PensBurgh Top 25 Under 25: No. 2 Harrison Brunicke

The 2025-26 season was a wild one for Harrison Brunicke. He forced his way onto the NHL roster out of training camp – a rare feat for a teenaged defenseman. After nine games in the Show, next was a period of being a healthy scratch long enough to qualify for a loophole of an "AHL conditioning stint" for a 19-year old that by rule wasn't allowed to play full-time in the top professional minor league due to his age. Following that, the Penguins assigned Brunicke to Team Canada for the World Junior Championships.

Out of sync, it wasn't a good event that saw his ice time and role slashed drastically. A disappointing personal performance matched by a disappointing third place finish for the Canadians.

After that, the junior route was the only option that made sense. Brunicke was sent back to the WHL for the remainder of the season and told to focus on the areas that Pittsburgh wanted to see him improve on.