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Update on Harrison Brunicke's conditioning assignment revealed by AHL Penguins coach
The Pittsburgh Penguins recently sent Harrison Brunicke down to the AHL for a conditioning assignment, and an update on his progress has been provided.
It hasn't been an easy second season coaching the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for Kirk MacDonald.
The results, though, are impossible to ignore: heading into Friday, the team sat with 35 points, good for second place in the 32-team American Hockey League thanks to a 17-5-1-0 record.
What the real challenge has been for AHL Penguins coach Kirk MacDonald
The real challenge? Instability. MacDonald has managed a lineup that changes nearly daily because Pittsburgh continues to suffer through more injuries than anyone could have forecast.
As NHL rosters constantly require reinforcements, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has become a turnstile early in the 2025-26 season. In less than two months, the Penguins have deployed 35 players, an astonishing number even by AHL standards.
The health woes of Pittsburgh have thrust young players into the spotlight, notably defenseman Harrison Brunicke.
How Harrison Brunicke is showing positive signs
Sent to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on a two-week conditioning stint to earn him real minutes after mostly being a healthy scratch in the NHL, Brunicke has responded.
"He's kind of been in a tough spot just in the sense he sat and didn't play for a few weeks when he got to us," MacDonald said. "The first game, I thought he was a little rusty. Those game-like habits, where there's not much practice time in the NHL, so he's kind of just doing a lot of video. (During a 6-2 road loss to the Bears on Nov. 29), our team wasn't great, but he was our best defenseman. He had a great assist on our second goal.
"Him realizing how good of a skater he is defending the rush, the more he does it - he can skate forwards and kill plays really early - the more he's going to realize he's going to have the puck and not have to play in the (defensive) zone. The progression over the three games was great to see. He had a really good week of practice here. I have no doubt that he's going to get even better this weekend over these next two games."
"Him realizing how good of a skater he is defending the rush, the more he does it - he can skate forwards and kill plays really early - the more he's going to realize he's going to have the puck and not have to play in the (defensive) zone. The progression over the three games was great to see. He had a really good week of practice here. I have no doubt that he's going to get even better this weekend over these next two games."
In his first three AHL games, he's chipped in two assists and is settling into regular shifts.
All the constant turnover hasn't derailed MacDonald, who has kept the team competitive and orderly with demands for structure that allow the Penguins to weather daily lineup shifts and still be among the league's early contenders.
Previously on HockeyUnplugged
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 8 | 77 ANSWERS Update on Harrison Brunicke's conditioning assignment revealed by AHL Penguins coach Will Harrison Brunicke play another NHL game this season? | ||
| Yes | 45 | 58.4 % |
| No | 32 | 41.6 % |
| List of polls | ||