In the second part of “Penguins of the Future”, two of the newest prospects in the Pittsburgh Penguins system are the focus. In the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, the Penguins did not have a first-round pick, thanks to their pick being sent to the San Jose Sharks as part of the Erik Karlsson trade. However, they ended up with two second-round picks, and general manager (GM) Kyle Dubas made the most of them. With the 44th overall pick, Dubas and the Penguins took defenseman Harrison Brunicke from the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League (WHL) before taking another WHL player in Tanner Howe with the 46th selection. Both players have had strong showings this season for their respective WHL organizations and are two prospects who will be part of the future of the Penguins.
Brunicke Builds Off His Time With Pittsburgh
The biggest and most pleasant surprise throughout training camp and the preseason for the Penguins was the play of Brunicke. He was one of the final players to be sent back to their respective junior teams by the organization and earned the praise of both players and coaches on the NHL level with his play. When healthy, he has been able to build off that and has shown why Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan and Dubas had a tough time sending him back to the junior ranks.
Ahead of the 2024 Draft, Brunicke was touted for his sound defensive game, but many thought his offensive game could be limited to a certain degree. The numbers with the Blazers may not jump off the screen (four goals, 23 assists), but his play beyond the numbers continues to shine. Not only has he continued to show his capabilities to help create offensively with his puck movement and calmness when he does have the puck, but he has also shown more willingness to get into the rush and be involved in the offensive zone.
There have been several times this season where, when watching Brunicke play, he finds himself right in the thick of the offensive play, out in front of the net and the corner. He has gotten better at offensively limiting risky plays at the blue line and is becoming more reliable from his position, thanks to his patience with the puck on his stick. He has the wherewithal to place his shots well to limit the chances of blocked shots and does not fold when under pressure.
Defensively, Brunicke is about as sound as they come at his age. When he is on the ice, not only when defending opponents with the puck, but away from the puck, he always looks around with his head on a swivel to find the best play to make to eliminate a passing lane or opportunity. When defending one-on-one, he has developed his game to utilize his body and stick to work in his favor. While having a big frame (6-foot-3, 203 pounds), he does not rely on throwing his weight around to separate his opponent from the puck and has the defensive IQ to play the puck over the body when the situation deems it.
The 18-year-old’s strong play had many believing he could have had a strong chance to make Canada’s World Junior Championship (WJC) roster, but a wrist injury kept him from taking part in camp leading up to the tournament. He missed time from the middle of November up to almost the end of January. With the continued development of his all-around game and strong play, there is plenty of reason for optimism for Brunicke to make an impact at the NHL level in the not-so-distant future.
Howe Showcasing His Entire Repertoire
After being touted for his shot and goal-scoring heading into the 2024 Draft, Tanner Howe has seen his all-around offensive game on display this season. After being drafted by the Penguins, Howe was traded from the Regina Pats to the Calgary Hitmen ten games into the WHL regular season. The move has helped lessen the pressure for him to be the go-to goal-scorer he was for the Pats, thanks to the level of talent the Hitmen have on their roster.
Offensively, Howe made his presence felt immediately with the Hitmen due to his playmaking abilities and vision with the puck on his stick. It took him three games to get into the goal column with his new team, but leading up to breaking out for a hat trick on Dec. 2, he was all over the offensive zone, making plays and setting his teammates up for high-danger scoring chances. After finally getting in on the scoring and becoming more adjusted to his new surroundings, Howe has fully gotten his offensive game going, producing at just over a point-per-game pace with the Hitmen and showing off his entire offensive skill set.
Related: Penguins of the Future: Rutger McGroarty Starting to Live Up to the Hype
Where Howe did have question marks in his game heading into last year’s draft was with his defensive game. He is far from being a defensive liability on the ice, as he has gotten better at not drifting too far into the play in the defensive zone and leaving his point man alone. He has found himself doing so a bit more than he had hoped this season at times, though. His speed works in his favor when he works his way down into the defensive zone, but at the next level, closing out on opponents will become harder and harder to do if he does not commit more to staying at his spot at the blue line defensively.
A strong showing in the first half of the season ended up with Howe being a bit of a surprise selection for the Canada WJC team, but he did score a goal and was a strong force in the bottom six of the Canadian lineup. Between Regina and Calgary, he has tallied 39 points (16 goals, 23 assists) in 40 games.
Brunicke & Howe Proving to Be Strong Assets
Both Brunicke and Howe have built off solid draft-year seasons and are continuing to show that they are going to be valuable assets for the Penguins organization in the near future. With the defenseman spot at the NHL level being a bit of a question mark going forward, there is a chance that with a strong training camp and preseason again next season, Brunicke could push even harder for a spot on the NHL roster. Howe will be fighting harder with prospects like Rutger McGroarty and Vasily Ponamarev to get an NHL spot, and will likely be headed back to Calgary next season.
