After making a strong impression in last season’s training camp and preseason with the Pittsburgh Penguins, defenseman Harrison Brunicke was sent back to his junior team, the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League (WHL). He put up another strong season with the Blazers and returned to camp with the Penguins. He made the team this season, but after just nine games at the NHL level and then a handful in the American Hockey League (AHL) on a “conditioning stint”, Brunicke found himself sent back to the Blazers again. This time around, the return to juniors will be beneficial for the young defenseman in the short- and long-term.
Rough Start in the NHL
While Brunicke excelled throughout camp and the preseason again this season, he seemed to struggle a bit in the regular season after making the opening night roster. There were times when he was a step behind or was out of position. This, mixed in with the “development plan” that head coach Dan Muse and general manager (GM) Kyle Dubas have in place for their younger players, led to him seeing limited ice time in the nine games he played with the Penguins. In the nine games he played in, he only topped 17 minutes of ice time twice, and averaged just over 15:30 a night.
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For a young defenseman, that isn’t bad, but the overall performance just was not there. After sitting out for a total of three weeks, the Penguins sent him to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for a conditioning stint before he headed off to the World Junior Championship (WJC) with Canada. He had a solid showing for Canada, and after the tournament concluded, the organization decided quickly to send Brunicke back to Kamloops.
The Right Move for Both Sides
While seeing a player who many thought would have an impact at the NHL level this season is not ideal, the Penguins sending Brunicke back to the junior level is the right move for both sides, short- and long-term. With Brunicke not playing for three weeks straight, it very well could have hurt his confidence at the NHL level and possibly stunted the development and growth of his game. Being able to send him back to Kamloops gives him the chance to get consistent playing time as the team’s top defenseman, while also rebuilding the overall confidence in his game.
Does Brunicke have much to prove at the junior level?: Probably not, but leaving him in a situation at the NHL level where he fights to stay in the lineup is not the right move for either him or the organization. In just two games back with the Blazers, Brunicke has tallied three points, while also being heavily involved in the offensive game (11 shots in two games). He seems to have found his confidence rather quickly with his junior team, and with a strong finish to the season, should very easily find himself right in the mix for a spot on the 2026-27 opening night roster for the Penguins.
The move makes great sense for the Penguins, so they do not put their 2024 second-round pick in a bad spot for his overall development. Giving him the rest of the season to play regular minutes and play a significant role with Kamloops is the right decision for Dubas and the organization to make.
Brunicke Is a Big Part of the Penguins’ Future
In the short time Brunicke was with the Penguins, he did struggle, but he also showed signs of being the player many had talked about over the last two training camps and preseasons. Keeping an eye on how well he performs with the Blazers the rest of this season will be worth doing, as a strong finish will certainly put him right back on track. The hope, obviously, was that he could stick at the NHL level alongside 2025 first-round pick Benjamin Kindel, but there is no doubt that Brunicke will be a big part of the future and the success the Penguins will have over at least the next handful of seasons.
