It probably had to happen. After Harrison Brunicke submitted an eye-opening training camp and preseason, the Pittsburgh Penguins gave the 19-year-old defenseman an NHL shot, but it did not work out as hoped.

Wednesday, the team returned Brunicke to the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL.

Brunicke played in nine NHL games, scoring one goal, but was a healthy scratch for much of November before being assigned to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on a 14-day conditioning assignment.

After a few weeks of no game action, Brunicke was able to play five games with the WBS Penguins, registering four assists. The organization then loaned Brunicke to Team Canada for the 2026 World Junior Championships.

Brunicke had two assists in seven games for Canada in their bronze medal effort.

Per the transfer agreement between the NHL and CHL, a 19-year-old cannot be assigned to the AHL full-time. The player is bound to the NHL roster or must be returned to his junior team.

Penguins coach Dan Muse said all of Brunicke’s journey gives him something valuable — experience.

“The experience that he got here, and any good experiences he’s done … I think all with all the experiences, he’s going to be able to build on that,” Muse said. “He did some really good things, and that’s why he stayed here as long as he did. And now I think it’s an opportunity for him to go back to juniors and take those experiences and apply them.

“He knows what the NHL speed is. … He knows how little time and space there is.”

Brunicke did not play a 10th NHL game, which would have started his entry-level contract. So, it will slide to next season. He also did not accrue 40 games of service time, so he did not attain a year of service towards free agency.

Brunicke will be eligible to return to the organization following the conclusion of Kamloops’s season. The WHL regular season ends on March 21, and the playoffs begin on March 28. Kamloops is currently in a playoff position. Following Kamloops’s season, Brunicke could be assigned to either the NHL or AHL.

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