Breaking down what the Flames are getting in recently acquired prospect Hunter Brzustewicz

Calgary Flames fans are very excited about Hunter Brzustewicz, and for good reason.

The 19-year-old defenceman, who was part of the package the Flames acquired from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Elias Lindholm, is tearing up the OHL this season. In 52 games with the Kitchener Rangers, he has managed 73 points. That has him tied with Deni Goure for sixth in league scoring.

A big part of what makes Brzustewicz so good offensively is his zone activation. As discussed by Canucks prospect expert and Daily Hive contributor Daniel Gee, he is fantastic at seeing opportunities offensively before they are even there. His impressive hockey IQ is a big part of why he is having so much success this season.

“An ever-present participant in the rush, he constantly activates, filing backdoor, through the middle, or even as a trailer,” Gee wrote about Brzustewicz this past summer. “Brzustewicz sets his body to shoot, manipulates goaltenders and defensive coverages with his eyes, and delays to open pass seams. It’s rare to see a defender involve himself to this level in transition and push a high level of nuance off the pass reception.”

That said, in speaking with Gee yesterday, he cautioned that as impressive as Brzustewicz’s numbers are, it is important to note that he is playing on a very dangerous Rangers team. While he does boast plenty of offensive skill, his numbers may be partially inflated thanks to the immense talent he is surrounded with.

“Brzustewicz’s D+1 production is obviously impressive — in isolation. In reality, it’s a bit deceiving on a few levels,” Gee explained. “The Kitchener Rangers as a team exploded offensively this past season. They had a few players like Carter Rehkopf, Matthew Sop, and Filip Mesar, among others, pop this season. With Brzustewicz running most of the leveraged offensive minutes, he, in turn, saw some massive point totals rack up over the season.”

Despite an impressive 2022-23 season in which he managed 57 points in 68 games, Brzustewicz fell to the third round of the 2023 NHL Draft. There were concerns from scouts in regard to his play away from the puck. While he does need to improve defensively, there are some positives to that side of his game.

Brzustewicz is generally proficient at pressuring the opposing team’s zone entries, often being able to push opponents to the outside of the ice, in large part due to having a good, active stick.

An issue, however, is his size, as he stands at just 6 feet, 188 pounds. In order to be able to improve in his own zone moving forward, he will need to ensure that he ups his aggressiveness to make himself a more difficult player to go up against.

“He’s not the most suffocating defender,” Gee noted.

Another area Brzustewicz will need to improve on is his skating. His lack of a second gear in terms of speed can leave him susceptible to getting beat wide on the rush if he doesn’t have a good gap.

As is the case with many young offensive defencemen, there are issues, particularly on the defensive side of things, that Brzustewicz needs to continue working on. Nevertheless, he is being viewed as the most intriguing piece that general manager Craig Conroy was able to get in his return for Lindholm. All the more exciting is that he sounds thrilled to be a part of the Flames organization.

“They’ve all been very welcoming to me. It’s great,” Brzustewicz said in an interview with Flames TV host Brendan Parker. “It means a lot. [I don’t know] too much about the organization, but I can’t wait to get to know everyone. Everyone’s been super welcoming so far.”

For now, Brzustewicz’s focus will remain on this season, as his Rangers sit fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 32-19-2 record. Flames fans will certainly want to keep tabs on him, not only to see where he finishes in the OHL scoring race but how he fares in the postseason.

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