Bobby Brink, Ronnie Attard, and Noah Cates headline list of Flyers prospects competing in the 2022 NCAA Tournament

Leading up to the trade deadline, Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher shed six contracts, reassigned forward Tyson Foerster to the OHL, and added Owen Tippett, bringing the team to 44 out of a maximum 50 contracts. Now, Fletcher has room to sign some of the Flyers’ college prospects or other college free agents, and potentially give them NHL auditions to close out the season.

Well, pump the breaks, as four of the Flyers’ eight college prospects have a tournament to compete in first.

» READ MORE: Breaking down the Flyers’ trades of Claude Giroux, Justin Braun and Derick Brassard

The 2022 NCAA DI men’s hockey championship kicks off on Thursday, culminating in the Frozen Four in Boston (April 9-11). Flyers prospects Bobby Brink (Denver), Ronnie Attard (Western Michigan), Noah Cates (Minnesota-Duluth), and Bryce Brodzinski (Minnesota) will all compete in the tournament (A fifth, North Dakota’s Gavin Hain, is expected to miss the tournament through injury).

Here’s what to know about each prospect, how they’ve fared this season, and when they’re playing in the first round.

Age: 20

Class: Junior

Height: 5-foot-9

Weight: 166 lbs.

Position: Right wing

Shoots: Right

School: Denver (No. 1 seed)

Drafted: Round 2, No. 34 overall (2019)

Brink has had a standout junior season for Denver and is a top-10 finalist for the Hobey Baker award, which is presented annually to the country’s top player. He leads the nation in scoring with 55 points and 41 assists. A gifted playmaker who is best known for his hockey sense,Brink strung together a career-long 14-game point streak earlier this season (seven goals, 21 assists).

Last week, Brink earned the National Collegiate Hockey Conference’s Player of the Year and Forward of the Year awards, becoming the fourth player in school history to win each individual distinction. His First-Team All-NCHC nod was the only unanimous selection.

In the first round of the tournament, Brink and top-seeded Denver (27-9-1) will face off against No. 4 UMass Lowell (21-10-3) on Thursday in Loveland, Colorado (9 p.m., ESPNU). Denver boasts the NCAA’s top-ranked scoring offense, which averaged 4.38 goals per game this season.

Age: 23

Class: Junior

Height: 6-foot-4

Weight: 210 lbs.

Position: Defenseman

Shoots: Right

School: Western Michigan (No. 1 seed)

Drafted: Round 3, No. 72 overall (2019)

Attard helped Western Michigan to 14 conference wins this season, the most for the Broncos since the inaugural season of the NCHC in 2013. He repeated as the NCHC’s Offensive Defenseman of the Year, finishing the regular season second in the NCAA in scoring among defenseman with 36 points. Along with Brink, Attard was named to the All-NCHC First Team and was the only repeat selection. Attard and Western Michigan fell just short of winning the NCHC championship, falling to Minnesota-Duluth in the final.

Top-seeded Western Michigan (25-11-1) plays No. 4 Northeastern (25-12-1) on Friday in Worcester, Massachusetts (12 p.m., ESPN2). Although Western Michigan has the fourth-ranked scoring offense (3.68 goals per game), Northeastern goalie and Hobey Baker finalist Devon Levi’s .952 save percentage leads the nation.

Age: 23

Class: Senior

Height: 6-foot-2

Weight: 190 lbs.

Position: Left wing

Shoots: Left

School: Minnesota-Duluth (No. 2 seed)

Drafted: Round 5, No. 137 overall (2017)

Last month, Cates represented the United States at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, where he scored one goal in four games. The Minnesota-Duluth captain earned honorable mention All-NCHC honors, finishing second on the team with an average of .69 points per game (11 goals, 13 assists in 35 games played) and topping the team in game-winning goals (four) and power-play goals (five). Cates is sitting on 99 career points.

» READ MORE: Noah Cates ready to live out Olympic dream with Team USA

Cates and the NCHC champions Minnesota-Duluth (21-15-4) will square up against No. 3 Michigan Tech (21-12-3) on Thursday in Loveland (3 p.m., ESPNU). While the Michigan Tech roster features Hobey Baker finalist Brian Halonen (44 points in 36 games this season), Minnesota-Duluth goalie Ryan Fanti is coming off of back-to-back shutouts against Denver and Western Michigan (55 saves total) in the NCHC playoffs.

Age: 21

Class: Junior

Height: 6-foot

Weight: 205 lbs.

Position: Left winger

Shoots: Right

School: Minnesota (No. 2 seed)

Drafted: Round 7, No. 196 overall (2019)

In his third season with Minnesota, Brodzinski registered career-highs in goals (12), assists (13), and points (25) through 36 games. His 25 points rank sixth on the team and he’s tied for the lead in power-play goals (four). Brodzinski registered an assist in the semifinals of the 2022 Big Ten Tournament against Penn State to help Minnesota to a 3-2 victory. The Golden Gophers ultimately lost the final to Michigan, 4-3.

Minnesota (24-12-0) will play against No. 3 UMass (22-12-2) in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Friday in Worcester (6 p.m., ESPNU). Minnesota goalie Justen Close (.928 save percentage, 1.89 goals-against average) has been stellar since Jack LaFontaine signed with the Carolina Hurricanes, guiding the team to a 12-4-0 record to close out the year.