Photo Credit: gophersports.com
The Philadelphia Flyers were on a manhunt in search of help for their once struggling offense. Former Flyers General Manager Ron Hextall slowly went under the radar with drafting late round studs. It just so happens these studs are Oskar Lindblom, Tanner Laczynski, David Kase, Noah Cates, Olle Lycksell, Wyatte Wylie, and Wyatt Kalynuk to name a few. Hextall was onto another future hidden gem Bryce Brodzinski, who was drafted by Chuck Fletcher in the 7th round of the 2019 NHL Draft. Hextall scouted Brodzinski when he was in high school, “Hextall used to come to my games and watch me play,” Brodzinski said, “Pretty neat, I haven’t had much conversation with Chuck Fletcher.”
Brodzinski was born August 9, 2000, in Blaine, MN. Following the draft Brodzinski chose to stay close to home at the University of Minnesota. After completing his first season with the Golden Gophers Men’s Ice Hockey team, Brodzinski amassed 7 goals, and 5 assists for a total of 12 points in 37 games played. These numbers were pretty solid for his freshman season. However, even with these strong numbers Brodzinski feels as though he should perform better, “I need to work on skating more,” Brodzinski says, “It paid off in a big way working on that this past Summer, but I can get bigger and stronger too.”
When Brodzinski heard his name get called by the Flyers he instantly became ecstatic. All the hard work and dedication finally paid off, as did his dream of playing in the NHL. Even with his emotions he was proud of his family and the Flyers for taking a shot on him. Brodzinski gives all the credit in the World to his dad, and three older brothers for him getting to where he currently is with his hockey career. Hockey runs through his family, as his older brothers have/currently play for some NHL teams:
Jonny Brodzinski (26-years-old)– he has played with the Los Angeles Kings, and San Jose Sharks. Jonny is still currently in the San Jose organization as he plays for the San Jose Barracuda in the AHL.
Michael Brodzinski (24-years-old)- Played for the San Jose Barracuda (AHL), and currently plays for the Orlando Solar Bears in the ECHL.
Easton Brodzinski (23-years-old)- Plays for St. Cloud State University-undrafted.
“I don’t idolize a player that plays in the NHL,” Brodzinski said, “I look up to my older brothers who play hockey. There’s nothing better than to learn the sport through the one’s you love. My dad, and my three older brothers…without them I wouldn’t be here today playing the sport I love.”
After watching film on Brodzinski from this past season at Minnesota, he looked like a player of the future. He was confident, good with his hands, and appeared to be faster than I have previously seen him in years past. This is exactly the prototype player that the Flyers are in need of right now. So just who is Brodzinski? “My favorite food is Chipotle (Brodzinski said laughing), I love it, I absolutely love it (Laughing). There is nothing better than Chipotle, and sometimes I think I love that more than anything.”
Brodzinski continues, “I’m hard-working, I work out a lot. I’m trying to get bigger and stronger. I focused on skating a lot this past Summer, and fortunately I did. While playing for the University of Minnesota this past season it was a faster paced game.”
It is no secret that the Flyers have been restocking the farm system the past few seasons with hidden gems. Eventually, we will see how all this pans out in the coming years. Will all these young prospects work out maybe not, but the majority of them hopefully will. Add Brodzinski to the list of players to watch for in the future. He has a never say die attitude who never gives up, and that alone will make him a fan favorite here in Philadelphia.
Jamey, I watched Brodzinski at the Flyer’s development camp last year and he looked like a nice player for the future. Skills, size and strong. Skates well and good shooting/handling skills. The I caught a couple of his games on the Big Ten Network. Being a freshman in the Big Ten is a learning experience, but Brodzinski earned more playing time as the season moved along. The first time I saw him play, he looked ok. It was obvious he was learning against older players, but he was getting some important minutes. The last time I saw him play, he was a key player for Minnesota and was playing with confidence. He is a 7th round steal for the Flyers. Let’s see how he improves. I was looking forward to this year’s camp to watch BB.
Speaking of Ron Hextall. Since Chuck Fletcher is both GM and President of the Flyers, why not relinquish the GM job and offer it to Ron Hextall. Hextall is the smartest judge of teenage hockey talent in the NHL and he’s also the architect of the present day Flyers. As always nice article Jamey.
I love and thank Hextall for all he did for this organization. He was fantastic. Thanks a lot Gregg for the kind response as always. I can;t wait to see Bryce in the orange and black.
Agreed Jamey. The Flyers are maturing into a powerhouse team. The only thing that can stop them is the salary cap. Gregg