Brindley not letting lack of size deter dream ahead of 2023 NHL Draft

The 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft will be held June 28-29 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The first round will be June 28 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS) and rounds 2-7 are June 29 (11 a.m. ET; NHLN, SN, TVAS). NHL.com is counting down to the draft with in-depth profiles on top prospects, podcasts and other features. Today, a look at University of Michigan forward Gavin Brindley. NHL.com's full draft coverage can be found here

Gavin Brindley does not lack confidence, and it's one of the reasons he's a top prospect for the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft.

The University of Michigan forward scored one goal in his first 21 games but was never rattled.

"I remember showing him his shot chart after the first half and looking at him and just saying like, 'Gavvy, you had one goal, what are your thoughts on that?'" Michigan coach Brandon Naurato said. "And he's like, 'I'm good. I think I'm just snake-bit.' And he was actually right because of the amount of chances he was getting in that area. And I was like, 'That's awesome, man.'"

Brindley's play in the second half matched his confidence, as he had 28 points (11 goals, 17 assists) in his final 20 games.

"Honestly, a lot of the games in the first half I thought I played better than in the second half, but some nights in the second half, I had three or four points," Brindley said. "It's crazy how it works, but honestly, I felt pretty good throughout the whole year."

NHL Central Scouting has Brindley No. 23 in its final ranking of North American skaters presented by BioSteel, up from No. 40 in the midterm ranking.

"I had an NHL GM come up to me one night and said he'd been at the Michigan game the night before and Gavin Brindley was the best player on the ice," Central Scouting vice president Dan Marr said. "He had a sensational second half. ... I think Gavin Brindley's future is quite bright. He stands out just because of how he competes with his skills. He's got a dogged determination out there."

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The defining moment for Brindley came when he was named to United States team for the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship. He had four points (one goal, three assists) in seven games as the U.S. won the bronze medal. But more than the result was the boost it provided for a big second half.

"Obviously it gives you a level of confidence when you make a team like that," Brindley said. "It's pretty cool. It doesn't happen too often. So when you get the opportunity, you've got to take advantage of it."

In his second game back at Michigan after World Juniors, he scored the game-winner against Ohio State, and never looked back.

"We got punked the night before (7-2 loss)," Naurato said. "We had extremely hard meetings that next day, the guys had something to prove, and [Brindley] got a dirty goal around the net. Seamus Casey whacked at it and then he ended up taking a whack at the rebound. It was one of those things where it's almost like a monkey off your back because he scored his first goal early against BU in the second weekend (Oct. 14) and then I can just go play."

For Brindley, playing means almost constant motion when he's on the ice.

"Gavin Brindley might have the highest motor in college hockey," Naurato said.

Brindley sees that determined style as the way he has to play to be successful at his size (5-foot-8, 168 pounds).

"I feel like when you're not the biggest guy in the world, you need to be able to work like that and play every situation," he said. "I feel like that's the best part of my game, is I'm able to play in any situation at any time and I'm going to do it to the best of my ability.

"I'm a 200-foot forward. I play center, wing wherever you need me. I played a top-six role at Michigan and I played a bottom-six role with the World Juniors. I'm probably one of the better [penalty kill] guys on our team. I was the first guy over the boards to kill penalties 5-on-3 and playing the power play, played 4-on-4. So played just about every situation. I'm a fast forward who likes to use his skill sets and offensive senses to beat guys and defensively I feel like I'm just as good."

Brindley also helps take care of things off the ice for Michigan.

"He's the best locker room guy I've ever seen," said Michigan teammate Adam Fantilli, No. 2 on Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters. "He's amazing. He's probably my best friend at school and being able to be around him is awesome. He's obviously a phenomenal hockey player. What he does on the ice speaks for itself with his work ethic on and off the ice. He's just a phenomenal kid."

His coach is a big fan as well.

"He's just an ultra-positive kid," Naurato said. "I've been telling NHL scouts that call me, he's a kid you want your daughter to marry. He's the guy you want to go to battle with on a Saturday night game, he's the guy you want to hang out with after you went to battle and won the Saturday night game. He's just very well liked and he just has his stuff together. He's a guy's guy but he can talk to anybody. He's just top notch. He's one of my favorite people.

"I know I'm a little biased and it sounds like I'm hyping him up to these scouts, but he's just a great kid and he just brings energy."

Brindley said one of the players he watches at the NHL level is Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brayden Point, and Naurato said the Point comparison is one he really wants Brindley to lock in on.

"That's kind of the one I've talked about," Naurato said. "I think the biggest thing with Brayden Point and 'Brinds' is the situational skating, to create space whether off the rush or while he's carrying the puck in-zone, using his skating and his foot speed to create that space and more playmaking."

Brindley said the goal this summer is to add strength and more speed for his second season at Michigan and have a more complete season from start to finish.

"I feel like I can touch up on everywhere," he said. "I'm not a complete player yet. And I'm not going to be for a little while here. So just keep working at everything I think. Keep working on my shot, my skating even though it's one of my strengths. I feel like my hockey sense is there. So just keep getting stronger and faster."

Photos: Michigan Photography; Rena Laverty

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