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Bobby Brink Could Be Philadelphia Flyers Wildcard in 2023

By Scott Cole

BOSTON, MA - APRIL 9: Bobby Brink #24 of the Denver Pioneers celebrates with the NCAA championship trophy after the Pioneers captured the NCAA title against the Minnesota State Mavericks 5-1 during the 2022 NCAA Division I Men's Hockey Frozen Four Championship game at TD Garden on April 9, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - APRIL 9: Bobby Brink #24 of the Denver Pioneers celebrates with the NCAA championship trophy after the Pioneers captured the NCAA title against the Minnesota State Mavericks 5-1 during the 2022 NCAA Division I Men's Hockey Frozen Four Championship game at TD Garden on April 9, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images) /
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When you play just 10 games on a losing team as a late season call up after a coaching change, most people may not remember you. After all, injuries had depleted the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2021-22 season. Then, they had the coaching change, and Claude Giroux’s departure left indelible marks on fans of the team. Yet, here we are, over a year later, wondering if Bobby Brink can improve on what he did that year.

Bobby Brink was called up near the end of the 2021-22 season, as is customary with prospects on losing teams. The Philadelphia Flyers were yearning to see what their 2019 second-round draft pick could do, and in 10 games, he tallied four assists, one of which was on the power play, while averaging 15 minutes of ice time. He stayed out of the penalty box, dealt out 15 hits, blocked two shots, and committed only four turnovers. For a young player being thrown to the wolves at the end of a disheartening season, those stats aren’t bad. They became even more impressive with the context that Bobby Brink joined the Flyers straight from the University of Denver.

More importantly, Bobby Brink impressed the Philadelphia Flyers brass. Then, an injury happened. During an offseason workout, Brink tore his hip labrum and required surgery to repair it. The extent of Bobby Brink’s injury forced him to miss five months of all hockey activities. And while he was able to bounce back from the injury, his teammate Jay O’Brien, who also had a hip injury, was not.

Bobby Brink was activated this past January and was assigned to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Playing at the AHL level for the first time in his career, and recovering from the hip surgery, Brink scored 12 goals with 16 assists in 41 games.  For an abbreviated first pro season coming off of a hip surgery, those are impressive numbers. Bobby Brink is now one of the many young forwards attending the Philadelphia Flyers’ development camp this week, and he’s looked great so far.

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The Philadelphia Flyers are most likely not done making moves this offseason, and they will probably seek to add some more veterans via free agency. Most notably, the Flyers’ depth at center is looking weak through the first week of free agency. With a good summer, Bobby Brink could easily find himself vying for a full-time role in Philadelphia. If not, the 21 year old could be sent down to Lehigh Valley for some more seasoning. Either way, the future looks bright for Bobby Brink, who has many more appearances as Wells Fargo Center ahead of him.

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