Brandon Kozun

Lore & Background

Kozun began his junior career with the Calgary Royals of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) in 2006–07, also appearing in 11 games with the Calgary Hitmen. He moved full-time to the Western Hockey League (WHL) in 2007–08, recording 19 goals and 53 points in 67 games. He improved to 108 points in 2008–09, second in the league, and was named a WHL First-Team All-Star. The following season, Kozun led the WHL in scoring with 107 points, winning the Bob Clarke Trophy, as the Hitmen won the WHL championship. His small size (5 ft) initially led WHL teams and NHL scouts to overlook him; he was left unranked by NHL Central Scouting in 2008 and went undrafted that year before being selected by the Kings in 2009.

After four seasons in the Kings organization, Kozun was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs on January 22, 2014, in exchange for Andrew Crescenzi. He made the final cut for the Maple Leafs for the 2014–15 season after an impressive pre-season, recording his first NHL point (an assist) on October 8, 2014. He was placed on waivers on December 17, 2014, but later scored his first NHL goal on February 20, 2015. Kozun left the Maple Leafs on June 18, 2015, to sign with Jokerit of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), where he led the club with 34 assists and 49 points in 58 games. He subsequently played for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, Metallurg Magnitogorsk, HC Dinamo Minsk, HC Ambrì-Piotta, and returned to Lokomotiv Yaroslavl and Dinamo Minsk before attempting an NHL comeback with the Colorado Avalanche on a professional tryout in 2023.

Reader's Guide

Brandon Kozun's career illustrates the path of a player who overcame concerns about his size to achieve success at multiple levels. His junior career with the Calgary Hitmen was marked by scoring titles and a WHL championship, earning him a late-round NHL draft selection. Though his NHL tenure was brief—eight games with the Toronto Maple Leafs, yielding one goal and one assist—his first NHL goal on February 20, 2015, stands as a career milestone. Kozun's most significant impact came internationally: he chose to represent Canada over the United States at the 2010 World Junior Championships, scoring a shootout winner against the Americans in round-robin play, and later won a bronze medal with Canada at the 2018 Winter Olympics. His professional career after the NHL spanned eight seasons abroad, primarily in the KHL, where he was a productive scorer for multiple teams. Kozun's legacy is that of a player who leveraged speed and anticipation to succeed despite being undersized, and who demonstrated loyalty to the nation that developed his hockey skills.

Did You Know?

• Kozun was born in Los Angeles, California, and moved to Calgary, Alberta, around age ten.
• His first coach was Mike Barnett, the agent of Wayne Gretzky.
• He scored a penalty shot goal in his AHL home debut for the Manchester Monarchs on October 16, 2010.
• Kozun declined a guaranteed spot on the U.S. junior team to play for Canada at the 2010 World Juniors.