Harrison Brunicke

June 2024 – Brunicke was selected in the second round, 44th overall, by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2024 NHL Draft. Hadi Kalakeche

April 2024 – Harrison Brunicke is a heady, smooth-skating, 6’3 RHD, qualities that show up in every area of his game. In the offensive zone, Brunicke scans well and makes quick decisions while also showing a willingness to get off the boards and evade pressure through creativity and confident puck-handling. While Brunicke has the skill and inclination to activate as the weakside defenseman, Brunicke’s transition abilities are more frequently demonstrated through his zone exits. Brunicke is poised in his own end and makes a lot of smart reads to use his mobility and passing to create clean breakouts. This mobility and awareness also show up in his defensive game. Brunicke is quick to close gaps off the rush and, thanks to strong body positioning, physicality and stickwork, frequently separates players from the puck, both off the rush and off the cycle. Brunicke’s offensive game could blossom with better help around him (his Kamloops Blazers were the worst team in the WHL, without either a point-per-game or 20 goal scorer), but even if it doesn’t, he still projects as a well-rounded, utility defender who makes his teammates better on both sides of the puck. Luke Sweeney

April Rankings: 31st

February 2024 – One look at Brunicke’s stat line — only 19 points in 43 games — will have you wondering why he is our 39th-ranked prospect at this stage in the draft cycle. Very rarely does a CHL defender worth a top-40 pick not even cross the 0.5-point-per-game threshold in their draft year.  However, Brunicke’s lack of points hide a particularly alluring set of tools, and an even more impressive foundation of habits and decisions.

The size-mobility combo with Brunicke is already a big plus — at 6 foot 3 and willing to engage physically, and with the edgework and lateral agility he displays, Brunicke covers a lot of ice both offensively and defensively. He closes gaps early, is especially proficient when it comes to boxing players out of the slot, and matches footwork in transition to maintain a steady distance between him and the puck-carrier. Very solid decision-making, aided by constant scanning and set-up fakes, makes him reliable on retrievals and pass receptions. On top of that, Brunicke shows flashes of greatness on the puck and already has the confidence to keep trying things. If he continues to try and take opponents by surprise with inside-out dekes and high slot drives while adding some more offensive-zone activation to his game, we could be looking at a true do-it-all two-way blue-liner whose analytical impact consistently outranks his peers. Hadi Kalakeche

February rankings: 39th