What to expect from new Canucks defence prospect Hunter Brzustewicz

Seen by most in the public draft sphere as a late second-round pick ahead of the 2023 NHL Draft, the Vancouver Canucks took a value swing on Hunter Brzustewicz in the third round.

One of four blueliners drafted by the Canucks this year, the right-shot Brzustewicz matched an organizational need. 

After originally committed to the University of Michigan, Brzustewicz opted to go the Major Junior route forgoing his college eligibility. With that came immense opportunity. 

The 6-foot, 190-pound blueliner was a regular yeoman for the Kitchener Rangers last season. Leading the OHL club in points for a defenceman with 57 across 68 games, it wasn’t uncommon to see Brzustewicz log close to 30 minutes a game, playing in all situations.

A proficient transition defender, Brzustewicz is at his best when winning puck retrievals, stretching the puck across distances, and adding himself to the attack equation. 

Brewing up a successful transition

One of the most significant indicators of future success is how a player handles the forecheck, even in a junior environment. Luckily, Brzustewicz is already quite advanced at shaking off the pressure.

Deer-like in the way he can change directions instantly, he treats oncoming forecheckers like they are a predator in hot pursuit, executing cutbacks, pivots, and body manipulations to send his opponents flying off in the wrong direction.  Brustewicz’s ability to escape off his edges allowed him to manoeuvre close pressure easily, pushing the puck quickly in the other direction. 

Always in motion out of his puck retrievals, Brzustewicz found teammates in stride consistently, stretching the puck north-to-south, often across two lines. While it’s rare, the Michigan-born defender manoeuvres traffic quite well through a blend of handling and lateral pushes. 

The most valuable thing that Brzustewicz brings to the table is his activation.

An ever-present participant in the rush, he constantly activates, filing backdoor, through the middle, or even as a trailer. 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.

Still, the advantages are clear: more odd-man rushes will lead to more scoring potential in any league. 

Advantage creator in the offensive zone

Creating advantages is critical to how Brzustewicz produces offence. Setting up his handles the second he receives pucks, he moves his feet quickly to move off the boards and into the middle of the ice. If he sees an opponent breakdown preemptively in blocking posture, Brzustewicz looks to eat up available space and toe-drag around them into high-danger areas. Processing these situations while on-puck can be tricky, especially doing it confidently game after game.

He’s also particularly strong at layering passes east-to-west, stretching defensive coverages, and funnelling pucks into the middle of the ice. Like in transition, Brzustewicz carries over much of the manipulation habits, dragging opponents into his stratosphere like a star in a solar system, only to find a teammate through a newly opened lane.  

Once the new Canucks prospect activates, he often sprints downhill, sending cross-slot feeds to backdoor teammates looking to capitalize off his puck movement. 

While none of Brzustewicz’s tools are considered elite by evaluators, the sum of his parts and blend of translatable habits creates a dangerous quantity in the offensive zone. There’s reason to believe his production will only expand in the OHL in the coming years, even to the point where it could be part of what helps him contribute professionally. 

The good, bad, and ugly of his defending

Brzustewicz faces some issues on the defensive end of the puck; if he can get in front of puck carriers and maintain a gap, he’s proficient at pressuring entries with subtle guides to the outside and well-timed stick disruption. He even can match footwork to combat rush-pattern changes on the entry. 

If he faces outside speed, Brzustewicz’s lack of second gear out of his pivot puts him at an instant disadvantage, often leading to lost body position and high-danger chances against. These one-on-one engagement issues are worrying from a translatability perspective based solely on the speed that’s present and growing at the NHL level. 

If Brzustewicz can improve his defensive skating enough to prevent attackers from accessing the inside lane, he can thrive professionally — it will only make him more effective defending the rush. That development is easier said than done, however. 

When faced with sustained pressure in his own zone, the 2004-born defender operates between aggressive and passive.  

Inconsistency game-to-game hurt his ability to make stops. When he is aggressive, pressuring perimeter puck carriers and forcing bad decisions, he can be effective, timing his forays to disrupt passes and push physicality. This aggressiveness can backfire, especially if he fails to disturb the puck carrier, but it’s safe to say he’s more effective when taking the initiative. 

When Brzustewicz is passive, it’s primarily due to poor processing of the developing play. He’s reactive, fixated on the puck instead of secondary or tertiary threats developing around him. Sometimes, there’s just no pace to his game, leading to situations where he sits back, looking to clog lanes rather than push pressure. More scanning and shoulder checks are needed to better mentally map of the environment and become a more disruptive quantity. 

 

There’s reason to believe that ice time plays a significant factor here. Players will often operate differently under such a minute load. Considering his presence on both special teams and the amount of 5-on-5 minutes he receives, it would not be shocking if fatigue is the catalyst for his inconsistency. 

Future

Brzustewicz will have a new coach in Jussi Ahokas when he rejoins Kitchener for the 2023-2024 season. Leading some loaded defensive corps with Finland’s U20 National Team, he adds a professional element, having coached Liiga hockey for the past four seasons. 

There’s also a chance he features on Team USA’s U20 World Junior Championship team, although his age and the team’s depth on defence puts him at a disadvantage. 

Nevertheless, Brzustewicz represents one of the higher upside quantities in the Canucks prospect pool, undoubtedly a top-10, even top-5 quantity for the organization. While a bottom-pairing projection is likely, ignoring his transition and offensive potential is hard. A middle pairing ceiling isn’t out of the question if he can clean up his in-zone defending.  

Hunter Brzustewicz speaks on his time here in Nashville, his two-way game, and more after being selected 73rd overall by the #Canucks.#NHLDraft | @ToyotaPacific pic.twitter.com/OrXoZITou1

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) June 29, 2023

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