Friday morning, The Hockey PDOcast released a new episode, with Devils’ defenseman Brenden Dillon making a guest appearance alongside host Dimitri Filipovic. Over their hour-plus-long episode, the duo chatted about everything from the evolving landscape of special teams to the reigning Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes to Arseny Gritsyuk’s steal of an extension.
One of the more interesting conversations, though, revolved around Jesper Bratt and his surprisingly physical nature. In that regard, Dillon had this to say about his teammate:
"Bratt is 5’9, 5’10, and it doesn’t matter if it’s Brenden Dillon or Quinn Hughes coming to him in the corner — he’s gonna reverse hit and try and make that next play… People talk about toughness and physicality… it’s not about dropping the gloves, it’s about getting into those 1-on-1 altercations, whether that’s a box out or a corner battle for a puck, and being able to win that."Brenden Dillon on The Hockey PDOcast
When discussing Bratt, the first few adjectives used to describe him are typically “skilled,” “deceptive,” “fast,” or “small.” I’m not sure there’s a person out there who would immediately think of “physical.”
That said, Dillon is spot on with his analysis. Bratt is most definitely all of those things — skilled, deceptive, fast, and small — but he certainly is physical to boot. Beyond just the hits (which don’t necessarily encapsulate what “physicality” actually looks like), No. 63 is indeed a dawg along the boards. He establishes body positioning when there’s a race for a loose puck. He initiates contact when the moment calls for it. He battles hard, and, oftentimes does end up with the puck repossessed. All that said, he does throw hits, too. After all, only one player in the NHL has 82 points and 82 hits in 2024-25, and that was Bratt.
If anyone would know that Bratt is that type of player, it’s a player who is on the ice with him and who practices with him day in and day out. This holds especially true when the player is Dillon, who is conventionally regarded as the Devils’ most physical player and the one most willing to mix it up.
Perhaps it’s time, then, to reevaluate the stigma around the 5’10 winger and cease insinuating that he is averse to the physical side of hockey. The truth is that he’s anything but.
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