Could Bobby Brink Be The Next Undersized Flyers Forward?

When he was drafted at 34th overall in the second round of the 2019 NHL Draft, Philadelphia Flyers prospect Bobby Brink found himself being tied to two other players in his draft class, through no fault of his own. By opting to pass on undersized forward Cole Caufield in the first round, instead trading back to select Cam York, and then up in the second round to select Brink.

With Caufield’s loud coming out party in this past playoffs, Flyers fans have taken to sizing up whether the combination of York and Brink will manage to out-value Caufield, or if the Flyers made a mistake that draft night.

While York and Caufield will be difficult to ever compare due to the positional difference, Brink and Caufield were being compared even before their names were called. Both viewed at the time as talented forwards who were well undersized, Brink was seen as having potentially a similar ceiling to Caufield, though Brink was the far more raw prospect.

And now several years removed from that draft, that has more than rang true. Caufield is being hailed as a young star in the NHL, while Brink has spent his past few years playing for the University of Denver without being offered an entry level contract, and is not set to join the team for Flyers Development Camp set to begin on August 28th.

However, all is not lost for Bobby Brink. He was a member of the US Junior team that won the gold medal in a campaign that saw him score six points in seven games, tied for fifth on the team with fellow Flyers prospect Cam York. At U of Denver, Brink has put together two consecutive seasons just shy of a point per game, landing 10th on his team in scoring both years, despite playing less games than his teammates.

He has also been making progress fixing some of the weaknesses that resulted in him falling out of the first round. While his height isn’t something he can control, his skating has been improving according to The Athletic, and his performance at the previous World Juniors put that on full display.

Ultimately Brink was always viewed as somewhat of a long-term prospect with a ceiling that could rival Cole Caufield. Will he ever reach that ceiling? It’s hard to say, but Brink is just over a month removed from his 20th birthday, and has shown marked improvement since being drafted.

Cole Caufield is certainly a shiny new player now, but the Flyers own undersized forward is well on his way, and his junior season at U of Denver will be one to watch closely.