Welcome back to Top Shelf Prospects, the column that brings you the next crop of professional hockey players. Each day our LWOS Prospects Writers will bring you a new player profile or topical article in the lead-up to the 2023 NHL Draft. Be sure to bookmark the site, follow Ben Kerr, Kyle Pereira and Frederik Frandson on Twitter, and spread the word for the site that will bring you analytical and critical profiles and scouting reports! Last Word On Hockey Prospects is your new headquarters for everything “NHL Draft”! Today we bring you our Gavin Brindley Scouting Report. 
The 2023 NHL draft class is a loaded one. From the top with Connor Bedard and Adam Fantilli, it is arguably one of the best classes in recent memory. The NCAA has recently produced some high end prospects like Matthew Beniers, Owen Power and Kent Johnson. This season, it’s been more of the same, although maybe not as talented. One of those players is Gavin Brindley.
Gavin Brindley Scouting Report
Brindley, who was born October 5th, 2004, from Estero, Florida, is a teammate of Fantilli’s on Michigan’s roster. Brindley has played all three forward positions this season. Mostly, he has split between taking faceoffs, playing down the middle, and playing on the right wing. However, the 5’9” and 157 pounds is listed as a right winger on Elite Prospects, and with his diminutive stature, may remain there moving forward.
This season, as a true freshman alongside Fantilli, he scored 12 goals and 26 assists for 38 points in 41 games, just shy of a point per game. With that production, Brindley has primarily been ranked as a first-round talent. He has been ranked ninth by Smaht Scouting, 13th by Dobber Prospects, 14th by FCHockey, 21st by The Hockey News, 22nd by McKeen’s Hockey and Elite Prospects, 23rd by Draft Prospects Hockey, 30th by Daily Faceoff, 33rd by Recruit Scouting, 34th by Craig Button, and 43rd by Bob McKenzie.
Gavin Brindley Deep Dive
Brindley’s apparent range is as early as top-10 and as late as the middle of the second. That is a wide range. Ultimately, it could come down to how much of his success is due to Fantilli versus what he does on his own. Is his production a true indicator of the player a team will be drafting? Or is it a facade that will be exposed once Fantilli moves on?
Brindley’s Skating
Gavin Brindley is a very good skater. His top speed is excellent, although he lacks a consistent top gear that will allow him to burn defenders off the rush. However, there are times where he absolutely can burn an opposing defender. It’s just a matter of finding that gear more often. Ultimately it comes down to his lower-body strength.
Thankfully, playing in the NCAA offers a lighter game schedule, opening opportunities to train and bulk up. Another season at Michigan after this one, which is expected, will grant him the opportunity to continue adding muscle to his frame. That will ultimately help with his power and acceleration, which in turn will help him find that extra gear more often. Other than that, his edges are strong and he’s able to perform tight turns without losing speed consistently. He can also change speeds at the snap of a finger, which can catch defenders off guard.
Offensive Abilities
Brindley has obviously produced quite well this season at a high level. Double digit goals and just shy of a point per game as a true freshman shows just that. However, he has played much of this season alongside Fantilli, who deservedly is the seemingly locked in number two prospect in the class, behind Bedard. How much of his offence comes from Fantilli?
Fantilli is absolutely a force, but Brindley looks like the engine of that Fantilli line. His offensive game is predicated on an incredibly high motor and energy, with a dash of creativity. Despite his very small frame, Brindley is completely unafraid of getting to the net front for tips and rebounds, and he is quite good at doing just that as well. When he is forced to make plays on his own, he does excellent. Brindley possesses a solid balance between playmaker and shooter, with solid but not game-breaking passing and creativity, while also holding a strong but not elite shot. His hockey IQ is clear as day, and the balance between his shot and pass makes him hard to predict. But both qualities do need to improve a bit to translate at this time. Plus, his high energy style, at his size, does not project well to the pro ranks.
Shooting Ability
To start the breakdown of his offensive game, let’s begin with his shooting. First of all, his shot features a very quick release. He’s able to get a lot of power off quickly and smoothly. However, the problem is consistency when it comes to his power. Accuracy is solid most of the time, but as mentioned before, his shot needs refinement.
In three tracked NCAA games, Brindley fired the puck 11 times at even-strength, hitting the net on eight of them (including a goal). Of those 11 shots, seven came from high-danger (only one missed the net). This shows the biggest strength regarding his shooting ability. His ability to find open space in the high-danger areas with consistency, especially when it comes to his net-front presence. Additionally, those shots were generated from high-danger due to his willingness to drive the net hard off the rush.
