Golden Knights Reassign Brendan Brisson

April 12: Brisson was returned to AHL Henderson on Friday with Stephenson rejoining the team for tonight’s match against the Wild. He logged 11:52 in Wednesday’s loss to the Oilers and put up zeros across the board.

April 9: The Vegas Golden Knights have recalled forward Brendan Brisson from the minor leagues. Brisson will serve as a fill-in option for Chandler Stephenson, who left the team’s trip to Edmonton for the expected birth of his child, per Sin Bin Vegas (Twitter link). Stephenson’s absence would qualify this recall for an emergency loan, preserving Vegas’ few remaining recalls this season.

This move marks Brisson’s eighth call-up of the season after he was sent down on Monday, giving Vegas the cap space needed to activate Tomas Hertl off of injured reserve. Brisson made his NHL debut on January 15th and has since totaled 14 games in the Vegas lineup, scoring two goals and eight points. He’s managed the production while serving in a third-line role, averaging just under 12-and-a-half minutes of ice time each game. And while he’s bounced between the major and minor leagues, the former first-round pick has most recently played in the NHL, recording an assist in Vegas’ Friday night loss to the Arizona Coyotes. The game was Brisson’s reward for recording eight points across his last eight AHL games, including three nights of two or more points. The scoring brought him up to 17 goals and 36 points in 50 AHL games – an impressive mark for the first-year pro.

Stephenson’s absence would likely open the door for Hertl to take on a full role in the offense, with Brisson slotting into the team’s bottom six. Hertl recorded an assist in his Vegas debut and will need to stay productive as the Golden Knights look to claw their way back into the top three of the Pacific Division.