Harrison Brunicke Divulges His Feelings About Being Scratched by the Penguins Despite Playing Well

The Pittsburgh Penguins came into the 2025-26 season with a significantly younger roster than they have had in past years.

A major reason why the team is so young is due to the presence of rookies Ben Kindel and Harrison Brunicke who are both still eligible to return to junior hockey but impressed enough to stick in the NHL.

Despite having a good showing in his first few games, Brunicke and Kindel have both been scratched for a game in recent days leading to some speculation about their long-term outlook this season.

With head coach Dan Muse adamant that this is just part of the process it has eased fans minds about the sudden scratching of both players and now Brunicke himself has spoken and given his feelings on being scratched.

During an interview before last night's game against the Los Angeles Kings Brunicke was asked about navigating the challenges of being scratched.

Then, Brunicke was asked specifically what he learned from watching the game from the press box and he was able to give a pretty insightful answer.

It remains to be seen what the long-term plan is for both Brunicke and Kindel, but it seems fairly clear that both players trust in the management to do what is best for their development and are eager to help the team win in any way they can.