The Philadelphia Flyers added yet another skilled forward to their lineup, as the organization officially signed Bobby Brink to a three-year entry-level deal on Sunday afternoon. One day after Brink celebrated winning a national championship with his teammates at the University of Denver, his lifelong dream of playing in the National Hockey League came true. He is expected to make his NHL debut with the Flyers on Tuesday evening as the team takes a short trip down I-95 to take on the Washington Capitals.
“We’re very excited to have Bobby under contract after an outstanding career in college hockey that concluded with a national championship,” said general manager Chuck Fletcher. “Bobby possesses a high compete level combined with terrific hockey sense and offensive skill that has led him to succeed at every level he has played in his young career.”
Brink will be a huge addition to the lineup following a stellar career in college hockey, which did not go unnoticed by Flyers fans. The excitement for him to join the organization built the closer he came to winning a national championship, as fans knew what was coming next.
24-hours later, he was officially a member of the Flyers organization.
“This is such a storied organization, so much history,” Brink said. “I couldn’t be happier to be joining the Flyers.”
Brink at the University of Denver
Brink quickly became a prospect to keep eyes on after being drafted by the Flyers in the second round, 34th overall, in the 2019 NHL entry draft. Prior to being drafted, Brink spent the past three seasons with the University of Denver men’s ice hockey team. During his time as a Pioneer, he played a total of 84 games, notching 92 points (27 Goals and 65 Assists).
As a junior, he led the NCAA with 57 points and 43 assists, and added 14 goals with a plus-26 rating in 41 games played this past season. He was named First Team All-American and was a finalist for the 2022 Hobey Baker Award for his efforts, and although he finished second in voting, his final year of collegiate hockey was one to remember.
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“His competitiveness, and his ability to make plays, and he wants to be on the ice in big moments, and he executes in them, I think that’s a tell-tale sign of a hockey player,” DU hockey head coach David Carle said. “Bob’s had an incredible year, but our team’s had an incredible year and that’s a testament to our team that he’s up for that award.”
Not only was this his best season in college, but he also proved his talent was ready for the next level. Fortunately, the season ended the best it could have by winning a national championship, but things were just getting started for Brink. He joins the Flyers after one of the greatest achievements of his life, up until this point, and everything he has worked for over the last 18 years of his life was about to pay off.
Coming to Philadelphia
Brink has an opportunity to be a real star in Philadelphia. His style of play fits perfectly into the Flyers’ offensive system, and he is not afraid to get creative with the puck. His passing abilities are far and above anything the organization has seen in the last couple of seasons. Despite his small frame (5-foot-9, 166 pounds) he creates the time and space needed in order to make those important plays.
Prior to being drafted, the Flyers’ organization was extremely high on his talent. For this reason, the team decided to trade up in the second round in order to select him 34th overall. It’s a draft class that has already seen Cam York (14th Overall) and Ronnie Attard (72nd Overall) make their NHL debut with the Flyers this season. The organization believed his potential for the future was too great to pass on after passing up Cole Caufield earlier in the draft.
“We had him slotted higher [than No. 34 overall],” Flyers assistant general manager Brent Flahr said Saturday via a conference call. “Bobby was the guy that we were hoping was there. We knew he wasn’t going to last very long in the second round, so we paid the price to move up, but to get a player of his caliber, we were happy to do that.
“He’s not the biggest body, but he’s extremely smart, highly-skilled, very competitive. He picked apart the USHL league, which is hard to score in; coming right out of high school and dominated. He’s very strong on his skates, he’s got great edges and he’s slippery.”
The Flyers will soon find out if moving up to take the smaller, high-scoring right-winger will pay off in the end, or the team will have to continue looking for more talent. All indications point towards things panning out for Brink in the NHL, just as they did in college. As long as he continues to put the work in, everything will work out.
