Flyers prospects Bobby Brink, Cam York help propel USA to win in World Junior tourney

Getting outstanding performances Tuesday from Flyers prospects Bobby Brink and Cam York, the United States trounced the Czech Republic, 7-0, in the IIHF World Junior tournament in Edmonton.

Brink, a feisty winger from Minnesota, scored a pair of goals and was named his team’s MVP in the game, while York, a mobile defenseman from California, contributed three assists and was plus-3.

The Czech Republic was coming off a stunning 2-0 win over Russia, which had defeated Team USA, 5-3.

“The Czechs showed against Russia that they have a really good team,” Brink told reporters after the win. “It took us a while to cash in today, but if we play like we did for the rest of the tournament, I think we’re going to do really well.”

The Americans took control of the game by snapping a scoreless tie with three second-period goals, including two by Brink, who scored on a rebound to make it 1-0.

“We knew they were going to pack it in around their goalie and try to keep us to the outside,” Brink said, “so we knew if we were going to penetrate we had to get a couple of guys to the net and hope to get a couple of greasy rebounds.”

The win clinched a spot in the quarterfinals for the Americans (2-1), who will finish preliminary-round play against Sweden (2-0) on Thursday at 9:30 p.m. The game will be televised by the NHL Network.

In three games, York has six points (goal, five assists), placing him in a tie for fourth among all World Junior scorers. He is plus-2. Brink has two goals, an assist, and a plus-5 rating.

The Americans’ Trevor Zegras, an Anaheim Ducks prospect who had two goals and three assists against the Czech Republic, has 10 points to lead the tournament.

In the 2019 draft, the Flyers selected York in the first round (14th overall) and Brink in the second round (34th overall). They are considered among the Flyers’ best prospects and are sophomores at their respective colleges – York is at Michigan, Brink at Denver.