The Philadelphia Flyers assigned Bobby Brink to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on January 22, and the team has gone 1-5-0 since his scratch against the Dallas Stars on January 18.
Just one week into his Phantoms tenure, Brink has demonstrated to the Flyers why they made a mistake in sending him to the AHL.
The 22-year-old quickly got his feet wet in Lehigh Valley, playing a back-to-back on January 26 and 27. The Phantoms lost both games 4-3, but Brink scored in his season debut against the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins before adding two more the next day against the Toronto Marlies.
Guess who's back, back again?
Bobby Brink's back, tell a friend. @LVPhantoms | #WBSvsLV pic.twitter.com/GCKIJ3qVfu
— American Hockey League (@TheAHL) January 27, 2024
Two of the Flyers’ three goals came on the power play, and Brink has nine shots on goal in his two games so far. Before leaving the Flyers, Brink was in a scoring slump, going seven games without a point. It’s also worth noting that Brink had played less than 10 minutes in three of his previous five games in Philadelphia.
It’s difficult to score if you’re never on the ice.
However, just before that seven-game streak began, the University of Denver product had scored four points in his previous five games and was finding the scoresheet frequently in general. It remains to be seen what it will take to bring Brink back to Philadelphia, but the Flyers haven’t exactly been lighting up the scoreboard lately.
The Flyers’ roster is currently clogged with eight defensemen and three goaltenders (note: Carter Hart has not been designated “non-roster”), so it appears that Brink will face a difficult climb, at least in terms of numbers. The sky will become even cloudier when Owen Tippett returns from his injury.
Right now, Brink’s early message to the Flyers is clear.
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