Flyers prospect Bobby Brink’s hockey IQ has helped him catch up quickly after offseason hip surgery

When Bobby Brink was four, he decided his house needed decorating.

His dad was occupied by his two younger brothers, and his mom wasn’t home, so he grabbed a black Sharpie and got to work on the biggest wall in their living room. Holly Brink returned to a hockey rink adorning the wall.

“Andy’s like, ‘I kind of heard something,’” Holly recalled. “It was funny because Andy was probably so tired because the boys had worn him out … and Bobby had the time to draw a whole rink on the wall.”

Bobby doesn’t remember this, but said: “It’s sounds like something I would do.”

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The Brink home in Minnesota was clearly a place that housed three young boys. Not wanting to spend money to constantly repaint the wall, the drawing stayed up for several years, Andy said. There was also the fact that the rink, drawn by a four-year-old, was accurate from the blue lines to the face-off circles.

Brink was acutely aware on the ice at a young age, and his knowledge only grew over the years. That’s what allowed him to win United States Hockey League forward of the year, be drafted by the Flyers, enter college a year early, and then make his NHL debut at 20 years old.

Now, that hockey IQ has become more important than ever as the right winger tries to work his way back from offseason hip surgery and carve out an NHL career.

Like many parents, Holly and Andy occasionally stuck young Bobby in front of a screen to keep him occupied. But they didn’t turn on “Thomas the Tank Engine” or “Bob the Builder.” They turned on “Wayne Gretzky: Above and Beyond.”

“He watched that [movie] a thousand times, I bet,” Andy said. “I think it was really good for his hockey. We didn’t do it to make him a hockey player. We did it because he was entertained by it.”

At two, Brink could watch an entire hockey game without getting bored. At restaurants, Andy and Bobby would draft hockey lines of the greatest players for fun or draw plays on the placemats.

Andy and Holly emphasized schooling and other sports to make sure their boys were well-rounded. Brink enjoyed golf and baseball, but nothing compared to hockey.

The one thing that dragged Brink away from the rink was a good book. On road trips between games, Holly watched her son lose himself in series like Harry Potter or Percy Jackson.

Otherwise, it was all hockey, all the time, leading to the “rink rat” label. His parents didn’t hesitate to let Bobby leave home at a young age to play juniors — it was clear that the game brought him true joy.

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Despite starting out as an “afterthought” — “He didn’t even make the top-40 All-American Prospects game,” Andy said — Brink impressed Sioux City Musketeers coach Luke Strand enough to get invited to join the USHL team after his sophomore year.

Brink was Sioux City’s newest and youngest player, and a very quiet person — but in one of their very first power-play meetings, he piped up with a suggestion. It surprised Strand, but rather than take offense, he elected to trust him.

“That gave us a really good inside look,” Strand said. “And he could tell other players who were older and maybe NHL picks, ‘I’ll be here. I’ll be doing this.’ It [his hockey IQ] was pretty evident at that point.”

After one full season with Sioux City, when Brink won USHL forward of the year, tallying 68 points despite breaking his foot and only playing 43 games, Bobby started looking at colleges like many high school juniors. Unlike many high school juniors, Brink decided to jump straight to college rather than attend his senior year of high school.

“Things happened pretty quick,” Andy said. “He accelerated in. I surely did not expect that to happen. That was not the plan.”

Despite being confident that Bobby would find success at the University of Denver, Andy continued to be amazed by his son. As a junior, Brink led the NCAA in scoring, was nominated for the Hobey Baker award and spearheaded the Pioneers’ march to a national championship. Days after the Frozen Four, he made his NHL debut for the Flyers against Washington and picked up an assist. It all happened sooner than Andy could have dreamed — “But [Bobby] put himself in those positions.”

While Brink was mostly quiet in his 10-game NHL stint (four assists) last spring, between getting NHL experience and winning an NCAA championship, he had a lot of momentum heading into the offseason. And then he tore the labrum in his hip.

“Definitely not something I wanted to hear in the middle of my summer that I had to get this surgery that’s going to keep me out ‘til January,” Brink said.

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Brink is the type of kid who, if the physical therapist tells him to do 10 squats every night, does 10 squats every night, Holly said. His work ethic is a big part of his character, Andy added, but no matter who you are, this wasn’t an injury you come back from quickly.

Through July and August, Brink spent a lot of time lying in his bed, fighting through pain. It was a huge relief to join the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in November, even if he was still months out from playing. He felt like he was part of a team again, especially since he got to room with good friend Ronnie Attard.

Brink finally returned to game action on Jan. 11. Through no fault of his own, Brink wasn’t in the best game-shape. But he still managed to catch his coaches’ eyes.

“He’s got a lot of catching up to do, but he gets away with it because of his hockey IQ and the skills that he’s got,” Phantoms coach Ian Laperrière said. “He probably has the best sense — he’s got more puck skills than any other kids on our team.”

That hockey IQ that inspired him to redesign his parents’ living room has helped him quickly establish himself ahead of the AHL playoffs. In 32 games with the Phantoms, Brink has eight goals and 20 points.

Known for his terrific passing vision, the diminutive Brink (5-foot-8) projects as a playmaker and top-six forward at the next level. But the NHL is on hold for now with the organization prioritizing getting its prospects AHL playoff experience.

Besides, as glad as Laperrière is to have him back, he knows he’s not getting the full Brink experience yet. It’s next year, after a full offseason of training, that he’s excited to see.

“To be honest with you, if he becomes what I think he’s going to become next year, I don’t think I’m going to see him,” Laperrière said. “Meaning he’s going to be with the big club.”