COLUMBUS, Ohio — Gavin Brindley was enthralled with the University of Michigan, he said, so it would have been easy to return to Ann Arbor, Mich., for his junior season. Another shot at an NCAA championship and strong candidacy for the Hobey Baker Award seemed possible.
But as Brindley got further away from the Wolverines’ NCAA semifinal loss on Thursday, and as he spoke with close members of his family and well-placed hockey people over the weekend, his feelings started to lean in a different direction.
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It probably didn’t hurt that the Columbus Blue Jackets made it clear to Brindley, their second-round pick (No. 34 overall) last summer, that they believed he was ready to turn pro.
Brindley, 19, signed a three-year entry-level deal with the Blue Jackets on Monday. He’ll make his NHL debut on Tuesday when Columbus hosts the Carolina Hurricanes in Nationwide Arena.
“There was a lot of talking and thinking, and I spoke with a lot of people to get their evaluation of where I’m at and what I should do, if I’m ready for the jump,” Brindley said. “It was a process of taking all that and running it through my head, where I’d succeed the most, where I’d benefit the most.
“I want to be a hockey player. That’s what I’m here to do. So that was the decision for me.”
IT’S OFFICIAL! 🤩
We have signed First Team All-American forward Gavin Brindley to a three-year entry level contract!
📝 https://t.co/NtYVC3Ym4o@RuoffMortgage | #CBJ pic.twitter.com/XZf9lTHhDc
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) April 15, 2024
Brindley told The Athletic that he didn’t decide he was leaving Michigan and turning pro until Monday morning. Once that was settled, the next challenge was to determine when his entry-level deal would start.
If he’d signed the deal to begin with the 2024-25 season, Brindley would not be eligible to play in the NHL this season. But he would have been able to sign a player-tryout agreement with AHL Cleveland for the rest of the regular season and then the playoffs.
By signing an ELC that starts immediately, Brindley is burning the first year of the contract by playing tonight — he can be a restricted free agent after the 2026-27 season — but he’s ineligible to play for AHL Cleveland. His offseason begins with the final buzzer on Tuesday.
“It’s a pretty incredible opportunity (to play in the NHL right away),” Brindley said. “But, at the same time, the goal isn’t to play one game in the NHL. The goal is to play as long as you can, right?
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“I’m gonna enjoy it. It’s going to be surreal. It’s crazy how things evolved over the last few hours, and now I’m driving to Columbus. It should be exciting.”
Brindley plays the game as if he’s been sling-shotted off the bench. He’s only 5-foot-9, 165 pounds, but he plays at a high pace and with indefatigable energy. He finishes checks, battles for loose pucks and sets the pace.
Most regard him as a bottom-six winger in the NHL, but his skill and skating may allow him to play higher in the lineup. At Michigan this season, he had 25-28-53 in 40 games, earning Big Ten Player of the Year honors and an All-America nod.
“I like using my skill,” Brindley said. “I get up and down the ice pretty good; skating is one of my best attributes. I’ve played center and wing, and I don’t really have a preference. But wherever they put me, I like to play hard. I do everything I can every day to win.”
Gavin Brindley leads college hockey with 9 goals in 9 games after 2 last night.#CBJ https://t.co/DPXmy29vHM
— Dylan Tyrer (@DylanTyrer) November 4, 2023
Brindley will wear No. 45, a sweater once immortalized by Blue Jackets enforcer Jody Shelley, now a TV analyst for the club. Shelley retired following the 2013 season, but Brindley was well aware of his career. He chuckled at the shared number.
“I’m probably a little different player,” he said.
Brindley is close friends with Blue Jackets rookie center Adam Fantilli, who left Michigan after his freshman season. It was quite a scene at the draft last summer when the Blue Jackets drafted Fantilli with the No. 3 overall pick in the first round on a Friday, then his buddy Brindley early in the second round the next day.
They won’t play together on Tuesday, as Fantilli is still recovering from a lacerated calf in late January. But they’ll both be pros when next season dawns.
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“My time at Michigan … I loved everybody there, from my teammates to the coaches, to the students,” Brindley said. “My time there was unbelievable. Just that feeling of bonding together and giving everything to the group, contributing together. I don’t even know how to describe it.
“College is kinda the last time you have to enjoy being a kid. It’s a lot of fun. I’m going to miss it a lot. But my feeling was that was ready to move on, and I’m definitely excited for the next chapter.”
It could be a momentous night in Nationwide Arena on Tuesday. In addition to Brindley’s debut, there were hints that two of the Blue Jackets’ injured veterans may be poised to return to the lineup.
Boone Jenner, who hasn’t played since March 28, practiced with the club for the first time on Monday, and is said to be pondering a return for the finale. Jenner and his wife, Maggie, shared on social media last week that their first child, Dawson, was stillborn.
Meanwhile, goaltender Elvis Merzlikins, who hasn’t played since March 30, practiced with the group on Monday.
The Blue Jackets sent forward Trey Fix-Wolansky and goaltender Malcolm Subban to AHL Cleveland on Monday, clearing space for Brindley and Merzlikins in the lineup.
(Photo of Gavin Brindley: Nick Wosika / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)