Having already made history, ‘the hard work starts now’ for Penguins prospect Harrison Brunicke
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Without even taking a step onto the ice as a full-time NHLer, Pittsburgh Penguins defensive prospect Harrison Brunicke already has made history.
Selected in the second round of the NHL Draft (No. 44 overall) last month, Brunicke became the first South African-born skater to hear his name be called at a draft. (Longtime Washington Capitals goaltender Olaf Kolzig was the first player, regardless of position, to earn that designation in 1989.)
Being a footnote is nice for Brunicke. But being an NHL player would be much nicer.
“There’s a lot of stuff that has to go into the next step,” the 18-year-old said. “It’s the next chapter in my life. The first chapter is getting to this point. The hard work starts now.”
That initial chapter largely started when Brunicke’s family moved to Calgary, Alberta, when he was 2 years old in the late 2000s.
His father Dean’s work as a business consultant prompted the move across the globe to a much different environment.
“The biggest thing was the weather change,” said Brunicke, who was born in Johannesburg. “We didn’t know much about ice hockey, never mind the snow. That was obviously a big shift.”
Learning about hockey was part of that shift. Given his surroundings, Brunicke gravitated to the sport organically.
“Kind of started in school,” Brunicke said. “Playing with guys that were involved in the sport. Kind of came through there. Played grassroots hockey at a young age and just kind of messed around the rink. That translated to Timbits (youth program) and played my minor hockey in southern Calgary.”
Growing up through the various programs in Calgary, Brunicke eventually found his way to being a third-round pick (No. 52 overall) in the Western Hockey League’s prospect draft in 2021 by the Kamloops Blazers. He has spent parts of the past three seasons with that team.
This past campaign, the right-hander appeared in 49 games and posted 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists).
BRUNICKE GETS THE PARTY STARTED! ???? pic.twitter.com/Rpz801CjLp
— Kamloops Blazers (@blazerhockey) November 25, 2023
He offered a frank self-assessment of how his season went.
“At the start, it was a little slow,” said Brunicke, who is participating in the Penguins’ ongoing prospect development camp in Cranberry. “Tried to do a little bit too much. Kind of stepped into that role of playing more minutes, being used more. I tried to do a bit too much, and that hurt me.
“But it came down to a meeting with the coaches. The biggest thing was to stay within the structure, play your game. The puck kind of finds you from there. Having that meeting really helped me a lot. Going into the second half was some of my best hockey.”
A separated shoulder that cost him the final 14 games of the regular season didn’t help matters. But he managed to recover in time to suit up for Canada in the International Ice Hockey Federation’s Under-18 World Championship tournament this past spring.
Posting four points (one goal, three assists) in seven games, he helped Canada win gold.
.@blazerhockey d-man Harrison Brunicke concludes the scoring as ???????? beats ???????? 11-3 and goes 4-0-0 in the round-robin at the #U18MensWorlds! pic.twitter.com/LXvIvlkUtN
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) April 30, 2024
“It was tough to kind of sit there and watch (Kamloops) play the final weeks of the season,” Brunicke said. “That kind of stuff happens. I’m feeling good now. Playing in the under-18s was a pretty special moment. Winning gold is another thing I can play in my back pocket.”
Approximately seven weeks after that feat, Brunicke (6-foot-3, 196 pounds) added another accomplishment to his resume when the Penguins drafted him.
“Harrison is a guy that kind of had a broken year because of injury this year but finished the year really strong with Canada at the (IIHF Under-18 tournament),” Penguins director of scouting Nick Pryor said. “Mobile, a long-rangy defenseman who moves well. He’s got a puck game, and he’s physical as well.
“He’s got a lot of attributes that made him attractive to us. Anytime you can find a defenseman that moves like that at that size and can move the puck as well is really attractive.”
Brunicke presumably will be returning to Kamloops next season. But participating in the Penguins’ camp this week is a step toward realizing his ultimate pursuit.
“It’s been pretty surreal coming here,” Brunicke said. “We’re doing little things that I haven’t done before. Like (Saturday), we were doing little rim pickups. I’ve never really done that. Just kind of taking it all in.
“There’s a lot going on right now, a lot of emotions. Waiting to get your name called (at the draft), and it finally comes. The next chapter starts now, and the hard work begins.”
Note: The Penguins hired Wes Clark as vice president of player personnel Tuesday. He will oversee the organization’s amateur, professional, college and European free agent scouting departments. Clark, 41, worked for Penguins president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas during previous tenures with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League.