Julien Brouillette

Lore & Background

Brouillette began his professional career in 2007 with the Columbia Inferno of the ECHL, joining the team for its playoff run. He later played for the Charlotte Checkers of the ECHL for two seasons, both of which ended in playoff appearances. During the 2009 season, he split time between the Providence Bruins and Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL. In the 2010–11 season, he signed with the Greenville Road Warriors of the ECHL and was loaned to the Lake Erie Monsters of the AHL, where he signed a standard player contract and posted career highs of 2 goals and 19 points in 49 games. After the Monsters' first-round playoff elimination, he returned to the Road Warriors for their final postseason game.

Brouillette signed with the Hershey Bears of the AHL for the 2011–12 season, playing a career-high 74 games and recording 7 goals and 21 points. The following season, he was reassigned to the ECHL's Reading Royals due to the NHL lockout but was quickly recalled to Hershey, contributing 7 points in 61 contests. On April 5, 2013, he signed his first NHL contract with the Washington Capitals. He made his NHL debut on February 7, 2014, recording a primary assist in a 4–2 win over the Winnipeg Jets, and scored his first NHL goal—a game-winner—the next night against the New Jersey Devils.

On August 8, 2014, Brouillette signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Winnipeg Jets. After training camp, he was assigned to the AHL's St. John's IceCaps and played most of the season there, earning one recall to the Jets. He then moved to Europe, signing with Karlskrona HK of the Swedish Hockey League for the 2015–16 season, where he served as captain and recorded 5 goals and 17 points in 52 games. After returning to Canada, he played briefly in the LNAH and then signed a professional try-out with the St. John's IceCaps. He finished his career with EC Red Bull Salzburg of the Austrian Hockey League in 2017–18, leading the team's defensemen in scoring with 12 goals and 34 points in 52 games and helping Salzburg reach the league final.

Reader's Guide

Julien Brouillette's professional career spanned 11 seasons across multiple leagues, including the NHL, AHL, ECHL, SHL, LNAH, and EBEL. His NHL tenure was brief—three games total—but notable for his debut assist and game-winning goal in his first two appearances. As an undrafted player, he worked his way up from the ECHL to earn an NHL contract with the Washington Capitals at age 27. His time with the Winnipeg Jets consisted of a single game during the 2014–15 season after signing as a free agent. Brouillette's career is characterized by persistence and adaptability, moving between leagues and teams to continue playing. His most productive seasons came in the AHL with the Lake Erie Monsters and Hershey Bears, and later in Europe, where he captained Karlskrona HK in the SHL and led EC Red Bull Salzburg's defense in scoring. He retired in 2018 after helping Salzburg reach the Austrian league final. Brouillette's path illustrates the journey of a player who, despite limited NHL opportunities, maintained a long professional career through consistent performance in minor and European leagues.

Did You Know?

• Brouillette captained Karlskrona HK of the Swedish Hockey League during the 2015–16 season.
• He led EC Red Bull Salzburg's defensemen in scoring with 12 goals and 34 points in 52 games during the 2017–18 season.