Last year stoked expectations for 2024 second round pick Harrison Brunicke who is hoping to put together another solid training camp and make the Pittsburgh Penguins roster after almost doing so a year ago.
Catch up on the previous entries for this year:
Pensburgh Top 25 Under 25: Graduates and Departed players in 2025 Top 25 Under 25: The best of the rest No. 25: Quinn Beauchense No. 24: Cruz Lucius No. 23: Travis Hayes No. 22: Brady Peddle No. 21: Finn Harding No. 20: Sam Poulin No. 19: Joona Vaisanen
No. 18: Avery Hayes No. 17: Tanner Howe No. 16: Tristan Broz No. 15: Emil Pieniniemi No. 14: Mikhail Ilyin No. 13: Peyton Kettles No. 12: Melvin Fernström No. 11: Arturs Silovs No. 10: Sergei Murashov No. 9: Phillip Tomasino No. 8: Owen Pickering No. 7: Joel Blomqvist No. 6: Bill Zonnon No. 5: Will Horcoff No. 4: Ben Kindel
#3: Harrison Brunicke, D
2024 Ranking: No. 10
Age: 19 (May 8, 2006)
Acquired Via: 2024 NHL Draft, 2nd Round, 44th Overall
Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 203 pounds
A strong training camp last season had Harrison Brunicke in the conversation to make the opening night roster for the 2024-25 season, at least for a nine game tryout, but in the end the numbers game pushed him out of the conversation and he was sent back to the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL for another season at the junior level.
Although he ended up missing out on making the Penguins roster it boosted his stock and helped turn up the hype dial on the 2024 second round pick. Brunicke went from a nice prospect to have in the system to a possibly franchise type player in the matter of weeks and that expectation has now carried over.
Following his WHL season with the Blazers, Brunicke made his professional debut with the Wilke-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the AHL, playing in 10 regular season games and both of the team’s playoff contests where he recorded a goal and an assist.
Brunicke hasn’t slowed down much this offseason, attending the Penguins annual prospect camp in July then being selected for Team Canada to participate in the 2025 World Junior Summer Showcase. Brunicke spent most of the Showcase skating with Canada’s best players and featured on a top pairing alongside 2025 No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schafer in a game against Finland.
Coming so close to making the Penguins roster last season has only fueled Brunicke to make an even stronger push this time around. When training camp opens for the Penguins some time next month there will be a spotlight on the young defenseman to see if he can repeat his stellar performance from last season and make another real run at a roster spot.
From NHL.com:
“As far as my mindset and my play, my goal is to stay here this year,” Brunicke told NHL.com on the first day of prospect development camp. “So, I’m going to do whatever I can to make that happen.”
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In his first camp, Brunicke did well enough to work alongside defenseman Marcus Pettersson for a bit before being sent back to Kamloops of the Western Hockey League.
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“If you watch his games in Wilkes-Barre, there was growth,” Penguins director of player development Tom Kostopoulos said. “Like, it took off. It was impressive how he grew and the games in the playoffs, he looked very confident for a young kid. So, we’re really excited about the potential he’s got to be a really good two-way defender with some offensive upside.”
“Credit to him, he figured it out quick,” Wilkes-Barre/Scranton coach Kirk MacDonald said. “Came in initially and, you know, he had junior habits where you can just skate by people and hold on to the puck for a long time. I thought he did a really good job the last couple regular-season games. And in the playoff stint, he was moving pucks quick, jumping into the rush.”
During this summer’s prospect camp, Brunicke stood out among his peers, showcasing his elite talent that has him ranked among the best prospects in the Penguins system. His skating, already one of his best traits when he was drafted, has grown to another level while his all around game separates him from the pack.
From The Hockey News:
It is evident through just three days of the Penguins’ annual Prospect Development Camp that the young, smooth-skating blueliner is, simply, a level above everybody else. His skating – though it didn’t need much improvement – looks more explosive and even smoother than it did at this time last year. His puck handling skills and offensive instincts have been on display, too, and he’s been a mentor of sorts to some of the younger Penguins’ defensive prospects who are attending camp for the first time.
When Brunicke arrives at training camp, he will carry the expectations of both himself and the Penguins. What we don’t know right now is if those two sets of expectations are equal for the upcoming season. Brunicke obviously wants to make the opening night roster, but the numbers game may keep that from being possible unless he leaves the front office with no choice but to keep him after seeing him on the ice.
What complaints this situation even more is there are only two options for Brunicke this upcoming season. Play in the NHL or go back to Kamloops for another junior season. Being only 19 years old, Brunicke does not qualify to play in the AHL and since he has already inked his entry level contract, he cannot play at the collegiate level.
Brunicke is in that position where he may not be ready to be a full time NHL player just yet, but he’s well beyond playing at the junior level at this point. The AHL could be a perfect development step this season, but that option is not on the table. What happens to Brunike will be dependent on what happens in training camp and what the Penguins decide.
Whether he remains in Pittsburgh this season or not, Brunicke has firmly shown that he intends to be a part of the Penguins future for a long time to come.
