The Vancouver Canucks third-round pick from the 2023 NHL Entry Draft is proving his worth nine games into his second Ontario Hockey League (OHL) season. Hunter Brzustewicz, the Canucks’ 18-year-old right-handed defensive prospect, is scoring at will in the OHL. He’s led the Kitchener Rangers to a 7-2-0-0 start, holding the top seed in the OHL’s Western Conference. Brzustewicz’s play is a promising sign for the future of the Canucks’ right-side, joining 11th-overall pick Tom Willander as right-handed defencemen warranting mass excitement from the fanbase.
Brzustewicz’s Hot Start
Brzustewicz is scoring above two points per game (P/G) in the OHL. Through nine games with the Rangers, he has five goals and 19 points. He’s scored three points in each of his last four games and leads the OHL in scoring among all players, with teammate Carson Rehkopf trailing one behind with 18. Of course, he has his defensive deficiencies, but like any young offensive defenceman, he has plenty of time to hone his craft.
Aside from Brzustewicz’s hockey smarts, tireless transition game, precise passing ability, and vision, playing with other premier prospects does help his scoring numbers. Brzustewicz is first in OHL scoring, but teammates Carson Rehkopf (18), Adrian Misaljevic (17), and Matthew Sop (16) are second, third, and sixth in points. Kitchener’s top guns are seemingly uncontainable, with Brzustewicz and Rehkopf headlining the bunch.
Historically, it’s doubtful Brzustewicz will continue this torrid pace. Bryan Fogarty is the only defenceman in OHL history to score at a two P/G rate or higher over an entire season. He had 47 goals and 155 points through 60 games in the 1988-89 season, suitable for 2.58 P/G. Los Angeles Kings defensive prospect Brandt Clarke came close to reaching this threshold last season. He scored 61 points in 31 games, falling shy with a 1.96 P/G pace.
It’s clear Brzustewicz sustaining this pace – scoring three points a night, two P/G for the entire season, and leading the OHL in scoring among all players may be a tad unrealistic. This is not slighting Brzustewicz. He is scoring at a rate that seems impossible to maintain since no one’s achieved it since the late 1980s. He will likely lead all defencemen in scoring and finish well over a point-per-game on the Rangers this season; however, if he manages to keep it up, the excitement and expectations surrounding him will be tenfold entering next season.
Brzustewicz: One of Many Promising Right-Handed Defencemen
Brzustewicz is one of three right-handed defencemen picked at the 2023 NHL Draft. Willander, Brzustewicz, and sixth-round pick Aiden Celebrini have looked great in their draft-plus-one year. With Brzustewicz tearing up the OHL and Willander and Celebrini point-per-game for their respective teams to start the season, the early results from the draft class look encouraging.
Related: Canucks Load Up On Right-Handed Defence at 2023 NHL Draft
Brzustewicz, projected to go in the middle of the second round at the draft, fell into the Canucks lap at 75th overall. Known for inserting himself into the play as much as possible, he will get praise for stout offensive play but dinged for defensive mishaps. Brzustewicz oozes offensive flair – if he develops his defensive game, there’s no reason he can’t emerge as a top-four, second-unit power play quarterback in the future.
It is unlikely Brzustewicz can sustain a two-points-per-game pace for an entire season – it’s rare defencemen ever can. However, 19 points in nine games, five of which are goals, is highly impressive. He is forcing the OHL to take notice. His slick passes, excellence in transition, and offensive smarts are raising his stock league-wide. It is early, but it’s easy to wonder if some NHL teams are already kicking themselves for letting Brzustewicz slip to 75th overall.
