On Thursday, it was confirmed by Pittsburgh Penguins' head coach Dan Muse that 18-year-old center Ben Kindel will remain in the NHL through his 10th game, meaning the first year of his three-year entry-level contract will kick in. 

But there is another teenager on the Penguins' roster whose fate remains undetermined.

19-year-old defenseman Harrison Brunicke - Pittsburgh's top defensive prospect - earned a spot, like Kindel, on the NHL roster out of training camp. The 6-foot-3, 201-pound blueliner has one goal and is at an even plus-minus in seven games on the season so far, and he has impressed folks early on with his skating ability and offensive upside.

However, things have been a bit rocky for the South African native over his last couple of games. In Monday's tilt against the St. Louis Blues - ultimately a 6-3 victory by the Penguins - Brunicke had a hand in two of the goals against, both of which were instances of the young rookie trying to do a bit too much offensively. 

Of course, these kinds of mistakes are to be expected from a young defenseman, and Brunicke is no different. He will have to take his lumps at the NHL level sometimes as part of his development, and the Penguins are aware of this. 

However, there also comes a point where a player's confidence can be affected. Brunicke appears to be headed for his fourth scratch in five games when the Penguins take on the Minnesota Wild Thursday, and it calls into question what their plans are for their best defensive prospect.

Here are the possibilities as to what could happen with Brunicke in the coming days and weeks:

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Return to the WHL

Of course, one of the most obvious courses of action for Brunicke could be a return to the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL, who are off to a 6-7-1-1 start and where he registered five goals and 30 points in 41 games in an injury-ridden 2024-25 season. 

If returned to the WHL, Brunicke would see substantial playing time on the Blazers' top pairing, which could be good for building his confidence, and he would also have the chance to play for Team Canada in World Juniors at the end of the calendar year, which is something that certainly wouldn't hurt his development. There is also the possibility that Brunicke could get traded to a contender at some point, as he is likely to be one of the most coveted names on the market.

However, there are some concerns with regards to sending him back. Many of the mistakes Brunicke is making at the NHL level are a result of him trying to do too much at times, and this is of his own admission. The youngster is still trying to get a feel for what he can get away with at the NHL level in terms of his offensive ability, and he's also still learning to adjust to defensive reads at NHL speed.

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Those areas of weakness are things that, likely, can't be addressed in any major way at the junior level. They are more so things he has to learn by continuing to play against NHL competition. 

Sending Brunicke back risks stunting his development for that reason, as the Penguins certainly do not want him to develop those bad habits even further.

Remain in the NHL

Just like there are reasons that Brunicke's development could be stunted by being sent back, there are also reasons this could be true if he remains in the NHL, too. 

For one, not seeing the ice with regularity - when he could be on the ice nightly in the WHL - is certainly a concern. It's one thing to follow a "development plan" like the one outlined by Penguins' head coach Dan Muse and GM/POHO Kyle Dubas in recent days, but it's another to see a young player scratched in four of five games. 

Also, if Brunicke continues to struggle with getting up to NHL speed - and the Penguins keep throwing him to the wolves - they could risk hurting his confidence the same way seeing the press box would. There is a fine line that the Penguins would need to walk with those two things, should he stay. And there's also the fact that he hasn't played in more than 59 WHL games in one season, which lends to him being held out of the lineup more.

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But there are some subtle signs that he could be poised to stay, too. 

Veteran defenseman Matt Dumba - acquired by the Penguins from the Dallas Stars over the summer - has now played in three consecutive games after only seeing the ice one other time this season. He and Connor Clifton - like Brunicke - are right-shot defensemen, and Dumba and Clifton have both struggled in their regular-season appearances so far. 

It's possible that the Penguins could be trying to explore a trade partner for Dumba by giving him a lot of ice time in recent days. And it's also possible that they simply believe he has been better than Brunicke and Clifton. 

If Brunicke stays, there will be developmental bumps in the road. And with injured forward Kevin Hayes due to return soon as well, the Penguins will already have to clear a spot as it is. 

All that said, there is a very legitimate argument to be made that working through his development at the NHL level is what is best for Brunicke. His areas of growth are things that will get better with time, practice, and exposure against top-tier competition.

But it may not be the only option aside from junior hockey.

Get loaned to the AHL

Yes, technically, CHL-eligible forwards under 20 years of age are not permitted to play in the AHL, as per the current agreement. 

However, there is a loophole - and it's one that the Seattle Kraken took advantage of just a few seasons ago with forward Shane Wright as well as the Los Angeles Kings with defenseman Brandt Clarke. 

If Brunicke were to be scratched in five consecutive NHL games, he could be sent to the AHL on a 14-day or five-game maximum conditioning loan. That would give Brunicke some runway to work out some of the kinks in his game at the AHL level rather than at the NHL level.

After the loan, he would be returned to the NHL, and from there, he could complete his "nine-game trial." The Penguins can still send him back to Kamloops from there at any point throughout the season.

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It's fair to wonder if this is the path the Penguins might take with Brunicke. He did play in 10 AHL games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) Penguins at the conclusion of Kamloops' season last year, and there were some growing pains at the beginning of that stint. But, near the end, he thrived, and he did end up registering a goal and an assist in two AHL playoff games while playing top-four minutes ahead of some blueliners who had been with the club the entire season. 

Realistically, the AHL is the best place for Brunicke, but the rules simply don't allow for him to be there for the entire 2025-26 season. This may be an avenue for the Penguins to get him some of those AHL minutes in hopes of him coming back more NHL-ready at the end of the 14 days or five games. 

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