Brian Flynn (ice hockey)

Playing career

Brian Flynn got his start in competitive youth hockey at the 2002 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament, skating for the Middlesex Islanders. He later attended Pomfret School, a private high school in Connecticut, before moving on to college hockey with the Maine Black Bears in the NCAA’s Hockey East conference. Though he went undrafted, his strong senior season earned him a spot on the 2011-12 Hockey East First-Team All-Stars. On March 28, 2012, he signed a two-way entry-level contract with the Buffalo Sabres. Because he was over 22 at the time, he was eligible to skip the draft and join the NHL as a free agent. During the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, the Sabres called him up on March 1, 2013, and he scored his first NHL goal six days later against New Jersey Devils goaltender Johan Hedberg. On March 2, 2015, Buffalo traded him to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2016 draft. In his first-ever playoff game on April 15, 2015, he netted the game-winner against the Ottawa Senators in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. After that season, he signed a two-year contract extension with Montreal on July 1, 2015. Following two and a half seasons with the Canadiens, he left as a free agent and inked a one-year, two-way deal with the Dallas Stars on July 1, 2017. After training camp, Dallas placed him on waivers and assigned him to their AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars, for the entire 2017-18 season. Playing 66 games, he found his scoring touch again with 18 goals and 47 points, helping Texas reach the Calder Cup finals before losing to the Toronto Marlies. On July 1, 2018, he signed another one-year, two-way contract, this time with the St. Louis Blues. He started the 2018-19 season with their AHL affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage, but injuries limited him to just 21 games. He then asked to have his contract terminated, and after clearing unconditional waivers on January 18, 2019, his time with the Blues ended.