Who is Hunter Brzustewicz? Meet the Flames’ new defence prospect

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Hunter Brzustewicz has a official shot at profitable the Ontario Hockey League scoring title this season.

As a blue-liner.

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It’s that offensive skill and upside that makes the 19-year-old Brzustewicz probably the most intriguing of the 5 items acquired by the Calgary Flames in Wednesday’s blockbuster swap with the Vancouver Canucks.

“(Brzustewicz) was a giant a part of this deal,” Flames normal supervisor Craig Conroy stated after sending all-star centre Elias Lindholm to the West Coast. “We’ve all the time favored him. And the yr that he’s having, he’s simply taken it to a different degree.”

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Certainly, as particulars of Wednesday’s dinnertime commerce have been made official and Flames followers hustled to Google the brand new guys, Brzustewicz’s stats should have bulged a variety of eyeballs.

The Michigan-raised rearguard has racked up 69 factors in 47 appearances this season with the Kitchener Rangers. Heading into Thursday’s motion, he was 4 factors again of the OHL’s general scoring lead, trailing a pair of forwards.

The fitting-handed Brzustewicz is also tops on the circuit with 61 assists. There isn’t one other dude who has pushed previous 50.

“Hunter is a very proficient and a very sensible participant,” Rangers normal supervisor Mike McKenzie stated. “He sees the ice very well and he’s very composed. So there are a variety of pucks and performs that different guys may jam right into a shin-pad or chuck it off the glass or into the nook, the place Hunter hangs onto it and makes a transfer and subsequent factor , it’s back-door to a man and it’s within the internet.

“He does a variety of stuff like that, extending performs and sort of making one thing out of nothing, that different guys may not have the ability to do.”

There may be loads of motive for Flames followers to be enthusiastic about Wednesday’s swap — proper winger Andrei Kuzmenko may instantly be engaged on Calgary’s high power-play unit, Joni Jurmo provides some measurement to the system and Conroy was capable of pry away Vancouver’s first-round choose this summer season, plus a conditional fourth, too — however you may wager that the final identify Brzustewicz is being butchered in each hockey-crazed family from Brentwood to Braeside, Beltline to Beddington Heights. (It’s, by the way in which, pronounced Brew-STEHV-itch.)

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“I don’t need to put all of the strain on him,” Conroy cautioned throughout an interview on Sportsnet 960 The Fan. “However we’re very excessive on him as a prospect.”

It’s simple to see why.

Brzustewicz, who’s listed at 6-foot-0 and 190 kilos, has put up massive numbers at each degree.

He’s an ace on the facility play, though it’s value nothing that 72% of his factors this season have are available even-strength conditions.

Within the lead-up to the 2023 NHL draft, the place he was finally chosen by the Canucks within the third spherical, scouts for FC Hockey described Brzustewicz as a “gifted puck-moving defender,” talked about his “glorious skating” as his very best quality and added he’s “extremely accountable with the puck and demonstrates strong hockey IQ.” 

The knock, as was famous in FC’s annual draft information, has all the time been his work in his personal zone. The Flames’ new addition — he has but to signal an entry-level contract, however that shouldn’t be rapid concern — is decided to handle these criticisms.

“The questions throughout his draft yr have been all the time about defending as an undersized defenceman,” McKenzie stated. “You understand, can he defend onerous sufficient? Can he filter the entrance of the web? Can he win battles within the nook? And I believe he’s virtually taking it personally that folks have been saying that, and he’s actually improved in that space this yr.

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“It’s clearly nonetheless an extended solution to go. Professional is a complete different degree, with greater, stronger guys. However he’s taken fairly important steps in these areas.

“He’s actually purchased in that approach. Our defensive coach, Brad Flynn, has actually been impressed with that over the course of the yr. Firstly of the yr, it was extra about factors, energy play, all that stuff. He says now he’s virtually extra centered on defending and penalty-killing and stuff like that. In order that’s been a very constructive improvement, and you may see it in his recreation too.”

And wouldn’t it’s one thing to see a blue-liner, particularly into the ultimate weeks of the common season, difficult for the OHL’s scoring title?

Flames followers will definitely be retaining tabs.

“There’s a variety of nice defenceman and gamers on this league and I simply needed to be acknowledged as one among them,” Brzustewicz instructed NHL.com final month. “I believe I’ve made my identify noticeable on the market, and I hold hoping to do this.”

wgilbertson@postmedia.com

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