Image credit: Pittsburgh Penguins

By Aaron Schulze

Brunicke's NHL Debut

Blazers defenceman Brunicke to make NHL debut with Penguins on opening night

Oct 6, 2025 | 11:04 AM

KAMLOOPS — A Kamloops Blazers defenceman will make his National Hockey League (NHL) debut on opening night.

In a post to social media, the Pittsburgh Penguins confirmed defenceman Harrison Brunicke will suit up for the team Tuesday (Oct. 7) during their season opener at Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers.

The 19-year-old played four preseason games for the Penguins, scoring one goal and adding one assist. He played more than 20 minutes on two occasions.

Brunicke was selected 44th overall by the Penguins in the second round of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, having scored 14 goals and 15 assists in 110 games with the Blazers over three seasons.

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During a campaign hampered by a broken wrist, Brunicke scored five goals and added 25 assists in 41 games for the Blazers during the 2024-25 Western Hockey League (WHL) season.

Following the 2024-25 WHL season, Brunicke got a taste of professional hockey with the Penguins’ farm team. He registed two assists in 10 regular season games in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He added a goal and an assist in two AHL playoff games.

Brunicke will make his debut along with a fellow WHL player: 18-year-old Ben Kindel of the Calgary Hitmen. The Penguins note it’s the third time in franchise history a pair of teenagers will make their NHL debuts together, following Mario Lemieux and former Kamloops Junior Oilers defenceman Doug Bodger in 1984 and Kris Letang and Jordan Staal in 2006.

Brunicke is on his three-year NHL entry level contract. If he doesn’t stick with the Penguins throughout the season, he can play up to nine games for the Penguins before using up a year of his contract and being reassigned to the Blazers.