CRANBERRY, Pa. -- Harrison Brunicke sat in a locker room on July 3.
It was cramped. The 19-year-old defenseman was surrounded by other prospects just looking to make it. On the floor, though, was the Pittsburgh Penguins logo.
Down the hall at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex is another room with that same logo. This one is spacious and carpeted. Along the ceiling is a ring of portraits of past Penguins greats. Below are lockers, some belonging to Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.
Brunicke wants to be in that room by the time Pittsburgh opens its regular season at the New York Rangers on Oct. 7.
“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.”
He’ll have a shot. Brunicke made an impression at training camp last year, just after being selected in the second round (No. 44) of the 2024 NHL Draft.
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.
To some, that would have been a surprise. Brunicke wasn’t projected to be picked that high. He’s now considered one of the Penguins’ more promising young defensemen, alongside Owen Pickering (selected No. 21 in the 2022 NHL Draft).
Brunicke didn’t care if he was considered a reach.
“Just kind of ignore it,” Brunicke said. “You’re going to get criticism for the rest of your career. It’s all kind of outside noise. But like I said, wherever you get picked, no matter where it is, you just have to keep working hard and see how far it can take you.”
The momentum could have quickly stalled. Brunicke broke his wrist in a practice on Nov. 10, keeping him out until January. He finished last season with 30 points (five goals, 25 assists) in 41 games for Kamloops.
“It’s pretty exhausting mentally, just having to deal with that,” he said. “So, just doing as much as you can away from that injury, whether it’s my wrist, my foot, whatever. Just trying to get as much as you can throughout the course of your injury.”
Brunicke (6-foot-3, 195 pounds) earned a shot with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League, having two assists in 10 regular-season games there and two points (one goal, one assist) in two games during the Calder Cup Playoffs.
“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.”
The AHL was immediately challenging.
“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.”
Adjusting has been common for Brunicke. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, he moved to Calgary at age 2. He’s visited his home country a few times but hasn’t been back since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Brunicke is the first skater from South Africa to be drafted into the NHL. He’s the second South Africa-born player to be selected, after goalie Olaf Kolzig (No .19 by the Washington Capitals in 1989).
“It’s just a big culture shift, for sure,” Brunicke said. “Obviously, there’s no hockey there. I know it’s kind of picking up now. I think they have some of the channels on TV, which is pretty cool to see. Like I said, it’s a big culture shift. Once I got here, I just kind of threw on some skates, went on the outdoor rink. ... Right away, just kind of fell in love with it.”
Appreciative of his roots, Brunicke said he mostly considers himself Canadian. It’s natural.
Similarly, he hopes it feels natural with the Penguins at camp in September. That will determine if Brunicke sticks.
“He will tell us how close he is through training camp,” Pittsburgh assistant general manager Jason Spezza said. “I think Harrison knows the task at hand. He had a great camp last year. Wilkes, it was a great learning curve for him to come and have a little bit of the struggles early on there the first few weekends. Then, to see his game blossom. ... He’s a guy that I think is really looking to push and take a step and make some noise in camp. But he’ll be the one who dictates how ready he is.”
