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Pittsburgh Penguins expected to send young defender back to juniors after Sweden trip
Photo credit: Edit from The Hockey News
It appears as though the Penguins are prepared to send teenage defenseman Harrison Brunicke back to the juniors once the team returns home from Sweden.
It seems that the Pittsburgh Penguins have decided on rookie defenseman Harrison Brunicke's immediate future.
What the reports are saying is in store for Harrison Brunicke
According to reports circulating on social media by 'ChelPenguins', the 19-year-old is expected to return to juniors once the team's trip to Sweden concludes.
Thursday marks his fourth straight scratch, and he has now sat in seven of the Penguins' last 10 games.
"Seems like Harrison Brunicke will be heading to juniors after the trip to Sweden concludes."
- ChelPenguins
- ChelPenguins
Pittsburgh is 6-3-0 with Brunicke in the lineup and 3-2-3 without him, but his play dipped after Caleb Jones went down with an injury.
Despite the scratches over the past few games, the Penguins still brought Brunicke along for the NHL Global Series in Stockholm.
He was scratched again today and remains one game shy of activating the first year of his entry-level contract. Fellow rookie Ben Kindel surpassed the 10-game threshold.
Why the Penguins will send Harrison Brunicke to juniors
Brunicke, picked 44th overall in 2024, made the club out of camp and has flashed some upside. The 6-foot-3 defender has one goal and a minus-4 rating, along with the expected learning curves that come with adjusting to NHL pace.
If Pittsburgh completes the move, Brunicke would go back to the WHL's Kamloops Blazers for the remainder of their season. With CHL-NHL rules, he'd be ineligible to return to professional hockey until Kamloops' year ends.
The Penguins could also consider a short AHL conditioning stint if he remains scratched through the Sweden trip.
Brunicke still can be loaned to Team Canada for the World Juniors in December, and that would not affect his NHL status.
While this isn't the outcome Brunicke hoped for, the long-term view still works in his favour.
A return to juniors or a conditioning stint could give him the minutes and confidence he needs before taking another run at an NHL role later in the season, or next year.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 14 | 68 ANSWERS Pittsburgh Penguins expected to send young defender back to juniors after Sweden trip Is it the right move to send Harrison Brunicke down to the juniors? | ||
| Yes | 38 | 55.9 % |
| No | 30 | 44.1 % |
| List of polls | ||