Penguins Returning Harrison Brunicke to Juniors Is the Right Move

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.

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.