With the 196th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, the Philadelphia Flyers have selected American right winger Bryce Brodzinski. After he was ranked as the 117th best skater among Central Scouting Services’ North American skaters in their midterm rankings, Brodzinski jumped up to being ranked 89th in their final rankings.
Welcome to Philly, Bryce Brodzinski! We’ve selected the RW with our 196th pick in the 2019 #NHLDraft. pic.twitter.com/l9aIlUmVV7
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) June 22, 2019
Bryce Brodzinski, Minnesota’s Mr. Hockey for this season, goes 196th to Philly. He’s an intriguing talent. Has a lot of strength to build up, but not a bad bet late.
— Chris Peters (@chrismpeters) June 22, 2019
With the 196th (Rd 7) pick, the Flyers select Minnesota high school (Blaine) star and USHL (Omaha) Bryce Brodzinski, winner of this year’s Mr. Hockey Award. Thick-framed big scorer at HS level, bound for University of Minnesota. Skating needs a lot of work.
— Bill Meltzer (@billmeltzer) June 22, 2019
Brodzinski has spent the last three seasons at Blaine High in Minnesota, where he decided to collect all the points. After he provided 40 points in 25 games in 2016-17, Brodzinski posted 27 goals and 53 points in 25 games as an alternate captain last season and 32 goals and 76 points in 23 games as the school’s captain this past season. His point totals aren’t quite as absurd as they seem, since producing in high school hockey isn’t the greatest feat, but the fact Brodzinski also put up 17 points in 19 games with the Omaha Lancers in the USHL this past season should be a nice confidence boost for fans. Brodzinski was also named the 2018-19 ALL-USA Boys Hockey Player of the Year.
Hockey sense is an important trait for any player to have. According to Chris Dilks of SB Nation College Hockey, that’s one of Brodzinski’s strengths:
“A more underrated aspect of Brodzinski’s game is his quick decision-making in the offensive zone. He sees the ice well and knows where the puck should be going next before he gets it on his stick. He has the ability to slow the game down with the puck on his stick and uses deception well to create space for himself. Even though his shot is a huge weapon, he was equally effective at distributing the puck and picking up assists this past year, showing a lot of maturity to his offensive game.”
Dilks, like Meltzer in his tweet above, also isn’t a fan of Brodzinski’s skating at the moment.
To go along with his skill on the ice, Brodzinski is an interesting pick because of his relatives. His father Mike never played in the NHL, but he was born in Philadelphia. His brother Jonny was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings back in the fifth round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft and has played in 54 contests for the team over the last three seasons.
Brodzinski will play for the University of Minnesota Gophers in the NCAA’s Big Ten next season. The Flyers have until August 15, 2023 to sign the American forward.
