As injuries have piled up in the NHL, the Cleveland Monsters roster has been somewhat depleted - particularly up front. This has opened up opportunities for other prospects in the Blue Jackets system, including 2023 second round pick Gavin Brindley.
Brindley got off to a late start this year due to a broken finger he suffered in the first Blue Jackets preseason game. He missed a month and a half with the injury, delaying his American Hockey League debut until November 23.
He made a quick impression with the Monsters, picking up an assist in his first game. By the end of his third game, he already had five points; including his first career professional goal, scored as part of a three point night in Rochester in his third game.
Since then, he hasn't maintained that torrid pace, but he has put up a respectable 4 goals and 13 points in 20 games; good enough for 9th on the team in scoring despite playing in just more than half of their games. All told, it's been a pretty successful first professional season for Gavin Brindley so far.
With that said, I don't expect to see him in the NHL any time this year. That is, unless the injury woes become very dire. Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell has talked about having patience with young players, and brought up a desire to keep them down in the system until they're ready.
From an overall perspective, Gavin isn't as ready for the NHL as, say, Denton Mateychuk has proven to be. Brindley is only a few months younger, but from a hockey standpoint; he's a full year behind in development because of his late birthday.
He hasn't quite dominated in the AHL like Mateychuk, or even recent call-up Luca del bel Belluz. And, whlie LDBB has had flashes of success in the NHL, you can see the difference that the extra development time can make. Even for a guy who was leading the league in scoring at the time of his recall, the game becomes a lot more difficult at the next level.
Seasoning means confidence.
Brindley isn't quite dominating in the AHL, yet. I think a full year of playing down there will help set him up for better success next season. Then, a strong training camp (staying healthy is key) could springboard him into competing for a job at the NHL level. But, I also wouldn't be surprised to see him start next season in Cleveland, either. Maybe taking a path similar to the one being paved by del bel Belluz this year.
That's just fine with me. If Brindley can gain confidence and find the scoring game that had him producing at more than a point-per-game in the NCAA, he's well on his way to becoming a middle-six contributor for the Blue Jackets at some point in the future. I would rather see that happen, than having his confidence blown by being rushed along. This development plan is very refreshing to see.