All of the prospect profles I have written up to this point have been about players that the Nashville Predators would be looking to select with their 15th overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. With this player, he could be a focus for the host team to select with their second selection in the first round: the 24th overall pick.
In last year’s draft, we saw Sean Behrens, the small but extremely skilled defenseman fall into the second round before the Colorado Avalanche selected him with the 61st overall pick. While I don’t think he’ll fall that far, the likelihood that forward Gavin Brindley will fall to the Predators at 24 is high and that mainly has to do with his size.
Yes, Brindley (5-foot-9) is the same height as Connor Bedard (5-foot-9) per EliteProspects, but he also only weighs 157 pounds, which is almost 30 pounds lighter than the eventual first overall pick for the Chicago Blackhawks. The Estero, Florida native is just one of the many “undersized” forwards that is projected to go in the first round.
Brindley spent his 2022-23 season with the University of Michigan in the NCAA. He sat fifth on the team in scoring behind the projected second overall pick Adam Fantilli, New Jersey Devils prospect Luke Hughes, Florida Panthers prospect Mackie Samoskevich, and Winnipeg Jets prospect Rutger McGroarty. He finished the season with 38 points in 41 games, and those 41 games were two more than those last three players and five more than Fantilli.
Brindley also played for the United States’ U20 World Junior Championship team and totaled four points in seven games.
Despite lacking in the height and weight department, there is plenty to like about what Brindley can bring to the table. He’s an above average skater with a motor that seemingly doesn’t stop. If he’s not skating his hardest, he’s scanning the ice for the next play. He uses his speed and strong edges both when he’s forechecking and in the transition game, and he really is at his best in tight spaces.
Below is a clip of his movements along the wall and then finding open space on the weak side of the ice. He’s not able to reach the puck at the beginning, but he’s able to recover, draw a defender, turn away on his edges, and make a pass with a light touch to his teammate on the goal line. From there, he attacks the (open) slot, and when he doesn’t receive the puck there, he finds open space on the backside and eventually scores a goal because of it.
And here’s Brindley in transition, receiving the puck while moving forward and attacking through the middle of the ice. He puts it out wide and attacks the net. After his teammate loses the puck, he goes straight to the low boards to help support the puck. He receives the puck and feeds it immediately to the slot, and his teammate rewards him with a goal.
The good news about Brindley is that, despite being smaller in stature, he’s not afraid to get into the dirty areas. He has the skill set of someone who could be in the top six of an NHL lineup one day, but he also isn’t afraid to play a type of game that requires physicality and grit. He is more than willing to attack the front of the net, but he’s also smart about how and when he puts himself there, as well as when to back out and find the open space.
The young forward is also a very strong forechecker. He uses his feet to put himself in good positions, whether that’s passing lanes or in an advantageous position along the wall. In the clip below, he gets to the opposing player so quickly that he has to turn his back. From there, Brindley takes over, steals the puck, walks around the net, and with a smooth touch, sends the puck through the seam for a one-timer that results in a goal.
Even if you hold concerns about how Brindley’s height is going to translate to the NHL (Editor’s note: actually, we stan a short king), there are still plenty of things to like about the way he approaches the game. Not only is he an efficient player through all three zones, but he thinks the game very well and has a set of hands to help him act on those decisions. Picking him in the late first round might turn out to be a great result for the team that needs more forward talent in their prospect pool.
Whether or not the Predators picking Brindley at 24 would be a good choice depends on who is left on the board, but there’s plenty to like about the kind of game he can play, especially with the direction the team is headed.