Penguins' Harrison Brunicke continues strong preseason, makes case for NHL roster spot

Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan is known for offering detailed, thoughtful evaluations of players when asked.

So it wasn’t out of character when Sullivan dove into what he’s seen so far in preseason camp from 18-year-old defenseman Harrison Brunicke.

However, the glowing assessment Sullivan provided Tuesday night of Brunicke, whom the Penguins chose in the second round (No. 44 overall) of this past NHL Draft, was notable.

“I thought he was terrific,” Sullivan said after the Penguins fell 2-1 to the Detroit Red Wings. “He’s making an impact. He’s so active in the rush, he’s active off the offensive blue line, he got a number of scoring chances, he was part of the goal, he’s defending hard. We’ve really liked his progress over the course of camp. I think his confidence is growing. I thought he had another terrific game.”

Brunicke collected his first professional (albeit preseason) point in the loss, assisting on Rickard Rakell’s goal early in the second period.

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— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 2, 2024

Forming the Penguins’ second defensive pairing along with veteran Marcus Pettersson, Brunicke skated for 18 minutes, 34 seconds, which included 2:52 on the penalty kill.

Brunicke has appeared in three preseason games for the Penguins, skating next to Pettersson in two.

Pettersson has detected an impressive level of poise in Brunicke.

“He wants to make plays out there, you can tell,” Pettersson said. “He doesn’t shy away from anything. I remember being young, so coming in, it’s kind of like, ‘Oh, I don’t want the puck.’ But he wants the puck all the time. It’s fun to see. He wants to make plays, so he’s fun to play with.”

For his part, Brunicke has enjoyed sharing a locker room with the Penguins’ NHLers.

Pairing up with Pettersson, a proven NHL blueliner entering his ninth season, also has been helpful.

“It’s been awesome learning and taking it day by day here,” Brunicke said. “Obviously, you look around the room at all the guys that are in here, just kind of look at their game, picking up different pieces from them, trying to implement it into my everyday life here. Just taking it day by day and trying to get 1% better.”

Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, but raised in Calgary, Alberta, Brunicke brought parts of three seasons’ worth of experience with the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League to Penguins training camp.

With a week to go before the Penguins begin their season Oct. 9 against the New York Rangers, Brunicke has crafted a legitimate case to crack the NHL roster.

“We’re really excited about (Brunicke) right now and where he’s at, the progress he’s made and his potential moving forward,” Sullivan said. “We’re going to watch him throughout the course of camp and we’ll see where it goes, but for a young player and where he’s at, to go from where he is to the NHL is a major jump.

“That’s what makes this league the best league in the world. Playing that position, that’s arguably the most difficult position to play.”

On top of a strong individual preseason, a few other factors could play into Brunicke beginning the season with the Penguins.

Fellow defenseman Erik Karlsson remains day to day with an undisclosed ailment. While he is skating individually as part of his rehab program, Karlsson hasn’t practiced with the Penguins or played in any preseason games.

With questions surrounding Karlsson’s availability for the season opener, Sullivan could be in need of another body on the blue line.

There’s also Brunicke’s contractual situation to consider.

Signed to a three-year entry-level deal worth $875,000 annually, Brunicke’s contract is slide eligible, meaning that were the Penguins to return him to his junior club, they could avoid the term length of it from beginning in 2024-25.

Additionally, the slide trigger clause of entry-level deals stipulates that players may play nine NHL games and still be eligible for their contract to slide.

In other words, if Sullivan and his staff wanted to give Brunicke an early-season look, they could do so for up to nine games without burning a year of his entry-level contract.

As camp got underway, Brunicke was on the outside looking in with regards to securing an NHL roster spot.

Through steady play, he’s given Sullivan and Penguins management something to think about.

“We’re really excited about his progress and, potentially, the impact he can make here,” Sullivan said. “He’s certainly made an impression on all of us.

“I know I’ve been asked on a number of occasions about (Brunicke’s) game, and it’s hard not to be complimentary. I think he’s just had a terrific camp to this point. I think he’s gotten better with every game he’s played, he looks the part when he practices with our top players, and we like so much about his game. We’ll see where it goes.”