His 20 power play goals, seven hat tricks and 13 multiple-goal games in 1985–86 are all records, and he shares the school's single-game playoff record of four goals. He holds the records for most goals by a rookie (32) and most goals in one season (52). In his two seasons at UMD, Brett set numerous school scoring records. He was named the WCHA first team all-star at right wing and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). In 1985–86, he broke the school record of 49 goals in one season, reaching 52 for the campaign. Brett's coaches at Minnesota-Duluth impressed on Hull the need to improve his skating. He was awarded the Jerry Chumola Award as the school's rookie of the year and received similar honors from the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. The power of his shot terrorized opposition goaltenders. He accepted a scholarship to play for the University of Minnesota-Duluth (UMD), and in 1984–85, scored 32 goals as a freshman. NHL teams finally took notice of Brett following his 1983–84 season in which he scored 105 goals in 56 games and broke the BCJHL scoring record with 188 points The Calgary Flames selected him in the sixth round of the 1984 NHL Entry Draft, 117th overall. Brett was again passed over at the 1983 Entry Draft as teams remained unconvinced of his commitment to the game and his conditioning.
He joined the Penticton Knights of the tier-II British Columbia Junior Hockey League (BCJHL) in the 1982–83 season where he scored 48 goals in 50 games. He was first eligible for the NHL Entry Draft in 1982, but as he was still playing in a juvenile league, was passed over without interest. Playing Career Early Playing Career Īs a youth, Brett played in the 1977 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Winnipeg South Monarchs minor ice hockey team.Īdmitting that he was viewed as a "pudgy, fun-loving, music-crazed bum" in his youth, Brett stated in his autobiography that he was not surprised when he failed to attract the attention of a junior team.