PHILADELPHIA – Bobby Brink isn’t the first Flyers rookie to be sent back to the minors in-season for a reset and he certainly won’t be the last.
He knows that and it’s a major reason why he was determined to maintain a positive attitude with the Phantoms.
Brink, the former NCAA Division I scoring champ while playing for Denver University, was called back up from Lehigh Valley on Tuesday after spending 11 games with the Flyers’ AHL affiliate.
He posted 11 points (six goals) in those games, so the scoring touch is still there.
The stint appeared to be productive, not only from a statistical standpoint but also from a stint to work on his overall game.
As Brink was about to be sent down, Flyers veteran wing Joel Farabee pulled him aside and told him he also had been sent down his rookie season.
“I’m not the first guy that’s had that happen to him,” Brink said after Tuesday morning’s skate at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees, N.J. “So I’m not going to sit there and whine about it. It’s happened to a lot of guys in this league. It just depends on how you handle it.”
The Minnesota native can take some positive lessons from his time in Allentown.
“I just try to keep a positive mindset,” he said. “Can’t go down to Lehigh and have a bad attitude. Then it might take you a lot longer to get back here.
“I had people preaching that to me. I just tried to go down and give it my best.”
Brink saw more power-play time with the Phantoms and that might help his numbers with the Flyers. Through 38 NHL games, the 22-year-old Brink had posted seven goals/18 points.
“It (the AHL tenure) is good for your confidence,” Brink said. “It’s nice being given opportunities.
“So it’s great to be back. I’m excited to go out there and be with the guys. I’m just going to go out there and do my best, play my game and what comes from it, comes from it. All you can control is your effort.”
Coach John Tortorella is hoping Brink got the message. The season is now in the homestretch and he can’t afford to carry any passengers.
“It’s not like he’s lit it up down there in Lehigh,” Tortorella said. “I think Bobby might be a guy, too, where it happens with a lot of players where you have a lot of people around him – National Hockey Leaguers may help him.
“You know, Bobby’s brought some offense to us when he was here. It leveled out a little bit. I think he needed a mindset change a little bit as young players do sometimes. I’m hoping he can bring some offense if he plays.”
>Surgery for the coach
Tortorella showed up Tuesday morning with his right arm in a sling. Turns out he underwent surgery on his hand on Monday.
Asked about the nature of why surgery was needed, Tortorella responded with a snappy: “Old age!”
>Ristolainen on IR
Defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen, who’s been out since Feb. 10 with an upper-body injury, was placed on the injured reserve list on Tuesday and is now listed as week-to-week. The Flyers were already carrying eight defensemen so there’s no need for a call-up.
>Drysdale sidelined
The Flyers reported defenseman Jamie Drysdale will miss at least two weeks of action due to an upper-body injury he suffered in Sunday’s game at Pittsburgh. The team says he will be re-evaluated at that time.
>Short shots
Forward Travis Konecny was scheduled to miss his third straight game with an upper-body injury (vs. Tampa Bay). He’s listed as day-to-day. . .Tortorella said he planned to have defenseman Egor Zamula run the Flyers’ power play against Tampa Bay. . .Tortorella said he expects backup goalie Cal Petersen to get four or five starts the rest of the season. . .Cam Atkinson got only 10 minutes of ice time at Pittsburgh. “Terribly inconsistent,” Tortorella said. “That’s why he only got 10.”
