CALGARY -- Hunter Brzustewicz sees a clear path to patrolling the blue line for the Calgary Flames in the not-too-distant future.
The 19-year-old defenseman, acquired by the Flames in the trade that sent center Elias Lindholm to the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 31, has set his sights on leapfrogging his way to the pro ranks in Calgary after a standout season with Kitchener of the Ontario Hockey League.
"Hopefully I come here with the attitude of making the team," Brzustewicz said during Flames development camp in July. "I'm playing pro hockey next year either way. Do the best I can."
The midseason trade might have caught Brzustewicz by surprise, but he said the swap helped forge a less-obstructed route to the NHL, and he welcomed the change.
"For sure I do, and I'm very excited about it," said Brzustewicz, who will turn 20 on Nov. 29.
"I was watching Netflix and laying in bed when Lindholm got traded. I knew he was going to Vancouver, but I didn't know I was going to be a part of it. I was playing Fortnite and my agent called me and said, 'Hey, keep your eyes up' and I was like, 'Am I a part of it?' and he didn't know yet and then (general manager) Patrik Allvin of the Canucks, he texted me asking if I could give him a call."
His 2023-24 season elevated him to a coveted prospect the Flames wound up targeting.
Originally selected by Vancouver in the third round (No. 75) of the 2023 NHL Draft, Brzustewicz finished second in the OHL in scoring among defensemen with 92 points (13 goals, 79 assists) in 67 games for Kitchener, behind fellow Flames prospect Zayne Parekh's 96 points (33 goals, 63 assists) for Saginaw.
"If you just watch [Brzustewicz], the little plays, what he does with the puck, the way he sees the ice ... those are high-end subtle plays that maybe people don't know," Calgary general manager Craig Conroy said. "He sees the ice so well offensively. He was a guy we were excited to get. Him and Zayne both in the OHL this year, both 90-point guys. That's very impressive."
Brzustewicz, as a result, will leave the OHL ranks behind.
"Gosh, I can't understand any reason why he'd be back in junior," said Ray Edwards, Calgary's director of player development. "It's obviously a big step but we have to find a way to make it happen and help him and coach him and develop him so that he's ready for that opportunity.
"He's coming in new and we're learning about him. It's building that relationship and understanding, 'Here's how we do things and how does that work for you?' I think he's in a real good spot and he's been with us long enough... he spent time here at the end of the season... so now he's coming in this year understanding what we're all about."
Brzustewicz will be in Calgary this fall; it's just a matter of whether that's with the Flames or their American Hockey League affiliate, which also plays out of Scotiabank Saddledome.
"I would see him being with us here ..." Conroy said. "Where 'here' is (is a question), but in Calgary."
