More complete Brunicke embraces AHL playoff 'challenge'
When the Penguins sent their top defense prospect, Harrison Brunicke, back to the junior ranks in January after nine games in the NHL, Kyle Dubas and Jason Spezza made it clear what they thought he should focus on for the rest of the season.
He needed to get better defensively.
"Closing quicker, being more active with my stick," he explained to me Wednesday morning at Mohegan Arena, this before he and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins lost Game 1 of the AHL's Eastern Conference final, 4-2, to the Toronto Marlies by evening's end. "Ultimately, just ending plays earlier before it gets into our D-zone."
Brunicke had been aware of outside takes on his situation. He had heard suggestions that it would be a bad idea to send him back to the Western Hockey League, that it would stunt his growth. But his view now is that his stint back in Kamloops was a positive.
"I still learned a lot about myself and got to round out my game," he said. "I've got to use the things that Kyle and Spez told me, and got to really work on it there, just playing more minutes and focusing on that. That's helped me become the player I am now."
That player Brunicke is now is one of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's most effective defensemen.
He was decent in his first taste of the AHL last season, with two assists and a minus-4 rating in 10 regular-season games, and a goal and an assist with a plus-2 rating in two playoff games. This year, he had a goal and three assists in six regular-season games, and is up to two goals and three assists in 10 playoff games, including an assist in this Game 1.
Part of the reason for that jump in production is ice time. He's skating on the right side of the top pairing alongside Alex Alexeyev. He's quarterbacking one of the power-play units.
But if you ask Wilkes-Barre/Scranton coach Kirk MacDonald, the best things about Brunicke's play really aren't about the offense at all.
"He's a lot more assertive on the ice," MacDonald told me. "But his reads, he's matured a lot with his reads and his puck decisions. And you can see it, he's doing a great job. The energy he brings, his skating ability, he works his bag off. He defends really well. I know his numbers look good, and they are. He's producing offense, his plus/minus is great. But his commitment to defending is outstanding. He does a great job killing penalties for us, blocks a ton of shots, defends five-on-five, he's doing everything for us. He's been outstanding."
Brunicke said that he doesn't feel much different than he did this time last year. He feels more confident, sure, bolstered in part by having nine NHL games under his belt now. He said that it helps too that he doesn't feel his teammates here treat him like "a younger guy."
He's been in the AHL for almost two months now, on one of the final four teams remaining in these AHL playoffs. The opponents keep getting better, faster and stronger, and the longer Wilkes-Barre/Scranton goes, the more he feels like he's learning what it takes to play at this level and make a real run.
He's hoping to keep it going.
"It's been a lot of fun," he said. "I think the challenge is the most fun thing about this time of hockey. It's been awesome."
THE ASYLUM
More complete Brunicke embraces AHL playoff 'challenge'
When the Penguins sent their top defense prospect, Harrison Brunicke, back to the junior ranks in January after nine games in the NHL, Kyle Dubas and Jason Spezza made it clear what they thought he should focus on for the rest of the season.
He needed to get better defensively.
"Closing quicker, being more active with my stick," he explained to me Wednesday morning at Mohegan Arena, this before he and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins lost Game 1 of the AHL's Eastern Conference final, 4-2, to the Toronto Marlies by evening's end. "Ultimately, just ending plays earlier before it gets into our D-zone."
Brunicke had been aware of outside takes on his situation. He had heard suggestions that it would be a bad idea to send him back to the Western Hockey League, that it would stunt his growth. But his view now is that his stint back in Kamloops was a positive.
"I still learned a lot about myself and got to round out my game," he said. "I've got to use the things that Kyle and Spez told me, and got to really work on it there, just playing more minutes and focusing on that. That's helped me become the player I am now."
That player Brunicke is now is one of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's most effective defensemen.
He was decent in his first taste of the AHL last season, with two assists and a minus-4 rating in 10 regular-season games, and a goal and an assist with a plus-2 rating in two playoff games. This year, he had a goal and three assists in six regular-season games, and is up to two goals and three assists in 10 playoff games, including an assist in this Game 1.
Part of the reason for that jump in production is ice time. He's skating on the right side of the top pairing alongside Alex Alexeyev. He's quarterbacking one of the power-play units.
But if you ask Wilkes-Barre/Scranton coach Kirk MacDonald, the best things about Brunicke's play really aren't about the offense at all.
"He's a lot more assertive on the ice," MacDonald told me. "But his reads, he's matured a lot with his reads and his puck decisions. And you can see it, he's doing a great job. The energy he brings, his skating ability, he works his bag off. He defends really well. I know his numbers look good, and they are. He's producing offense, his plus/minus is great. But his commitment to defending is outstanding. He does a great job killing penalties for us, blocks a ton of shots, defends five-on-five, he's doing everything for us. He's been outstanding."
Brunicke said that he doesn't feel much different than he did this time last year. He feels more confident, sure, bolstered in part by having nine NHL games under his belt now. He said that it helps too that he doesn't feel his teammates here treat him like "a younger guy."
He's been in the AHL for almost two months now, on one of the final four teams remaining in these AHL playoffs. The opponents keep getting better, faster and stronger, and the longer Wilkes-Barre/Scranton goes, the more he feels like he's learning what it takes to play at this level and make a real run.
He's hoping to keep it going.
"It's been a lot of fun," he said. "I think the challenge is the most fun thing about this time of hockey. It's been awesome."
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