The sunny state of Florida has always been more known for leather-faced, golf playing retirees and the occasional alligator bite than it’s been known for hockey. However, we can’t take away the fact that the NHL’s most recent powerhouse are indeed from the Sunshine State. Perhaps the Tampa Bay Lightning’s success may lead to a future where we get more Florida-born players in the National Hockey League as well? The current record stands at 18, but only three of those 18 were born before 1988.
Among current NHLers from Florida, we have the Hughes brothers as well as three players who changed scenery in the last few weeks; Shayne Gostisbehere, Garnet Hathaway and Jakob Chychrun.
One player who could come to add to the tally of Floridians in the NHL in the future is draft prospect Gavin Brindley. The smooth-skating winger has had an excellent freshman season with the Wolverines, which has made him surge up draft boards.
Birthplace: Estero, Florida
Date of birth: October 5, 2004
Shoots: Right
Position: Right Wing
Height: 5’9”
Weight: 157 lbs.
Team: University of Michigan (NCAA)
It’s not easy sticking out on Michigan’s roster. Just last summer, their recruitment class included two players who had just been selected within the top 15 of the 2022 NHL Draft, as well as Adam Fantilli, a projected top-three selection this upcoming summer.
It’s even harder to make a case to be a standout player when you are below 5’10 and weigh about as much as a teaspoon of soup. Frankly, you will need to be quite stellar in other aspects of play to compensate for the plausibility of you lacking in physicality.
With Brindley, his hockey sense and blazing speed are what sets him apart from other prospects in this range of the draft. During his freshman season in the NCAA, Michigan has deployed him in every possible situation, both to battle test him and at the same time, make sure to round out his game for the future. In an interview with nhl.com before the World Junior Championships, Michigan interim head coach Brandon Naurato was quoted saying:
“If we just cared about Gavin getting points for his draft status, I can manipulate that very easily. But that doesn’t help Gavin down the road. This helps Gavin down the road … way more. He’ll get his points.”
The Michigan coach continues to talk about how well the freshman drives possession, using his speed and tenacity. His slight frame would have stopped many other players from entering battles in the gritty areas around the boards, but Brindley has no quit, regardless if he is on or off the puck. To sum it up, there are tools to work with here for the NHL team that ends up drafting him.
Preliminary Rankings
Dobber Prospects: #16
Elite Prospects: #24
FCHockey: #14
Hockey Prospect: #33
Hadi Kalakeche: #12
McKeen’s: #22
Bob McKenzie (TSN): #43
NHL Central Scouting: #40 (North American Skaters)
Corey Pronman (The Athletic) #34
Scott Wheeler (The Athletic): #25
The quote above makes it sound as though early focus from the coaching staff at Michigan has been to make sure Brindley rounds out his game enough to get ready for life as a pro, instead of just making sure he spits out points in the NCAA. This reminds me of what Cole Caufield set out to do when he was playing college hockey, especially during his sophomore season in Wisconsin.
Caufield was reportedly not too pleased about having to stay for a second season with the Badgers, since he thought he was ready for the NHL. But when the disappointment had settled, he made sure that he would round out his game and become a more overall complete player. One season later, he had not only won the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in college hockey, but also featured in — and excelled during — the unlikely playoff run which ended with the Habs playing Tampa in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Gavin Brindley you've got to be kidding me! 😳
Coming Soon.#GoBlue〽️ pic.twitter.com/sCc6gPXSjX
— Michigan Hockey (@umichhockey) July 28, 2022
Naturally, not every undersized winger can be Caufield. But the early worries about Brindley’s production as a freshman shouldn’t be what knocks him down from being a first-round draft pick this summer. During the year, he has been deployed so that he can become a solid 200 ft. hockey player, instead of just being an offensive dynamo.
Many smaller players in junior hockey are put in clear-cut offensive roles to make sure they are not at the same risk of getting out bodied by bigger opponents. What that effectively means is that these players will have to become skilled enough to become deployed in a top-six role in the NHL, as they would add little to nothing further down the lineup.
The Michigan Wolverines coaching staff are instead making sure to give it their best effort to raise Brindley’s floor. If his offensive game never ends up being enough of a high-end trait, there are clear reasons to believe that he would still add value to a roster as a bottom-six forward.
There is big potential in Brindley’s game. His speed and persistence will make more than one scouting team fall in love with his playing style. With proper coaching as well as another few off-seasons under his belt, he could end up being seen as a potential steal for an NHL franchise.
Justin Blades
