Brian Flynn (ice hockey)

Brian Michael Flynn (born July 26, 1988) is an American professional ice hockey forward who is an unrestricted free agent. Originally undrafted by teams in the National Hockey League (NHL), Flynn has previously played for the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens.

Brian Flynn
Flynn with the Montreal Canadiens in 2015
Born (1988-07-26) July 26, 1988 (age 36)
Lynnfield, Massachusetts, U.S.
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 183 lb (83 kg; 13 st 1 lb)
Position Center
Shoots Right
NHL team
Former teams
Free agent
Buffalo Sabres
Montreal Canadiens
EV Zug
HC Ambrì-Piotta
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 2012–present

Playing career

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Flynn in October 2013.

As a youth, Flynn played in the 2002 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Middlesex Islanders minor ice hockey team.[1]

Flynn played his high school hockey at a New England private school in Connecticut, Pomfret School. Undrafted, Flynn previously played for the Maine Black Bears in the NCAA Men's Division I Hockey East conference. In his senior year, Flynn's outstanding play was rewarded with a selection to the 2011-12 Hockey East First-Team All-Stars.[2]

On March 28, 2012, Flynn agreed to terms on a two-way, entry-level contract with the Buffalo Sabres.[3] As Flynn was over the age of 22 when he entered the league, he was allowed to forgo the NHL Draft and sign as a free agent. During the lockout shortened 2012–13 season, Flynn was called up March 1, 2013, and scored his first NHL goal on March 7 against Johan Hedberg of the New Jersey Devils.[citation needed]

On March 2, 2015, Flynn was traded by the Sabres to the Montreal Canadiens for a 2016 fifth-round draft pick.[4] On April 15, 2015, he played in his first ever playoff game and scored the game-winning goal against the Ottawa Senators in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Following the conclusion of the 2014–15 season, Flynn re-signed to a two-year contract extension with the Canadiens on July 1, 2015.[5]

After two and a half seasons with the Canadiens, Flynn left as a free agent and signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Dallas Stars on July 1, 2017.[6] After attending the Stars training camp, Flynn was placed on waivers and assigned to AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars for the duration of the 2017–18 season. In 66 games he regained his scoring touch, to contribute with 18 goals and 47 points. He helped the Stars advance to the Calder Cup finals before falling to the Toronto Marlies.[citation needed]

As a free agent from the Stars, Flynn opted to sign a one-year, two-way contract with the St. Louis Blues on July 1, 2018.[7] Flynn was assigned to begin the 2018–19 season, with the Blues' AHL affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage. Limited to 21 games through injury with the Rampage, Flynn requested to be terminated from his contract with the Blues and was place and cleared unconditional waivers on January 18, 2019.[8]

On January 21, 2019, Flynn agreed to his first European contract, joining Swiss club EV Zug of the National League (NL) on a one-year deal through the end of the 2018–19 season.[9] He was released at the end of the season and signed a 4-month contract with HC Ambrì-Piotta on August 9, 2019. On December 31, 2019, his contract with Ambri-Piotta was extended through the end of the 2019-20 season. On May 22, 2020, Flynn was signed to a one-year contract extension by Ambri-Piotta through the 2020–21 season.

After three seasons abroad in Switzerland, Flynn returned to North America as a free agent, securing a one-year, two-way deal with the New Jersey Devils on July 29, 2021.[10]

Career statistics

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2005–06 Pomfret School HS–Prep 29 31 22 53
2006–07 Pomfret School HS–Prep 27 26 23 49
2007–08 New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs EJHL 41 26 19 45 24
2008–09 University of Maine HE 38 12 13 25 10
2009–10 University of Maine HE 39 19 28 47 12
2010–11 University of Maine HE 36 20 16 36 8
2011–12 University of Maine HE 40 18 30 48 37
2011–12 Rochester Americans AHL 5 0 1 1 0
2012–13 Rochester Americans AHL 45 16 16 32 18 3 0 0 0 4
2012–13 Buffalo Sabres NHL 26 6 5 11 0
2013–14 Buffalo Sabres NHL 79 6 7 13 14
2014–15 Buffalo Sabres NHL 54 5 12 17 8
2014–15 Montreal Canadiens NHL 9 0 0 0 0 6 1 2 3 0
2015–16 Montreal Canadiens NHL 56 4 6 10 6
2016–17 Montreal Canadiens NHL 51 6 4 10 4 1 0 0 0 0
2017–18 Texas Stars AHL 66 18 29 47 14 22 6 9 15 6
2018–19 San Antonio Rampage AHL 21 1 8 9 8
2018–19 EV Zug NL 13 5 4 9 8 13 4 2 6 2
2019–20 HC Ambrì–Piotta NL 49 13 20 33 18
2020–21 HC Ambrì–Piotta NL 50 9 25 34 35
2021–22 Utica Comets AHL 61 13 13 26 24 5 1 2 3 4
2023 Team Patrick 3ICE 8 2 4 6
NHL totals 275 27 34 61 32 7 1 2 3 0

Awards and honors

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Award Year
College
Len Ceglarski Award - Hockey East Sportsmanship[11] 2011
All-Hockey East First Team[2] 2011–12

References

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  1. ^ "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 6, 2019. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Dumoulin, Almeida Highlight 2011-12 Hockey East All-Star Teams". bcinterruption.com. March 15, 2012. Retrieved March 15, 2012.
  3. ^ Mahoney, Larry (March 28, 2012). "Maine hockey linemates, roommates Brian Flynn, Spencer Abbott agree to pro contracts". BangorDailyNews.com. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
  4. ^ "Canadiens acquire Brian Flynn from Sabres". Montreal Canadiens. March 2, 2015. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  5. ^ "Canadiens agree to terms on a two-year contract with forward Brian Flynn". Canadiens.com. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  6. ^ "Stars sign forward Brian Flynn to one-year contract". Dallas Stars. July 1, 2017. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  7. ^ Bob McKenzie (July 1, 2017). "Brian Flynn agrees to deal with Blues". Twitter. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  8. ^ "Blues terminate contract with Flynn". San Antonio Rampage. January 18, 2019. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  9. ^ "American Forward Brian Flynn for ECC" (in German). EV Zug. January 21, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  10. ^ "Devils sign four players to two-way deals". New Jersey Devils. July 29, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  11. ^ "Hockey East Awards 2011". Hockey East. April 1, 2011. Archived from the original on April 13, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
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Awards and achievements
Preceded by Len Ceglarski Sportsmanship Award
2010–11
Succeeded by