Calgary Wranglers defender Josh Brook has signed in Finland

Following a pretty successful first season for the Calgary Wranglers, the club is experiencing its first departure. Blueliner Josh Brook, who spent the 2022-23 season with the Wranglers on an American Hockey League contract, has signed for the 2023-24 season with Rauman Lukko of Finland’s Liiga.

The 23-year-old Brook spent much of the 2022-23 season for the Wranglers as veteran depth. He suited up for 13 games in the regular season and posted six points, and then appeared twice during the Calder Cup playoffs.

The challenge for Brook was that he spent the season behind the likes of guys pushing for NHL experience (Dennis Gilbert, Nick DeSimone, Nicolas Meloche) or young prospects needing reps (Ilya Solovyov, Yan Kuznetsov, Jeremie Poirier, Colton Poolman) on the Wranglers’ defensive depth chart. And the arrival of Kristians Rubins at the AHL trade deadline only served to nudge him further down the pecking order.

A product of the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors, Brook was originally a second-round selection of the Montreal Canadiens in the 2017 NHL Draft and represented Canada at prominent international events such as the Under-17 World Hockey Challenge, the Hlinka Memorial Tournament, the Under-18 Worlds and the World Juniors. His pro career hasn’t quite gone as well as his junior years did, but he’s young enough that there’s still some upside there. In 119 AHL appearances, Brook has 35 points.

A season (or two) in Europe, playing regular minutes, could do a lot to help maximize his potential.