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Bobby Brink

Philadelphia Flyers Sign Bobby Brink

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After winning a National Championship with the University of Denver last night, third-year NCAA player and Hobey Baker Award finalist Bobby Brink has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Philadelphia Flyers. In a statement, Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher had this to say about Brink:

We’re very excited to have Bobby under contract after an outstanding career in college hockey that concluded with a National Championship. 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, 20, was the 34th overall pick in the 2019 draft and broke out this past season at Denver. Brink’s first two NCAA seasons were good, especially for a player standing at five-foot-eight and 159 pounds, but this season he reached another level of production. He led the NCAA in points with 57 in 41 games and flashed significant offensive upside game after game. As with many undersized players who score boatloads of points as prospects, Brink will face question marks about how well his scoring will translate given the ruthlessness of professional hockey. But all Brink has done so far in his career is score, so it’s hard to imagine he won’t find a way to continue that as a professional.

For Philadelphia, the signing of Brink represents a moment to celebrate for a fanbase that has had little go right this season. Coach Alain Vigneault was fired earlier this year and the team faces heavy questions about its long-term future. But regardless of all of those issues, the signing of Brink means that the Flyers have added a supremely talented forward who should be able to dazzle the crowds at Wells Fargo Center sooner rather than later.

Denver Wins NCAA National Championship

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The college hockey season came to a conclusion on Saturday night and a champion was crowned. The University of Denver prevailed over Minnesota State University with a offensive outburst in the third period. Down 1-0, the Pioneers rallied with three unanswered goals against Hobey Baker winner Dryden McKay and added two late empty netters to take a 5-1 win that was much closer than it looked on the scoreboard. It marks Denver’s ninth NCAA title, tying Michigan for the most all-time and surpassing NCHC rival North Dakota.

There is no doubting that No. 3 Denver earned the title this season. In a three-day span at the Frozen Four in Boston, the Pioneers took down No. 2 Michigan, the season-long tournament favorite, and No. 1 Minnesota State, the near wire-to-wire top-ranked team this season. Goaltender Magnus Chrona (SJS) got hot at the right time, limiting two of the top offenses in the country to just three total goals, only allowing six goals overall in the Pioneers’ four NCAA Tournament games.

Hobey Baker runner-up Bobby Brink (PHI) got the last laugh over winner McKay with the ultimate trophy at the end of the season. Brink was the most productive scorer in the nation this season by a wide margin, making Denver one of the most dangerous offensive teams in college hockey. He was not alone though; forwards Carter Savoie (EDM), Cole Guttman (TBL), and Brett Stapley (MTL) as well as defenseman Michael Benning (FLA) all had terrific seasons. Benning was the star in the National Championship game, recording the game-winning goal and adding an assist.

The question now is how much of the Pioneers’ core returns next season. Seniors Guttman and Stapley and junior standout Brink will be gone, but will junior keeper Chrona and sophomore sensations Savoie and Benning stick around or turn pro? Fortunately, much of Denver’s championship roster is young and will be back to defend the title in 2022-23. Sophomores Antti Tuomisto (DET) and McKade Webster (TBL) and freshmen Shai Buium (DET),  Sean Behrens (COL),  Carter Mazur (DET),  Massimo Rizzo (CAR), and Jack Devine (2022 NHL Draft eligible) should return and will be bolstered by a promising recruiting class that includes Samu Salminen (NJD), projected 2022 second-rounder Rieger Lorenz and a number of other draft-eligible prospects. Speculation also suggests that top Transfer Portal name Ty Smilanic (MTL) could be bound for Denver as well. The Pioneers will remain relevant again next year.

2022 NCAA Frozen Four Preview

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The culmination of the college hockey season has arrived. The “Frozen Four” is set to take place in Boston this weekend with the semifinal match-ups taking place tomorrow and the National Championship game on Saturday. While there are those who are understandably upset that there are somehow no New England teams to play in Boston, it truly is the best of the best at the end this year. Three No. 1 seeds advanced from their regional and the one outlier – Minnesota – was a No. 2 seed who had been a top-four ranked team for much of the second half of the season and arguably should have been a No. 1 seed. The four teams remaining were also the top four scoring offenses in college hockey this season. On top of that, all three Hobey Baker Award Hat Trick Finalists are also still alive. Anyone could seize the title in what should be a great finale to the NCAA season.

