Bobby Brink has emerged ‘a complete player’ after surviving John Tortorella’s doghouse

There has been a shift in Bobby Brink.

Standing in the Flyers locker room after practice on Wednesday, you would have heard him say it was because he’s gotten stronger and has grown into his 5-foot-8, 169-pound body. That, now in his third full season, the 24-year-old has matured and gained invaluable experience. And that it has all led to more confidence with the puck, especially as he drives down the boards past bigger men on defense.

“You’re not going to be successful if you’re not willing to get to the dirty areas,” Brink said. “And sometimes the D man is going to win that battle and he’s going to get a good hit on you; but other times, you’re going to get out on the other side and hopefully make a play that results in a chance.

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“Sometimes you’ve got to take chances, whether they go your way or not.”

It probably also helps that, since Nov. 25, 2024, Brink has been one-third of the Flyers’ — and the NHL’s — top lines offensively and in terms of shutting down the opposition’s best.

According to MoneyPuck, among trios that have played at least 70 minutes together this season, they rank sixth in expected goals percentage (61.3%), third in expected goals against (2.4), and second in expected goals against per 60 minutes (1.5). The top line in all three categories is the Vegas Golden Knights line of Pavel Dorofeyev, Tomáš Hertl, and Mitch Marner.

And a key part is Brink; whom former coach John Tortorella — who put the line together and relied on it heavily — said two years ago, couldn’t spell “check.”

“Proud of him,” Cates said. “Torts was hard on him, and he got through it and found his game, found how to play, and things like that. So that’s definitely good on him to stick with it and not get frustrated or shy away from it. He took it head-on, and look at him now.”

Now in his third full season — he missed time in 2022-23 after surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left hip and played the rest of the season in the minors — Brink is having a breakout year. He has seven points (three goals, four assists) in nine games, including a power-play goal in Tuesday’s win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. He also scored in the shootout with a filthy deke — “I was running out of some space and some time, and the backhand became kind of the only option,” he said — to seal the 3-2 win in the first Keystone State rivalry game of the season.

“He’s come a long way,” Sean Couturier said. “We’ve always seen his offensive skills and his ability to make plays and create offense, but the defensive side and the reliability of him have really improved. Feels like he’s a complete player, can play in all situations, and he’s going on a nightly basis against top lines. So, credit to him for developing that side of the game.”

With Rick Tocchet at the helm, his ice time also has jumped up to an average of 16 minutes, 41 seconds. The last two seasons, he averaged less than 15 minutes a game.

“We all play well together, and we’ve kind of found a spot there. And he’s the guy that we want to have with the puck on our line, really,” Foerster said. “We want him to control the play, and then just make plays, because he’s unbelievable at it.”

Drafted in the second round of the 2019 NHL draft, the Minnesotan has established himself as the glue of what The Inquirer is calling “The Chemistry Line.” The trio has it. And like the hard element boron (“B” on the periodic table), he is hard to play against, and, when forming bonds, “creates a stable balance of attractive and repulsive forces.”

And he does it in a small frame. What he lacks in size, Brink makes up for in heart, grit, and pure determination. Ranked sixth on the team with 10 hits, he’s become the personification of: It’s not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog.

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Couturier called him “sticky and hard to hit,” and the puck just always seems to be glued to Brink’s stick. For Tocchet, who has only seen Brink up close since mid-September, the winger comes across as a guy who wants more from himself — and plays that way.

“He wants to be an impact player,” said Tocchet, who thinks Brink brings smarts and proper body positioning to battle guys with several inches on him. “And I told him today, like he’s playing against the top lines, and I don’t really see his size being a problem, because he’s quick, he’s winning his battles. … Doesn’t matter how the size is, it’s really the attack mentality that he has.”

Goalie Sam Ersson did not skate Wednesday. According to Tocchet, the goalie tweaked something and is day to day. He does not suspect it to be anything major but will know more Thursday. … Forward Christian Dvorak had a maintenance day. … Tocchet on Trevor Zegras: “He’s a great kid and he’s an honest kid. We talked, I said at the start of training camp, ‘Are you doing stuff for clicks on social media? Or are you doing stuff to win hockey [games]?’ And he wants to win hockey games. … And I think that’s helping his game.”