Reportedly, it's pronounced "Brew-STEH-vitch." Unless you're knee-deep in some niche reddit threads, this 19 year-old up-and-comer might've slipped beneath your radar. In a substantial trade last week, the Calgary Flames sent off center Elias Lindholm to the Vancouver Canucks, and in return, Hunter Brzustewicz is a standout amongst their five newly acquired players. I'm personally of the opinion that Hunter was a significant piece in the trade to offload Lindholm- and the main reason why Calgary ultimately pulled the trigger. I want to take a closer look at who he is, his playing style, and what his ceiling in the NHL could be.
I'm sure there was a line of teams wanting the talent he's already been showcasing in the junior leagues. Most recently, Brzustewicz was a prominent defenseman for the OHL's Kitchener Rangers and the Canucks' 2023 3rd round pick. If you pull up Elite Prospects and skim his stats, his 80 points in 56 games (11 goals, 69 assists) jumps out and smacks you in the mouth. Hunter was drafted 75th overall last year and finished the 2023 season with 57 points in 68 games, so if we were to do a redraft, he'd probably carry a 1st/2nd round grade this year. Plus, a blueliner tied for 8th in scoring in the OHL is undeniably cause for pause. And he's a defenseman who's six feet tall, over 180 pounds, and right-handed. All of these markers can't not get the blood flowing as to what his future holds.
That being said, however, Brzustewicz's points are a little deceptive. If you pull up the tape, half (if not more) of his assists were simply him making lead-out passes from his zone to Carson Rehkpof (47 goals), who in turn would skate it into the red zone and fire an absolute laser and beat the god-awful OHL goaltending. Also, during the 2022-2023 season, the attention had been primarily on Franceseco Pinelli (90 points), who was the main distributor and focal point of the Rangers' offense. This season, his departure to the LA Kings provided the opportunity for Brzustewicz to step up into the void he left. So a question worth considering is whether Brzustewicz's impressive points were, at least in part, a reflection of Rehkpof success and Pinelli's absence.
Regardless, Brzustewicz has demonstrated undeniable potential as an offense-minded blueliner. Hunter's quick head moves and fakes really open up the ice for him, though he isn't necessarily the most fleet of foot. At this point in a young pros career, skating is not a major cause for alarm because he'll have the best skating coaches in the world. For this, Hunter gets a pass. A minute detail I noticed which reinforces his assist totals is the consistent crispness of his passes. Brzustewicz always makes sure his passes end up in his teammates' wheel house- even if he has to contort his body or make a play in heavy traffic. In general, pros are getting better with catching passes in their skates and kicking them to the their stick, but in the offensive zone, you do really want a pass right on your stick for a quick shot or a one time, particularly on the power play.
Speaking of the power play, Hunter's strongest ability is holding the zone, at least from what I've seen. He is an absolute magician on the blue line, keeping the puck in the zone by either pirouetting off another defender or anticipating puck trajectory on clears and stopping it before it even leaves. His high-level read on puck trajectories shows his strong understanding of angles, and as a result, he also naturally chips or cuts off passes. If the coverage is condensed to the net, Hunter is also skilled in taking space and drawing defenders in, making quick passes to an open man. Furthermore, Brzustewicz is adept at getting pucks on net or shooting pucks into a teammate's stick for a redirection.
Another boon for Hunter is that Calgary does not really have a lot of puck movers from the back end, especially righties, so there isn't much in his way to making it to the NHL. Taking a cursory look at comps, I'd argue that Brzustewicz can be held up next to Donte Fabbro as his floor and Tyson Barrie as his possible ceiling (both currently with the Nashville Predators). Obviously, comps do not always signify an exact 1-for-1, but I do my best to select players that are close in play style, size, and point prediction that reasonably point to what a prospect can achieve at the professional level.
With all the glowing reviews, let's play devil's advocate and take a look at some of Hunter's deficiencies. Both of Hunter's goalies with the Rangers had a sub .900 rating, and granted, while the OHL is a high scoring league, these poor save percentages were exacerbated by other issues on defense. If you noticed, I didn't mention much about Hunter in his own zone. Hunter doesn't really get involved to much on the physical aspect of the game and can be separated from the puck even by players much smaller than him. He can be somewhat crafty with his edge work and deceptive evasiveness, but for some reason, he can't always make the play in his own zone, and this inconsistency has led to problematic turnovers. If for whatever reason he can't adapt to this, defensive schemes and concepts could help hide some of these flaws, as well as having a more stay-at-home defense partner.
Hunter's offensive upsides will make him an asset despite some of the issues he's had in his own zone- which can absolutely be coached if he can rise to that next level of play as he enters into the pros.
Photo from Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff
Comments