Schedule

Thursday
Michigan vs. Denver, 5:00pm ET
Minnesota State vs. Minnesota, 8:30pm ET

Saturday
National Championship Game, 8:00pm ET

No. 1 Minnesota State

Record: 35-5-0
Accomplishments: NCAA Regular Season Champs, CCHA Tournament Champs, CCHA Regular Season Champs
NHL Prospects: F Nathan Smith (ARI), D Benton Maass (WSH)
Notable Undrafted Free Agents: G Dryden McKay, F Julian Napravnik, D Akito Hirose

The Mavericks have basically been the wire-to-wire top team in the nation this season. Under head coach Mike Hastings, Minnesota State has made it to six of the past eight NCAA Tournaments but had struggled to advance past the first round, with many citing their strength of schedule as inflating their national ranking. That changed last season when the Mavericks made a run to the Frozen Four. This season, armed with a stronger non-conference schedule, Mankato was still No. 1 for the vast majority of the season and could finally be ready to take the title. While they aren’t as flashy on paper as the other remaining competitors and their prospect-laden lineups, Minnesota State had the best goal differential in the league this season, was second in defense, and tied with Michigan for second in power play efficiency. Veteran goaltender McKay was top five in the country in save percentage and goals against average and forwards Smith and Napravnik were both top five in points per game. Don’t underestimate the Mavericks.

No. 2 Michigan

Record: 29-9-1
Accomplishments: Big Ten Tournament Champs
NHL Prospects: D Owen Power (BUF), F Matty Beniers (SEA), D Luke Hughes (NJD), F Kent Johnson (CLB), F Mackie Samoskevich (FLA), F Brendan Brisson (VGK), F Johnny Beecher (BOS), F Thomas Bordeleau (SJS), G Erik Portillo (BUF), D Ethan Edwards (NJD), F Dylan Duke (TBL), D Jacob Truscott (VAN), F Eric Ciccolini (NYR)
Notable Undrafted Free Agents: D Nick Blankenburg

The Wolverines entered this season as the championship favorites and have retained that title throughout, now heading into the Frozen Four. It is difficult to recall a more star-studded NCAA squad than the current Michigan roster, which includes a whopping seven first-round picks. Beniers has enjoyed one of the best all-around seasons of anyone in college hockey this season, while Johnson and Power both rank in the top five in assists per game. Yet, those three 2020-21 holdover who received so much draft hype last year are only the tip of the iceberg. Michigan can score with nearly anyone on the ice and Portillo can hold his own in net. They will be difficult to beat.

No. 3 Denver

Record: 27-9-1
Accomplishments: NCHC Regular Season Champs
NHL Prospects: F Bobby Brink (PHI), D Antti Tuomisto (DET), D Shai Buium (DET), D Sean Behrens (COL), F Carter Mazur (DET), D Michael Benning (FLA), F Carter Savoie (EDM), G Magnus Chrona (SJS), F Cole Guttman (TBL), F Brett Stapley (MTL), F McKade Webster (TBL), F Massimo Rizzo (CAR)
Notable 2022 NHL Draft Prospect: F Jack Devine

There is no question that the Pioneers are on the brink of greatness. Hobey Baker favorite Brink has been the most dynamic scorer in the nation this season, ranked first in points and assists per game by a significant margin. That’s not all that Denver has to offer though. Savoie is one of the most dangerous goal scorers in the NCAA, especially on the power play. Guttman is masterful at the face-off dot and a well-rounded weapon. The blue line is deep in NHL prospect talent. If the Pioneers have one weakness at this stage of the tournament, it could be starting goaltender Chrona, who simply hasn’t performed to the same level as his remaining counterparts. Yet, if any team can win in a high-scoring shootout with Michigan, it would be Denver.

