Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Harrison Brunicke has been assigned to the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League, according to an announcement from President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas.
Brunicke, who is 19 years old, played in nine games for Pittsburgh during the 2025-26 season. He recorded one goal and averaged 15:43 minutes of ice time per game. He also appeared with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the American Hockey League, where he registered four assists and had a plus-2 rating over five games.
Originally from Johannesburg, South Africa, Brunicke was selected by Pittsburgh in the second round (44th overall) of the 2024 NHL Draft. When he made his NHL debut on October 7, he became only the second South African native to play in an NHL game; goaltender Olie Kolzig was the first.
Brunicke recently represented Team Canada at the 2026 World Junior Championship. There he contributed two assists and had a plus-2 rating over seven games as Canada earned a bronze medal. He previously represented South Africa at the 2024 World Under-18 Championship and won a gold medal.
Before turning professional, Brunicke played parts of four seasons with Kamloops in the WHL. Over his WHL career, he totaled 19 goals and 40 assists for 59 points across 151 regular-season games.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Established in 1967, they compete in the National Hockey League and have won multiple Stanley Cup championships while contributing to youth development through community initiatives. The team is recognized for its black-and-gold color scheme and penguin logo as key elements of its identity.
