Penguins’ Rookie Defenseman Eligible For AHL Stint

by November 18, 2025

written by November 18, 2025

It has been exactly two weeks since Pittsburgh Penguins‘ rookie defenseman Harrison Brunicke dressed for a game day.

And, now, the 19-year-old is eligible for an AHL loophole that may benefit both him and the Penguins.

As of Sunday’s win against the Nashville Predators, Brunicke was a healthy scratch for a fifth consecutive game at the NHL level, meaning he is now eligible to be sent to the AHL on a conditioning loan.

Normally – per the current NHL-CHL agreement – teenagers are not eligible to play in the AHL. However, with this loophole, Pittsburgh can loan Brunicke to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) Penguins for a maximum of either 14 days or five games. They can only do this once, and WBS is scheduled to play exactly five games within the next 14 days.

Brunicke – selected 44th overall by the Penguins in 2024 – has played in nine games at the NHL level this season, which means his entry-level contract has not yet been activated. His last NHL appearance came in a 4-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Nov. 3, and he was a minus-2 in that game alongside fellow defensive prospect Owen Pickering.

It has been a bit of a mixed bag for Brunicke to begin his NHL career, as he has shown high-ceiling potential in transition and offensively but is still working to get up to speed on NHL reads and his net-front work. Should the Penguins elect to send him to WBS on a conditioning loan, it would push out their decision on activating his entry-level contract, and the end of the stint would also bring him closer to the World Junior Championship – which Brunicke is eligible to be lent to Team Canada for.

Opinion: Despite Struggles, Brunicke Should Remain With Penguins

Opinion: Despite Struggles, Brunicke Should Remain With Penguins The <a href=”https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins”>Pittsburgh Penguins</a> made a flurry of moves Tuesday, sending young blueliner Owen Pickering back to the AHL, placing three others on injured reserve, <a href=”https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/penguins-call-up-3-players-announce-several-roster-moves”>and recalling two veterans and top goaltending prospect Sergei Murashov from the AHL</a>.

At the end of his 2024-25 junior season with the Kamloops Blazers – in which Brunicke worked around a wrist injury setback and registered five goals and 30 points in 45 games – he played in 10 regular season games with WBS as well as in two postseason contests. By the end of his AHL stint, he rounded into top form, as he put up a goal and two points in the two playoff games playing in WBS’s top-four as an 18-year-old.

Pittsburgh’s next game is Friday against the Minnesota Wild, and WBS also plays Friday, when they will travel to Hartford, Conn. to take on the Wolf Pack.