The Penguins added six players into the organization in the second NHL Draft under Kyle Dubas’ leadership this weekend at Sphere in Las Vegas. “We felt good about all the players that we were able to pick today,” Penguins Director of Amateur Scouting Nick Pryor said. Here’s a closer look at each one.
Name: Harrison Brunicke (pronounced ‘brew-nick’)
Selection: Second Round, 44th Overall
Position: Defenseman
Height: 6-2
Weight: 196
Age: 18
Born: Johannesburg, South Africa
Raised: Calgary, Alberta
Represents: Canada/South Africa
Amateur Team: Kamloops Blazers (WHL)
Director of Amateur Scouting Nick Pryor’s take: “Harrison was a guy that kind of had a broken year because of injury this year, but finished the year really strong with Canada at the Under-18s. Mobile, long, rangy defenseman who moves well. He's got a puck game and he's physical as well. So, he's got a lot of attributes that made him really attractive to us. Any time you can find a defenseman that moves like that at that size and can move the puck as well is really attractive.”
Fun Fact: He is looking to become the first South African-born skater and second-ever to play in the NHL after goaltender Olaf Kolzig, who was born to German parents in Johannesburg. Harrison’s parents moved the family to Calgary when he was 2 years old, and laughed that they knew “zero” about hockey before starting him in Timbits.
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Name: Tanner Howe
Selection: Second Round, 46th Overall
Position: Forward
Height: 5-10
Weight: 184
Age: 18
Hometown: Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
Represents: Canada
Amateur Team: Regina Pats (WHL)
Director of Amateur Scouting Nick Pryor’s take: “Highly competitive player. Undersized in stature, but he's a strong kid for being undersized in stature. High-compete, high-motor player that has skill on offense to his game as well. So, we were really excited to get Tanner and feel really good about the spot we got him in.”
Fun Fact: He grew up with Penguins 2023 first-round pick Brayden Yager, saying, “he’s one of my best buddies. He was texting me before the draft saying, 'I hope Pittsburgh takes you!' It's really cool.” Tanner also listed Sidney Crosby as his idol even before coming to the Penguins, shaking his head at the career Pittsburgh’s captain has put together. “To be drafted by the same team, it's really cool,” he said. “I think just how he kind of carries himself off the ice, the career he’s had so far, it’s pretty crazy. He's definitely someone I look up to.”
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Name: Chase Pietila
Selection: Fourth Round, 111th Overall
Position: Defenseman
Height: 6-2
Weight: 186
Age: 20
Hometown: Howell, Michigan
Represents: United States
Amateur Team: Michigan Tech (NCAA)
Director of Amateur Scouting Nick Pryor’s take: “He had a really good year (in his third year being draft-eligible). He's got size, he's got physicality, he defends really well. He can move the puck on the breakout and in transition. But with Chase, it was nice to see the year that he had. He made progress from his time in the USHL and then developed into a really good defenseman from Michigan Tech this year. I just really like the competitiveness that he brings and the size and the ability to move the puck.”
Fun Fact: His older brother Logan Pietila signed an AHL contract with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after wrapping up a five-year college career, also at Michigan Tech. Logan posted career-highs in assists (16) and points (29) while co-captaining the Huskies to a CCHA Championship during his only season playing alongside Chase.
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Name: Joona Vaisanen
Selection: Sixth Round, 175th Overall
Position: Defenseman
Height: 6-1
Weight: 175
Age: 19
Hometown: Espoo, Finland
Represents: Finland
Amateur Team: Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL)
Director of Amateur Scouting Nick Pryor’s take: “Smooth-skating defenseman that moves the puck really well on the breakout and transition, in the offensive zone, on the power play… just a really good skater and a really good puck mover, and he defends really well. He uses his feet and his stick to defend and close plays. He's going to a really good program at Western Michigan, so we were excited to get him in the slot that we got him in.”
Fun Fact: He played for new WBS head coach Kirk MacDonald in Dubuque, where the Fighting Saints finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference before capturing the USHL Eastern Conference championship in the Clark Cup playoffs. Pryor had the chance to chat with MacDonald about the young blueliner this past week in Vegas, and “Kirk said very, very positive things about him as a player and as a person. So, it only added to our information that we had, and it made us feel even better about selecting Joona where we got him.”
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Name: Mac Swanson
Selection: Seventh Round, 207th Overall
Position: Forward
Height: 5-8
Weight: 167
Age: 18
Hometown: Anchorage, Alaska
Represents: United States
Amateur Team: Fargo Force (USHL)
Director of Amateur Scouting Nick Pryor’s take: “Smaller forward from the Fargo Force in the USHL. Just a really exciting hockey player to watch. He's small, but he's competitive, and he’s highly skilled and highly intelligent. So, we were again excited to get him, especially where we got him.”
Fun Fact(s): Matt Cullen, a two-time Stanley Cup Champion in 2016 and ’17 with Pittsburgh who currently works in player development for the Penguins, is also a Fargo Force part-owner. “Matt speaks very highly of Mac, and he's a big fan,” Pryor said. Last season, Swanson was teammates with Zam Plante, a 2022 fifth-round pick of the Penguins.
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Name: Finn Harding
Selection: Seventh Round, 223rd Overall
Position: Defenseman
Height: 6-1
Weight: 198
Age: 19
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario
Represents: Canada
Amateur Team: Mississauga Steelheads (OHL)
Director of Amateur Scouting Nick Pryor’s take: “Smart, intelligent defender. He's a guy that takes pride in his own end. He's a high-character kid. Our due diligence was very, very positive on him. So, we just felt good about the progress that he made. He takes pride in his defensive play, and he can move the puck as well. So, we felt good about him.”
For more on how each of these prospects performed in the 2023.24 season, check out the media release.