No. 5 Minnesota

Record: 24-12-0
Accomplishments: Big Ten Regular Season Champs
NHL Prospects: F Chaz Lucius (WPG), D Ryan Johnson (BUF), D Jackson LaCombe (ANA), D Brock Faber (LAK), F Matthew Knies (TOR), F Tristan Broz (PIT), F Blake McLaughlin (ANA), F Aaron Huglen (BUF), D Jack Perbix (ANA), F Rhett Pitlick (MTL), D Mike Koster (TOR), D Ben Brinkman (DAL), F Bryce Brodzinski (PHI), F Sammy Walker (TBL)
Notable Undrafted Free Agents: F Ben Meyers

Led by top free agent and Hobey Baker finalist Meyers, the Gophers actually have more NHL Draft prospects than Michigan or Denver. Meyers is sixth in the NCAA in points per game as he leads a Minnesota team that has found ways to win at every turn this season, including splitting the regular season series with Michigan. McLaughlin, Knies, and LaCombe have all had terrific seasons as well, and when healthy Lucius has been dangerous. Goaltender Justen Close has performed admirably since taking over for Jack LaFontaine (CAR) mid-season and is not the weakness that many expected him to be. The Gophers are a real threat to knock off Minnesota State on Thursday.

 

2022 Hobey Baker Hat Trick Finalists Announced

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With the collegiate hockey season coming to a close, the three finalists for the Hobey Baker Award have been announced. The trophy is given to the top NCAA player in the country and has an impressive line of winners over the past few years. In 2014, Johnny Gaudreau took home the award as a junior for Boston College, followed by Jack Eichel in his only year for Boston University in 2015. Jimmy Vesey, Will Butcher, and Adam Gaudette don’t bring quite the same impact but still became NHL regulars after winning from 2016-18.

2019’s winner was University of Massachusetts defenseman Cale Makar, who has gone on to win the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s best rookie and is now dominating the league with the Colorado Avalanche. In 2020 the award was given to Scott Perunovich, who is dealing with some unfortunate injury issues to start his career but still looks like a future contributor to the St. Louis Blues blueline.

In 2021, Cole Caufield took home the award after leading the nation in scoring at the University of Wisconsin. Caufield made an immediate impact by helping the Montreal Canadiens reach the Stanley Cup Final a few months later and, while struggling early this season, is now back to his scoring ways under new coaching.

The award also has several top NHL alumni in its small fraternity, including Neal Broten, Tom Kurvers, Paul Kariya, Chris Drury, Ryan Miller, and Brendan Morrison. With that group behind them, this year’s winner is certainly not someone to take lightly.

Earlier this year, 77 players from the NCAA ranks were nominated for the award, and ten finalists were announced earlier this month. Those ten players have been narrowed to just three, your Hat Trick Finalists.

Bobby Brink – University of Denver (Philadelphia Flyers)

The 34th overall selection in 2019, Brink has shown once again that if you give him a chance to get acclimated to a new league, he’ll dominate it. The DU junior had 14 goals and 56 points in just 39 games, blowing by his total from the first two years of his college career. Listed at just 5’9″ 166-lbs, he led the entire nation in scoring on both a total and per-game basis, and now has Denver into the Frozen Four. They’ll take on Michigan on April 7, a game that will have general managers all across the NHL waiting by their phones to call up whichever prospects are eliminated.

Dryden McKay – Minnesota State University-Mankato (undrafted)

McKay is a Hat Trick Finalist for the second year in a row, after losing the award to Caufield in 2021. His placement this year will certainly come with some raised eyebrows because of the performance that Devon Levi had, but there’s no doubt that McKay was once again one of the most valuable players in the country. Undrafted, the 24-year-old netminder put up a .934 save percentage in 41 games, winning 37 of them. If he can win a national championship, his college career will go down as one of the best of all time. McKay has gone 112-19-4 with a .932 save percentage over his four seasons and will have plenty of interest from clubs when he’s eliminated, even if he isn’t quite the prototypical NHL goaltender build.

Ben Meyers – University of Minnesota (undrafted)

Captain of the Golden Gophers, Olympian, and sixth-leading scorer in the nation, Meyers has come a long way since the undersized forward that barely got drafted into the USHL. Despite doubters at every level, he continues to improve and will now be a huge focus for NHL teams next month. In 33 games this season he had 17 goals and 41 points, while adding another four points in four Olympic games with Team USA. While he technically could return for a senior season, it’s going to be difficult to turn down the offers that come his way in a few weeks–especially if a good number of other Minnesota players decide to turn pro.

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