As Flyers head to Minnesota, Bobby Brink is looking forward to his homecoming: ‘It’ll be special’

On his way out of the news conference room at the Flyers Training Center, coach John Tortorella confirmed there would be no lineup changes for Saturday’s matinee in Minnesota.

It‘s not a surprise for the forwards, who have been playing with the same linemates for several games — plus there isn’t an extra forward on the 23-man roster. But for Bobby Brink, he was still unsure on Thursday. “Hopefully I’m there and get to play,” he said Thursday about playing the Minnesota Wild at the Xcel Center (2 p.m., NBCSP).

So why was there hesitation from the kid who grew up about 45 minutes away in Minnetonka? He’s had good numbers, with 13 points in 27 games. But he always seems to be in the line of fire of Tortorella — the coach was spotted yelling at him at the end of the loss to the Florida Panthers on Dec. 5 — and the three games he missed this season were via healthy scratch.

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Last season, Brink was a healthy scratch when the Flyers played the Wild in Minneapolis. It would have been the first time he played at the rink he spent sitting in the seats, watching his hometown team.

But this season, skating on a line with Noah Cates and Tyson Foerster, Brink has established himself as a day-to-day player and is a key component to a Flyers team sitting in a playoff spot on Friday.

“Much better,” the bench boss said about the 23-year-old forward’s game. “He didn’t know how to spell checking last year. He was on the wrong side of pucks. Now he’s on the right side of pucks, checking, and he’s getting sticks on pucks and then he’s in behind the net making plays offensively. Before, he’s hoping he gets there. He wasn’t checking at all and I think he’s improved tremendously that way, and I think that helps that line. Everybody looks at Bobby as a smaller guy and maybe a guy that’s going to score some goals, he’s done his work checking here too that’s helped to solidify that line.”

Brink is excited for the opportunity to don an NHL jersey on the same ice he skated on for Minnetonka High School and Denver. It’s the same rink where he sat in the seats and watched his favorite team, the Wild, and favorite player Zach Parise — a fellow Minnesotan — skate, and now he’ll be the one on the ice with friends, cousins, aunts, uncles, parents, and grandparents watching from above.

“I think every guy, their first game at home is a special thing, and everyone looks forward to it,” he said. “They all get their family and friends in town and no different for me. I think it’ll be a really special night, kind of something I’ve dreamed about growing up going to those games. So yeah, it’ll be special.”

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The forward isn’t the only Flyer heading home. While Brink will be heading out for a good meal with his family on Friday, Ryan Poehling, Cates, and Nick Seeler are heading for some home cooking. On Saturday, they’ll all have friends and family in attendance to watch them play.

Poehling is expecting 20-25 people and Cates will have a suite packed. Seeler doesn’t think there will be many jerseys with his nameplate but there will be a group in Flyers gear to cheer him on.

“This will be the fourth year back, so it’s not like, it’s very new to go back,” said Seeler who was drafted by the Wild and played 99 games for them. “It’s always nice to see family, and I’ll have a lot of people there at the game, so that’s always fun.”

For all the Minnesotans, skating as an NHLer at home is always special but they’ve all played at the Xcel Center for their respective high schools. Seeler won a pair of state championships with Eden Praire High School. Poehling won with Lakeville North High School and Brink scored a power-play goal to help Minnetonka High School win its first state championship.

“Didn’t win. All the other Minnesota guys did,” chuckled Cates, who played at Stillwater Area High School. “But we went to State, which was pretty good for our little town. So kind of going to States was kind of the biggest thing when I was growing up, and to do that, it was pretty special with that group of guys. I still stay in contact [with them] and some of them are my best friends to this day.”

Although they all played high school hockey, none of the Flyers made the cut for the Minnesota State High School All Hockey Hair Team.

“My two brothers did, so they have that over me,” Poehling said.

» READ MORE: Bobby Brink knows the Flyers are seeking more consistency from him this season

Sam Ersson will get the start against the Wild. … Defenseman Erik Johnson is also from Minnesota but is not expected to be in the lineup.

The Junior Flyers, Philadelphia Hockey Club, and Little Flyers are headed to Blaine, Minnesota, this weekend. The teams will be competing in the North American T1ER Hockey League’s T1ER/T1EHL Invitational. According to the league’s website the T1ER League is comprised of USAH National Bound registered teams that compete in a full season at highest level for USA Hockey, which includes strategically located and scheduled showcases during the 2024-25 season. The T1ER Leagues primary mission is to provide development and exposure opportunities for players as they advance on the path to one day play high level junior and college hockey. The teams will play four games in four days. PHC will kick-start their tournament against the Colorado Thunderbirds on Saturday.

Around the Rinks is a new segment every Friday, highlighting the local ice, ball, and inline hockey scene. Submit entries, including about your team’s next game, their big win, or how your favorite player did recently, with the subject: Around the Rinks, to jspiegel@inquirer.com by noon every Friday.