Anyone who has watched Pittsburgh Penguins' rookie defenseman Harrison Brunicke knows how gifted the 19-year-old is offensively.
But, as has been the case for most of his young career up to this point, there is a whole lot more to his 200-ft. game as well.
Although he was a healthy scratch during Thursday's 5-3 win over the defending champion Florida Panthers - which is all part of a larger development plan for Brunicke and fellow rookie Ben Kindel - Brunicke has been showing a lot more signs that the defensive details in his game are starting to show out at the NHL level.
The teenage defenseman is aware of his capabilities on the offensive side of the puck - and he's also aware that he can get a bit too involved in plays sometimes.
"I think, sometimes, I want to be offensive, but I can kind of get myself being a little bit too much sometimes," Brunicke said. "But, [I'm] finding that happy medium where I'm defending hard but also able to jump up in the rush and create offensively."
It's clear that the 6-foot-3, 201-pound can create using his otherwordly skating ability and offensive zone smarts. When Brunicke registered his first NHL goal in a 4-3 win against the New York Islanders on Oct. 9, that skating - and those smarts - were on display when he was able to jump into the rush and through the slot, using the defenseman as a perfect screen for his wrister that beat Ilya Sorokin.
But he uses that skating and those smarts to make some key defensive plays as well. During Tuesday's 5-1 win against the Vancouver Canucks, Evander Kane was able to get past Penguins' defenseman Caleb Jones, seemingly in all alone for a partial breakaway down the left side.
Brunicke came blazing back into the defensive zone - seemingly out of nowhere - to cover Kane on the backcheck, and he was able to chop his stick down and swat away the puck to the wall before Kane could get a shot off. He made another nice read at the net-front a few moments later to break up a play with his stick as well.
His stick work has always been a hallmark of his defensive game, and that - among other aspects of his defensive game - are becoming more and more prevalent the more comfortable he becomes at the NHL level.
"I think [Tuesday] in that second and third period mostly, I really showed what I can do offensively and defensively," Brunicke said. "So, more defensively, just stopping plays and being in a better position and stuff like that... I think that all comes with playing more and practice, too, just getting reps with every guy in here."
And, given how the team has played defensively - the Penguins are off to an impressive 6-2 start, in large part, because of better defensive work so far this season - those reps should really be counting for something. The Penguins are playing much better within structure so far this season, and it has allowed them to shut down opponents in some of the game's biggest moments.
This includes third periods, where - through eight games - the Penguins have allowed only five goals, with four of them coming in two games against Florida and at home in their second tilt against the New York Rangers on Oct. 11, which was their worst loss of the season at 6-1.
With Latest Win Against Defending Champs, Penguins Are Putting The League On Notice
We are eight games into the 2025-26 season, and this <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a>' team is certainly no joke right now.
And, for Brunicke, the team's success late in games is about both he and the rest of the team sticking to the structural components of their new system under Dan Muse and the rest of the staff.
"I think [we're] just coming together as a whole, playing that full 60 minutes," Brunicke said. "I feel like when it comes down to the end, whether we're up and down, it's sticking to that and following that structure."
Brunicke can play in three more NHL games before the first year of his entry-level contract would kick in at Game No. 10. It remains to be seen what tough decisions Kyle Dubas and the organization will make with regards to their rookies, but - regardless - Brunicke has shown growth from his first NHL game until now.
And he feels like he and the rest of the defensive corps have a pretty good pulse on what they need to do to continue winning hockey games.
"Everyone knows the style they play, so we've got to be ready to play the full 60 minutes, play the right way, play simple, things like that. Not cheat the game," Brunicke said. "So, I think our defensive group as a whole needs to kind of realize that and come ready to play."
Dubas Speaks On 'Development Plan' For Two Top Penguins' Rookie Prospects
It has a been a whirlwind few months for <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a>' rookies Ben Kindel and Harrison Brunicke, and they have found themselves in the midst of a "nine-game trial" at the NHL level.
Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!