Bobby Brink knows the Flyers are seeking more consistency from him this season

WASHINGTON ― The Flyers doghouse is currently vacant.

According to coach John Tortorella it’s “really never” occupied. Others would argue that’s not 100% accurate with his history of in-game benchings and healthy scratches before the puck even drops.

But if there was a doghouse, Bobby Brink was a guy who could have nailed his shingle to the outside last season. The 23-year-old played in just 57 NHL games in 2023-24 and was benched, scratched, and sent down to the Phantoms in the American Hockey League more than once. He finished with 23 points for Philly and 13 points in 13 games in Lehigh Valley.

Sitting in front of the media Saturday at the Flyers Training Center, Brink said he learned a lot and wouldn’t take last season as a negative. He mentioned that in May when speaking to The Inquirer at the PPL Center in Allentown. Brink added that he thought the Flyers “were looking for me to play a little more confident” and that sometimes you “have to figure some of that stuff out yourself.”

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He realized on his second-to-last loan to the AHL beginning on Jan. 22 (he was also loaned back after the Flyer season ended), that he wasn’t playing to his full potential. So he scored six goals and 11 points in 11 games there. When he returned to Philly, he started off red-hot with goals in back-to-back games and appeared to be playing with more confidence.

“A lot of what we saw last year when he came to us, he was making plays and he used his speed and his quickness, and that’s what he shown so far in camp,” Phantoms coach Ian Laperrière said before the game Sunday. “I’m expecting that he’ll continue to have a great camp, and good for him. It’s a big year for him.”

Brink knows it’s a big year. Signed to a two-year deal on July 3, the Minnesota native has been noticeable in scrimmages. He’s been spotted using his quickness and footwork, being creative, and even finishing checks.

“Just keep trying to make plays out there, keep trying to produce offensively, try to take on a two-way role, and just have as big an impact on helping the team win the game as much as I can,” Brink said in Voorhees. “I think that doing that, being a two-way player, I’d be better on both sides of the rink, and the more you improve, the more you can help the team win.”

Tortorella declined to talk about what he’s seen in camp from Brink — though he did say “there’s a lot of good things to Bobby’s game.”

“Consistency is going to have to be something, with young players, that’s what you have to live with, as far as their inconsistency, and try to give them some more to get them consistent,” Tortorella said Saturday. “Where it all sits, I don’t know. We certainly know him better than some of the other people, because we’ve had him and like some of the things; the puck follows him and we like some of the things he does on the power play. I’m just looking for consistency from him in his total game.”

Asked if Brink is in the same position as Cam York was last training camp, when Tortorella said he wasn’t sure if the blueliner was a full-time NHL player, Tortorella replied, “Yes.”

But Tortorella also said that he wanted to wait to comment on Brink after a preseason game. On Sunday against the Washington Capitals in the Flyers 6-2 win, Brink was more than noticeable, notching a pair of goals in regulation before scoring another in a mock shootout.

“I’m just trying to go out there and create chances and try to play good on both sides of the rink, and I’m not going to try to speak for anyone,” he said when asked about Tortorella’s comments after the game. “I don’t think you can judge it based on goals and assists, just kind of going out there and working hard and creating. And if you do that, you put yourself in a good spot.”

“Everyone has to earn a spot every day, doesn’t matter who you are,” Brink said. “So, yeah, I’m coming in here, and I want to just put my best foot forward and try to come [into] the year with a little momentum.”