Maple Leafs forward Connor Brown knew the odds were against him landing a roster spot that would show off his offensive ability. But he kept plugging away.

“I kind of understood that we have a lot of highly-skilled guns and a lot of scorers, so I was going to be relied upon more defensively and build that portion of the game,” Brown said. “Obviously I still want to score and still contribute. I felt good through camp and continue to feel better.”

But sometimes, you can’t keep a good player down. On Monday, on the same day it was announced that Milan Michalek had been waived, Connor moved up from the fourth line to skate with centre Nazem Kadri and left-winger Leo Komarov.

“We wanted to free up Brownie to play in a different spot,” said Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock. “Naz (Kadri) and Leo (Komarov) had a lot of pace on their wing with him and we feel with more pace, they can spend more time in the offensive zone and that’s what we’re looking for.”

Brown showed an ability to effectively read plays in the opening five games of the season. In Chicago, Brown had three key takeaways while on the penalty kill, on forwards Artemi Panarin and Artem Anisimov, as well as defenceman Duncan Keith.

“We think he can score at this level and be a real good support player,” said Babcock. “But his speed, and it’s not that he skates faster than anyone else, but his hockey sense is better, and so he gets there quicker.”

Although the offense has not been an issue for the Maple Leafs, the second line of Milan Michalek, Kadri, and Komarov have combined for just three goals over five games. Combine that with a team need to get better in the faceoff circle, and you have the perfect scenario for Brown to move up in the lineup.

At every stage of his career, Brown wasn’t a scout’s first choice. He was always smaller than ideal for hockey, consistently passed over for players who were bigger in size and stature.

Selected in the 13th round of the OHL Draft by the Erie Otters, Brown was just 5’7″ and 130 pounds as a 16-year-old. He admitted he learned lessons early because he had begun to develop a reputation as being a bad defensive player.

“It was his sheer ability to learn that set him apart,” said former Erie Otters general manager Sherry Bassin.

He would eventually tighten up his defensive game and add more size and weight. In 2012, the Maple Leafs had seen enough from Brown to use a sixth-round on him in that year’s Entry Draft. He would prove worthy of a higher selection by once again proving everyone wrong, winning the OHL scoring title in 2013-14 with 128 points in 68 games.

In 2014-15, his first year as a professional, Brown won the American Hockey League Rookie of the Year honour, scoring 21 goals and 61 points in 76 games with the Toronto Marlies.

He would eventually get called up late to the Maple Leafs last season, recording one goal and five assists in seven games.

But he still had to be patient. And as he has done with his time at the junior and American League levels, Brown has always used a bit of a chip on his shoulder to help him out, even though he’s already earned the respect of his peers with the Leafs.

“You know it’s it’s pretty easy to get motivated around here, but obviously that’s extra drive here,” said Brown. “I kind of always had to work extra hard to be where I am today. So, it is motivating, but it’s pretty easy to get motivated over here.”

“We just had an opportunity where we had to make a decision quicker because a player was on waivers that we’ve had in the past who fit a niche for us and then we’ve got things to work out over time,” said Babcock.