Four days ago, Bobby Brink was delivering an overtime assist to beat Michigan at TD Garden and send Denver to the national title game.
On Monday, two days after going on to win the NCAA championship, Brink was on the ice at Flyers Training Center and teammates again with Michigan product Cam York. Brink and York were a part of the same 2019 Flyers draft class and won a gold medal together with the U.S. at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship.
Did Brink do any razzing about sending home York's alma mater from the Frozen Four?
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"No. If he did, I'd punch him," York said jokingly with a laugh.
No need to. Brink is sort of the quieter, let-my-play-do-the-talking type. His play has taken him to the NHL in an impressive climb despite his 5-foot-8, 166-pound frame creating doubt from some along the way.
The 20-year-old right winger signed his entry-level deal Sunday and will make his NHL debut Tuesday when the Flyers visit the Capitals (7 p.m. ET/ESPN).
"It's been a hard path, a lot of work has gone in to get to this moment," Brink said Monday after his first practice with the Flyers. "It's obviously a dream come true to be here and playing a game. It's definitely really special."
NHL
Back in June 2019, Brink waited out the entire Day 1 of the draft and never heard his name called. The following day, the Flyers traded up in the second round to snag him at 34th overall. They viewed him as a first-round talent and weren't too concerned about his "different" skating stride or smaller stature.
This season, fewer than three years after the 2019 draft, Brink led the country in points (57) and assists (43), was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award (top college player) and hoisted the national championship trophy.
"He's just a smart player," York said. "You see him off the ice and you don't think he's super powerful or anything like that, and then he gets on the ice, he's just a really smooth skater, silky with the puck and makes good plays all over the ice."
Brink, one of the Flyers' top prospects, is highly regarded for outwitting the opposition. His smarts and vision have taken him a long way.
"Hockey sense, competitiveness and obviously skill to go along with that," Flyers interim head coach Mike Yeo said. "Those have been the things that seem to get mentioned right off the bat when anybody's talking about him and the game that he brings.
"You draft a player like that and you know about his skill level and that's why you draft him at a high position. One of my first memories was watching him at the world juniors and I remember him on the penalty kill blocking shots, sort of doing whatever he could to help the team win. Obviously a character kid. Some kids, they might not get that power play opportunity that they're normally used to, but for him, he was willing to take any role and shine in it. That's a good quality to have."
Yeo was asked for an example of a player that he coached in the past who shattered the size argument. He referenced Wild defenseman and captain Jared Spurgeon.
"Not the same type of player, he's obviously a defenseman, but he was a guy that was almost basically written off because of his size," Yeo said. "He's a perfect example of a guy who knows that basically the odds are against him. Because of that, he makes sure that he's prepared to play every single day, takes advantage of every opportunity and plays the game so well with his head.
"For smaller players, you have to be able to think the game and you have to be competitive. From what I've heard and from what I've seen so far, [Brink] seems to have those two qualities."
A native of Minnetonka, Minnesota, Brink won the national title in Boston on Saturday night and then flew to Philadelphia and inked his deal Sunday. He'll meet his NHL dream in Washington, D.C.
"It's been a bit of a whirlwind, it's been really busy," Brink said, "but it's been great."
How many text messages has he received over the last three days?
"A lot," Brink said with a smile. "A lot of people have reached out and said congratulations. It's been nice, feels good."
Last season, York signed his entry-level deal after his sophomore year at Michigan and made his NHL debut with the Flyers.
"It's nice having a guy like Cam here, too, who has played a lot of games this year," Brink said. "Just another guy that has been great welcoming me in. It's been awesome."
What's York's advice to Brink?
"Just play your game," York said. "Obviously it's the bright lights, it's the NHL, you think that you've got to do something a little bit different now that you're up here, but it's the same game. We've played hockey our whole lives and nothing changes. Just play your game, do your thing and go have some fun."
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