For a player who almost fell through the cracks, Brouwer has had an admirable NHL career.

The forward was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the seventh round (No. 214) of the 2004 NHL Draft. He was available at that point despite having just posted a 49-goal, 102-point, plus-37 season for Moose Jaw of the Western Hockey League and won the Bob Clarke Trophy as the league's scoring leader. His leadership skills were so well-regarded that he was named Moose Jaw's captain.

Brouwer spent his first two pro seasons with Chicago's American Hockey League affiliates, Norfolk and Rockford. In his third season, he made the jump to the NHL full time, playing 69 games and scoring 10 goals and 26 points in 2008-09.

The following season he had 22 goals and 40 points and had eight points in the Stanley Cup Playoffs to help the Blackhawks win their first title in 49 years.

A year later, Chicago traded Brouwer to the Washington Capitals for a first-round draft pick. Brouwer spent four seasons in Washington and twice had 43 points, but was traded to the St. Louis Blues for T.J. Oshie on July 2, 2015.

With his bulldozing style, and 13 points (eight goals, five assists) in the 2016 playoffs, he helped St. Louis reach the Western Conference Final. He then signed a four-year contract with the Calgary Flames in the summer of 2016 to play in a city where he'd already decided to build a home.

Brouwer played two seasons with the Flames before they bought out his contract on Aug. 3, 2018. He played for the Florida Panthers in 2018-19, then returned to the Blues as a free agent on Nov. 20, 2019.