Vital role player

Whalers' Brown does a lot of the little things that bring his team success

  Tyler J. Brown would be a perfect candidate for a starring role on "Dirty Jobs", the popular Discovery Channel show that profiles unglamorous but vital workers like coal miners, hot-tar roofers and high-rise window washers.

  Although the Plymouth Whalers' 18-year-old forward doesn't often garner the accolades of lamp-lighting teammates Tyler Seguin and AJ Jenks, the out-of-the-spotlight work he does is appreciated fully by his teammates and coaches.

 "I'll play the body, fore-check, drop the gloves here and there," said Brown, a native of Westland who graduated from Livonia Churchill in June. "Like everybody on the team, I know my role and I work hard to fill that role."

  Brown's job is comparable to a football offensive lineman who makes life easier for the star-studded running backs; or a basketball forward who scraps and claws for rebounds while the Kobe Bryants of the world grab the headlines.

  They don't keep stats for the things Brown does best.

  "He's a power forward," said Plymouth coach Mike Vellucci. "When he's on the top of his game, he's making all the checks and going hard to the net.

  "One of the things I talk to him about is doing for us what Tomas Holmstrom does for the Red Wings -- the little things, the intangibles that make the team better. He should mold his game after Tomas Holmstrom."

  Brown, who grew up less than a hard slapshot from Mike Modano Ice Arena in Westland, started skating when he was 3.

  Backed by the unconditional support of his parents, Brown soon established himself as one of the elite youth players in the area.

  He honed his skills so sharply that the Whalers drafted the 6-foot-1, 193-pound skater in the eighth round of the 2007 Ontario Hockey League Draft.

  "My dad's the one who got me into hockey because he's always loved the sport," said Brown. "He's always been there for me."

  Brown likes the fact that his home ice is just a 15-minute drive from home.

  "It's great having a lot of my friends and family come to the games whenever they want," he said. "A lot of my friends are away at college now, but when they're all here, I'll have as many as 20 people at the games.

  "Plus, I like playing close to home because it's comfortable living in your own house as opposed to someone you don't know."

  Brown said the sacrifices he and his Whalers teammates make are well worth the rewards.

  "There are a lot of things we have to give up -- things like going to school dances, hanging out with friends -- but it's definitely worth it considering we get to do something we love, playing hockey, at a high level," he said. "I've made a lot of good friends playing hockey and I love playing the sport. There's nothing else I'd rather be doing."

  Brown's post-hockey life may include medicine. A student at Madonna University, he's working toward achieving a degree in pre-med.

  "I'd like to someday be an orthopedic surgeon," said Brown, who was a stellar student at Churchill.

  Brown forecasts a bright future for this year's Whalers contingent.

  "I think this year's team has the potential to be the best I've played on here," he said. "We have a lot of good role players, a lot of good scorers and we have Tyler Seguin, who is one of the best players in the league."

  Ed Wright can be reached at info@plymouthcantonsports.com or (734) 453-1980.