los-angeles-kings) training camp on a professional tryout, hoping to reach 500 NHL games; he did not play another NHL game.[2](https://www.nhl.com/news/brandon-prust-hopes-to-make-kings-roster-reach-nhl-milestone-290632442) • [1](https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/8920/brandon-prust)
He then turned to coaching in his hometown. In November 2017, Le Journal de Montréal reported that he had joined the coaching staff of the London Knights of the OHL.[8](https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2017/11/29/brandon-prust-entraineur-a-london) He later served as head coach of the London Nationals of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League, the team he had played for as a teenager; the Nationals announced on December 26, 2025 that he was no longer with the club, with Keli Corpse assuming the role of interim head coach.[3](https://nationals.gohl.ca/london-nationals-thank-brandon-prust-for-his-time-as-head-coach) • [1](https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/8920/brandon-prust) Elite Prospects lists him with the Strathroy Jets of the NPHL, including a contract extension confirmed on August 20, 2026, and 13 regular-season games with the Jets in 2025-26.[1](https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/8920/brandon-prust) • [9](https://www.eliteprospects.com/transfer/2026/08/20/brandon-prust-in-a-contract-extension-to-strathroy-jets/646688)
## References
1. [Brandon Prust player page, Elite Prospects](https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/8920/brandon-prust)
2. [Prust wants to reach milestone, make Kings roster, NHL.com (Dave Stubbs, August 11, 2017)](https://www.nhl.com/news/brandon-prust-hopes-to-make-kings-roster-reach-nhl-milestone-290632442)
3. [London Nationals Thank Brandon Prust for His Time as Head Coach, London Nationals (December 26, 2025)](https://nationals.gohl.ca/london-nationals-thank-brandon-prust-for-his-time-as-head-coach)
4. [Brandon Prust: The New Age Enforcer, The Hockey Writers (December 21, 2014)](https://thehockeywriters.com/brandon-prust-the-new-age-enforcer/)
5. [Why We Fight, The Players' Tribune (Brandon Prust, February 4, 2015)](https://www.theplayerstribune.com/articles/why-we-fight)
6. [Prospect Profiles: Lance Bouma, Flames Nation (June 11, 2010)](https://flamesnation.ca/news/prospect-profiles-lance-bouma)
7. [Rookie Prust a throwback for Knights, TheAHL.com (March 31, 2006)](https://theahl.com/news/rookie-prust-a-throwback-for-knights)
8. [Brandon Prust, entraîneur à London?, Le Journal de Montréal (November 29, 2017)](https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2017/11/29/brandon-prust-entraineur-a-london)
9. [Brandon Prust signs extension with Strathroy Jets, Elite Prospects (August 20, 2026)](https://www.eliteprospects.com/transfer/2026/08/20/brandon-prust-in-a-contract-extension-to-strathroy-jets/646688)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Hockey and remaining team sports › Ice hockey players and personnel › Wingers › Retired wingers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license