Brand, 25, joins the Stars following a four-year collegiate career with Toronto Metropolitan University (USports).
Originally selected 29th overall by the Kingston Frontenacs in the 2017 OHL Priority Selection Draft, Brand went on to make 210 appearances in the OHL with the Frontenacs and Mississauga Steelheads before committing to TMU ahead of the 2022/23 season.
Across four seasons with the Bold, Brand established himself as a physical presence on the blueline, recording 138 penalty minutes including a team-leading 62 during his rookie campaign.
He was named an alternate captain ahead of the 2025/26 season, and helped the programme reach back-to-back Queen’s Cup Championship Finals and multiple USports National Championship tournament appearances throughout his tenure.
Internationally, Brand has represented Canada at the U-17 level, winning a silver medal at the 2018 World U-17 Hockey Challenge with Team Canada Red.
After signing his first professional contract with the Stars, Brand said:
“I’m super excited to come to Dundee. For my first year as a pro, I couldn’t have landed a better opportunity for myself. This is the league I wanted to be in, so I’m thrilled to get started.
Explaining his style of play, he added:
“I’m a big defenceman and a shutdown presence who takes care of his own end first before helping to drive offence. I’m a gritty, physical player who is tough to play against, and I’m going to bring a hard-nosed style of hockey where you’ll know when I’m out there because I won’t shy away from anyone.
Finally, Brand shared a message for the Stars fans:
“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity Dundee has given me. To the fans, I’m going to be the type of gritty player you’re looking for — someone who is hard and annoying to play against. I’m excited to embrace the Dundee community and use that energy in my game.”
Following the announcement, Head Coach Scott Dutertre had high praise for the defenceman:
“Evan is a big penalty-killer with a good stick, blocks everything and is a really good defender.
“For a player like him, if you notice him during a game sometimes that’s not always a good thing, but Evan is a guy who’s just sneaky good and does the right thing all the time.
“I think Evan will be able to establish himself as a really good defenceman. I think this is the start of something bigger for him, and he’ll probably be able to earn more opportunities throughout Europe after spending some time with us.”
Brand is our 7th signing of the summer, joining Josh Nelson, Jonathan McBean, Ben Brown, Travis Ewanyk, Keaton Jameson and Craig Moore on next season’s roster.
You can see Evan’s complete career history and statistics by clicking HERE!
Fans will be able to hear more from Evan and Scott in an exclusive interview on Stars TV, coming soon, with more signing news to follow in the coming weeks.
