Edina defenseman Ben Brinkman, who was a junior this past season, has accelerated his high school education to graduate early and will join the Gophers hockey program for the 2018-19 season, multiple sources told the Star Tribune.
Ben Brinkman, 17, leaving Edina hockey early to play for Gophers next season
Highly recruited defenseman going to play for Bob Motzko one year earlier than expected.
June 6, 2018 at 12:01PM
The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder has been considered a top recruit for his entire high school career. The Star Tribune first-team All-Metro selection had 11 goals and 33 assists in 28 games as captain for the Hornets in 2017-18. As a sophomore, when he was also captain, he scored 12 goals.
In his final high school game this past March, the state third-place game against Centennial, he had three assists and a goal in the Hornets' 11-0 victory.
Brinkman, 17, gave a verbal commitment to the Gophers in December of 2015. He was the No. 5 overall selection by the Waterloo Blackhawks in the USHL futures draft in 2016.
Brinkman will be in new coach Bob Motzko's rotation starting Oct. 6 when the Gophers open against defending national champion Minnesota-Duluth.
Two losses to the Wildcats in two weeks are big reasons Minnesota likely won’t play again this season.
