Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Harrison Brunicke has been assigned to the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League, it was announced today by President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas.
Brunicke, 19, has appeared in nine games for Pittsburgh in 2025-26, recording one goal and averaging 15:43 minutes of time-on-ice per game. He’s also suited up for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League, where he notched four assists and was plus-2 in five games.
The native of Johannesburg, South Africa was selected by the Penguins in the second round (44th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft and became just the second South Africa native to appear in an NHL game, along with goaltender Olie Kolzig, when he made his NHL debut on Oct. 7.
Brunicke recently represented Team Canada at the 2026 World Junior Championship where he registered two assists and was plus-2 in seven games, helping Canada to a bronze medal. He previously represented his home country at the 2024 World Under-18 Championship, winning a gold medal.
Prior to turning pro, the 6-foot-3, 201-pound blueliner enjoyed parts of four seasons in the WHL with the Kamloops Blazers. In 151 career regular-season games, Brunicke recorded 19 goals, 40 assists and 59 points.
