WHL Stars & NHL Debuts: Blazers’ Brunicke skates into NHL history
New York, N.Y.- Ahead of the 2024 NHL Draft, Harrison Brunicke took an opportunity to reflect on just how far he’s come to have a shot at the NHL.
Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and raised in Calgary, Alta., hockey wasn’t on Brunicke’s radar for much of his childhood.
But once he was in, he was all in.
He began toiling toward the NHL dream- and a shot at making hockey history.
“I only moved to Calgary in 2008 when I was two years old,” Brunicke recalled. “I would say I’m more Canadian, but that’s back to my roots. My blood is all South African. I’m super, super proud of where I’m from. To be the first South African NHL skater would be unreal. It’s something that I would cherish for the rest of my life.”
Soak it in, Harry.
ROOKIE LAP TIME ‼️ pic.twitter.com/b3qT6dlNdG
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 7, 2025
The 19-year-old defender took his first NHL strides with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night, becoming the first South African skater and second South African player (joining Vezina-winning netminder and fellow WHLer Olaf Kolzig) to crack the NHL.
Penguins Head Coach Dan Muse even tapped Brunicke to start the match alongside legendary Penguins Kris Letang, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and another WHLer making his league debut in Hitmen star Ben Kindel.
“A lot of emotions,” Brunicke said postgame. “Right from the anthem, it was pretty sweet hearing the crowd- especially in a stadium like this. It was awesome… Not a great penalty to start the shift, but it was fun and I enjoyed it a lot.”
Hey, have to get those first PIMs out of the way at some point.
The 2024 second-round pick (44th overall) closed out the night with a shot and two blocks in 15:21 of ice time as the Penguins secured a 3-0 shutout against the New York Rangers.
“I felt confident,” Brunicke added. “As far as the emotions running and the atmosphere, there’s definitely a little bit of nerves, but I think once I settled in, took a couple hits and stuff like that, I felt better about my game.
There were a lot of times that I think we were hemmed in the d-zone a little bit and just kind of figuring that out, making sure I have my guy, stuff like that. But I think I did a good job of limiting guys getting to the net and chances, couple of blocked shots, things like that. Each day I’m just learning and trying to get better.”
Harrison Brunicke’s mom, Kim: "I was just thinking before the game, you know how hard this is? The odds of doing this? It’s just quite overwhelming."@PensInsideScoop recaps Bruno's debut: https://t.co/IgQ4eRva20 pic.twitter.com/BxdrTpnXcX
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 8, 2025
“They did a good job,” Muse said of Brunicke and Kindel. “They were poised out there. They were in good spots. I didn’t think that there was anything too loud the wrong way… There weren’t any situations that I saw them in that I thought they looked concerned with or that I was concerned with. It’s a good start.”
A good start, and a season brimming with opportunity for the promising defenceman.
A fractured wrist prevented Brunicke from playing a full season with the Kamloops Blazers in 2024-25, but he still managed five goals and 25 assists for 30 points in 41 games.
The 6-foot-3, 203-pound rearguard led all Blazers defencemen in scoring and finished sixth on the team in points and assists before making his professional debut with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, where he chipped in two assists in 10 regular-season games and a goal and a helper in two playoff turns.
He’ll also be eligible to suit up for Canada at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship.
Brunicke had a sparkling showing at the 2025 World Junior Summer Showcase and could be a top candidate for the squad, which aims to medal at the tournament for the first time since 2023.
In the meantime, he’s focused on maintaining his roster spot with the Penguins.
Brunicke and the Pens are back in action for Pittsburgh’s home-opener on Thursday, October 9, against the New York Islanders.
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