Playmaking Ability
When it comes to Brindley’s playmaking, he mostly keeps the play simple. While he can dazzle at times with excellent passes, he mostly focuses on extending possessions. You’d be hard-pressed to find Brindley force passes when the lanes aren’t there. As for his stickhandling, he can flash some potential there. But again, he generally does not stand out in that department either, opting instead to keep it simple.
In those same three games, Brindley passed the puck 18 times at even-strength, completing 15 of those passes, in the offensive zone. Of those 18 attempts, only two were aimed at high-danger (both completed). Meanwhile, he completed 12 of 14 attempts aimed at low-danger at even-strength. To further prove that he keeps it simple, he attempted 14 passes on the power play, completing 13 of them, in the offensive zone. Of those 14 attempts, 10 were aimed at low-danger, while only one was aimed at high-danger (not completed).
Gavin Brindley’s Transitional Abilities
Energy player. Willingness to do the dirty work. Not afraid to be involved in the physical aspect of the game despite his size. It screams strong transitional player. That does not even mention his skating, either. This area also shows that, while he did get extra space due to Fantilli’s presence, he can more than handle himself at the college level with or without him. Sure, he isn’t the most consistent in this area. Yes, there are more efficient players. But he is involved, and has generated lots of chances off the rush all year. The way he generated those chances, and this is key, translatable to the next level.
Diving Deeper Into The Transitional Numbers
When exiting the defensive zone in those three games, Brindley was directly involved in 16 zone exit attempts at even-strength. Of those 16 attempts, the puck exited the defensive zone with possession on eight of them (50% rate) and Brindley carried the puck out himself on five of those eight. Not the most efficient, but he also exited the zone by chipping it out on four of them (non-possession clears).
As for entering the offensive zone, Brindley was involved directly on 29 attempts. Of those 29, the puck entered the offensive zone, with possession, on 11 of them (51.72% rate). Of those 11, Brindley carried the puck in himself on 10 of them. Additionally, Brindley dumped the puck in 10 times, showing that simple game once again.
Brindley’s Defensive Zone Play
Gavin Brindley is a solid defensive forward. He isn’t exactly dominant, as he has his limitations and issues. However, his hockey IQ is still prominent in his own end. He does not often cheat up ice, and understands the importance of helping his defenders down low. Brindley’s anticipation and active stick stand out as well. He’s responsible with his angles, which is especially evident on the back check, as he can thwart the attack on his own at times.
The biggest issue with Brindley’s defensive game is, yet again, his size. He cannot defend against the cycle effectively, and once the opposition truly establishes possession, he can become invisible. That does not mean he is a liability, it’s more so the fact that he becomes a bit of a non-factor, good or bad. However, the opposition needs to get set-up for that, and to the admiration of scouts, he does a good job of preventing that, usually.
Gavin Brindley’s Potential
Brindley is an interesting player to project. His raw talent and NCAA production shows signs of him becoming a top-six NHL forward. His overall fairly complete game (solid defence, balanced and effective offence, strong transitional player), skating, and work ethic should generate a lot of interest from teams. However, the fact he played much of the year with Fantilli certainly brought about questions. Can Brindley lead his own line? Or did Fantilli carry him? Based on everything touched on above, it seems as though Brindley more than held his own and showed signs of carrying his own line.
Now, if Brindley can repeat what he did this season, or even improve, without Fantilli, that top-six upside remains. If he takes a step back, then the questions will be even louder. It’s all a part of the draft. Brindley has the makings of a boom-or-bust, with a slight frame to scare managers away to boot. But again, as it stands today, he looks like a future top-six forward that will bring his A-game on every single shift.
NHL Comparison
Based on style alone and not a projection of what Brindley will become, his NHL comparison is Connor Sheary. It took some thoughtful moments, but Sheary is a balanced offensive presence who notably has worked well with superstars like Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. Not to mention, Sheary is a workhorse, who more than holds his end of the bargain when playing with those greats. Also, being on the smaller side as well, he has managed to make a living playing that energy style. Time will tell if Brindley can do the same, and perhaps be even better (as he is the much better talent entering his draft season than Sheary was in his).
Highlights
Tracked Stats from Kyle Pereira
Raw stats via Elite Prospects
Main Photo: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
