Pittsburgh Penguins prospect defenseman Harrison Brunicke will begin his professional career in earnest this weekend as the Pittsburgh Penguins recalled the 19-year-old defenseman and placed him with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Despite the ban on 19-year-olds in the AHL, which expires this season, the move is possible because the Kamloops Blazers’ season is over. The Kelowna Rockets swept them out of the WHL playoffs, and their season ended on April 1. Since his junior season is over, Brunicke is eligible to play in the AHL.
Brunicke’s season was a rollercoaster of player development and frustrations. He made the NHL roster out of training camp with a sterling preseason, but his play sharply declined over the course of his first nine NHL games.
The Penguins organization had a choice: If he played a 10th NHL game, his entry level contract would begin, but with just nine games played, his ELC could slide to next season.
The Penguins made him a healthy scratch for several weeks while he practiced with the team, eventually assigning him to a onetime, 14-day conditioning assignment with WBS, then loaning him to Team Canada for the 2026 World Junior Championships. Following the tournament, the Penguins returned him to Kamloops.
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