Brunicke’s smart decision-making and assertiveness when it comes to getting involved offensively has stood out to Mike Sullivan, who trusted him in a top-four role alongside Pettersson in the contest.
“He can really skate,” Sullivan said. “He's long, he's rangy, he defends pretty well. I think one of the things that has jumped out at us the most is how active he is in jumping into the rush. He's in the rush all the time. When he's on the ice and we break out of our end, you can be fairly certain there's a four-man front entering that that offensive blue line, and that's something that we're encouraging all of our defensemen to do.”
Sullivan has been asked on a number of occasions about Brunicke over the last couple of weeks, and “it's hard not to be complimentary,” Pittsburgh’s head coach said. “I think he's just had a terrific camp to this point. I think he's gotten better with every game he's played.
“He looks the part when he practices with our top players, and we like so much about his game… that's one of the reasons why we've given him the looks that we've given him. He's certainly earned them through his performance, and that’s how we feel.”
Brunicke is still with the Penguins going into their second-to-last preseason game, set for Thursday (Oct. 3) in Columbus. His approach to his first-ever NHL training camp is to learn and grow, particularly from the players he’s surrounded with.
“I think the biggest thing that I’ve noticed here is the speed and physicality,” said Brunicke. “I think there are areas in my game to grow and play in this league one day. I’m just going to take it day-by-day here and keep working at it.”
Something else that has stood out to Sullivan is Brunicke’s aptitude for the game and position, arguably the most difficult one in hockey. When Brunicke has 1-on-1 time with assistant coach David Quinn and goes over video, they can see him apply what he’s learned to the next practice or game, whatever it may be.
“That’s really encouraging for us, because that suggests to us that this is a guy that's going to improve and get better through the process,” Sullivan said.
That being said, going from major juniors to the NHL is a major adjustment, and Sullivan noted how challenging it can be for a teenager to make that transition right away.
“It’s a big jump. A big jump,” Sullivan said. “Listen, we're really excited about Harry right now and where he's at, and the progress he's made and his potential moving forward. We're going to watch it throughout the course of camp and see where it goes.”
There’s certainly a chance Brunicke could still be here come opening night for the nine-game tryout window afforded to players in his situation. But for now, Sullivan and the coaches will continue to assist and grow Brunicke in his development throughout the rest of training camp as the right-shot blueliner looks to keep making his presence felt.
“We're really excited about Harry's progress and potentially the impact that he can make here,” Sullivan said. “He’s certainly made an impression on all of us. Let's just say that.”
