Pictured above: Harrison Brunicke (left) and Tanner Howe (right)
Harrison Brunicke and Tanner Howe competed against each other in the Western Hockey League and attended the NHL Scouting Combine together, so they were somewhat acquainted before the 2024 NHL Draft got underway.
But after being selected by Pittsburgh 44th and 46th overall on Saturday at Sphere in Las Vegas, the two second-round picks will get to know each other much better moving forward.
Brunicke, a defenseman, and Howe, a forward, sat side-by-side proudly wearing their new Penguins hats and jerseys as they talked about how it felt to join the organization.
“There's a lot going on right now, a lot of emotions waiting to hear your name called and it finally comes,” Brunicke said.
“It’s a crazy feeling getting the chance to hug your parents and family. Honestly, speechless,” Howe added. “It's so exciting. Pittsburgh's such a great organization. I can’t wait to get started.”
There’s a photo of Brunicke as a kid wearing a Pittsburgh Penguins sweatshirt and grinning a wide hockey-player smile on the beach in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he was born. After moving to Calgary with his family at age 2, Brunicke progressed through the local youth hockey ranks before joining Kamloops of the Western Hockey League.
Brunicke played in the Memorial Cup Final with the Blazers as a 16-year-old the year before last, following that up with new career highs in goals (10) and points (21) in 49 games despite dealing with injury issues in his second full season.
McKeen’s Hockey, which had Brunicke ranked 22nd overall among eligible players, wrote that his 6-3 frame, superb skating, and right-handed shot is an appealing combination within itself – but what makes the defenseman special is his high ceiling. Elite Prospects said there isn’t much Brunicke can’t do. As for Brunicke himself, he described his style as “a two-way defenseman, a guy they can use in all situations.
“So whether it's playing against top pairings or top lines the whole game, getting hemmed in your zone playing defensive shifts… or then again, translating it into offense and hemming teams in their zone and being a threat offensively.”
Moving forward, Brunicke wants to work on his physicality, and getting more involved with that side of the game. “Whether it's going to be a couple more hits, winning more 50-50 battles, it’s an area I want to improve,” he said.
It’s probably an area that Howe can help Brunicke in, as Elite Prospects described the Regina Pats captain as “fiery,” while McKeen’s Hockey wrote “there isn’t a scout who’s watched him or a player or coach who’s played against him that doesn’t respect the hell out of what he brings to the table on a game-by-game basis.” The publication went on to call Howe – who led Regina in goals (28), assists (49) and points (77) in 68 games – the Pats’ heart and soul, saying “his character and understanding of the game are off the charts, and “you can tell that he just lives and breathes to be a hockey player.”
Howe, who was ranked 41st among North American Skaters by NHL Central Scouting, prides himself on being a Swiss Army knife, saying he’s comfortable playing any position up front. “I think I add depth to the lineup, I got a scoring touch and can bury on chances, and I think I play a lot bigger than I am,” said the 5-foot-10 forward, who took over the ‘C’ from Calder Trophy winner Connor Bedard after they played together for parts of three seasons.
Skating is something that Howe wants to improve, particularly his explosiveness and those first three strides. “To play at the next level, you got to be an elite skater,” he said. “It’s definitely something I’ve been taking serious for the past three years, and hopefully get better at.”
Like Bedard, Howe’s always looked up to Sidney Crosby. “So, to be drafted by the same team, it's really cool,” Howe 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.”
Getting the chance to play alongside both Crosby and Bedard is the goal, but Howe understands he’s got a lot of work to do, as does Brunicke.
“There's a lot of stuff that has to go in to get to the next step,” Brunicke said. “It’s the next chapter in my life. The first chapter was getting to this point. But the hard work starts now.”
Penguins director of amateur scouting Nick Pryor said their willingness to put in that work is what helped make these two players so appealing. Pryor said Robbie Sandland, who joined the staff as a western scout after working for Kamloops, knows Brunicke well “and just spoke volumes about him as a person. Then we had the opportunity to meet him at the Combine and do a lot of homework, talking to people around him – teammates and coaches and management staff in Kamloops – and everything was very, very positive.”
Pryor then called Howe a team-first guy, saying “he's extremely driven, puts a lot of time and effort into his craft and developing, so we felt really good about all the guys – but especially those two guys.”
