Columbus Blue Jackets select Gavin Brindley in second round of 2023 NHL Draft
Michigan hockey forward Gavin Brindley is heading to the Columbus Blue Jackets, who selected him in the second round of the 2023 NHL Draft. Brindley joins Wolverine teammate Adam Fantilli in Columbus, who was taken with the No. 3 overall pick on Wednesday night.
It adds to a growing Michigan contingent with the Blue Jackets. Zach Werenski has been in Columbus since 2015 and Kent Johnson was selected fifth overall in 2021. Defenseman Nick Blankenburg went undrafted, but has been with the Blue Jackets for the last two seasons.
In a mock draft posted by The Athletic this week, Fantilli and Brindley went to the Anaheim Ducks. The outlet was onto something with a Michigan double dip but just got the team wrong.
“Gavin Brindley is not your typical NHL prospect – a kid from Florida who had to work to earn his offer to the University of Michigan, he took advantage of his role,” Jackets Cannon wrote in a pre-draft piece. “A driven player with an exceptional work ethic, Brindley made a point of doing all he could to take advantage of opportunities and get better night after night. Brindley isn’t the high end talent like his fellow Wolverine Adam Fantilli, but his compete level is off the charts.”
“Brindley projects as a winger at the NHL level, likely in a middle-six role, but despite his smaller stature (he’s listed at 5’9″), he brings it every shift. All reports suggest ‘imagine Nick Blankenburg, but a forward.’ You could do worse having a player like that in your lineup.”
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Brindley’s motor and late-season playmaking have been singled out as assets as he heads into his new venture at the next level. Some believe that he could be a steal after sliding out of the first round.
“Brindley’s game is based on his non-stop motor,” NHL.com‘s Adam Kimelman says. “He obviously needs to get stronger, but his size (5-8, 168) certainly wasn’t an issue in the second half of the season at Michigan, when he had 28 points (11 goals, 17 assists) in 21 games.”
Brindley was projected as a late first-round pick, according to most mock drafts. He notched 12 goals and 26 assists as a freshman last season.
Of course, the star addition for the Columbus Blue Jackets was Fantilli at No. 3. He was expected to be the No. 2 overall pick to the Ducks before Anaheim pulled a fast one with Leo Carlsson in the second slot. Columbus did not hesitate to select the Hobey Baker winner from there. It remains to be seen if he will return to Michigan for a sophomore season.
