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The Pittsburgh Penguins made some moves in NHL Free Agency to add depth to their roster. However, they did not make any moves that would block any of their young prospects from making the Opening Night roster. Defenseman Harrison Brunicke is one player who could travel with Pittsburgh to their opening game of the 2025-26 campaign.
Brunicke is one of the franchise's top prospects. Pittsburgh has high hopes that he can turn into an impactful defenseman on their top four in the coming years. If the 19-year-old has any say, however, the Penguins won't need to wait too long to see him cut his teeth at the NHL level.
“As far as my mindset and my play, my goal is to stay here this year,” Brunicke told NHL.com during prospect development camp. “So, I’m going to do whatever I can to make that happen.”
Penguins' Harrison Brunicke comes from unique background
Every player dreams of making their mark not only on the current iteration of the game, but on the fabric of the game itself. Players want to make history and be remembered for various reasons. Brunicke has already made history despite never playing in an NHL game.
Brunicke, born in Johannesburg, is the second South African player to be drafted in league history. He is the first skater from South Africa to be drafted, as well. Goalie Olaf Kolzig went to the Washington Capitals in the 1989 NHL Draft.
Brunicke mentioned that he fell in love with hockey quickly after moving to Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The Penguins defenseman spoke said this love developed despite the major culture shift he experienced.
“It’s just a big culture shift, for sure,” the Penguins defenseman said, via NHL.com. “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.”
Brunicke has certainly put in the work to become a promising talent. If he puts in the work this fall, he could break camp with Pittsburgh in October. The Penguins open the 2025-26 season against the New York Rangers on October 7.
