For a long time it looked like Guelph Storm prospect Evan Brown might never play hockey again.
A highly-regarded winger taken in the third round of the 2014 draft, one round ahead of Storm regulars Levi Tetrault and Nic Sicoly, the smooth skating winger was expected to make the team that fall.
But a concussion suffered at the Gold Cup tournament in Kitchener that spring kept Brown, now 18, off the ice for almost two years.
Not only did the concussion put the breaks on his hockey career, it seriously affected his entire life, including making it very difficult to attend school.
"To be honest, thinking back two years ago, I never thought this day would come," Brown said Tuesday following the first day of scrimmages at Storm training camp.
"I thought it would never get better. I lost hope, basically," the Oakville native said.
What was a relatively simple body check into the glass led to a concussion and more, Brown said.
"I just got crunched into the boards, then I had non-stop headaches and dizziness. I dealt with a lot of symptoms that were more than a concussion," the 6-foot-3, 175-pound right shot said.
"It just took time. I barely went to school. A class or two a day."
Brown slowly recovered and returned to the ice last year with the tier II Oakville Blades, notching 10 points in 32 games.
And finally he gets to attend his first Guelph Storm training camp.
"I finally got a season of junior under the belt last year and here I am," Brown said.
"Coming back, I was always thinking ahead. If I had a bad game, I just remembered where I was a year ago and look forward to where I was now and just fight through it, knowing it was worth it.
"It took me a year to finally get back into the swing of things."
Scrimmages continue Wednesday morning and from 5 p.m. to 7:20 p.m. with the full training camp roster. On Wednesday night, any of this year's draft picks not sticking with the team this year will return home, which likely means all but Ryan Merkley and Luke Moncada.
A scrimmage of the remaining players takes place Thursday afternoon. Scrimmages are open to the public.
