Pittsburgh Penguins’ head coach Mike Sullivan and assistant coach David Quinn came clean with Harrison Brunicke.

“They both kind of said it — they honestly didn’t really know who I was before the draft,” said Brunicke, the Kamloops Blazers’ standout who was snapped up by the Penguins this past summer in Round 2 (44th overall) of the 2024 NHL Draft.

They know who he is now.

“From development camp to the rookie showcase to main camp and pre-season games, they think I just grew so much and learned a lot,” said Brunicke, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound defenceman from Calgary. “Their biggest thing was whatever they were saying, I was implementing into my game. Big things were gap [control] and having a good stick. I really focused on that during the pre-season games.”

Brunicke was among the last major-junior players to be jettisoned from their pro club ahead of the NHL regular season, racking up one assist, four shots and invaluable experience during four pre-season contests with the Penguins before returning to Kamloops.

Beat writers who cover the NHL club, fans and coaches marvelled at his growth in September and October, leaving some to wonder if Brunicke would be retained for a regular-season tryout.

“We’re so encouraged with the training camp [Brunicke] has had — just his progression through the course of the camp, his aptitude for picking up some of the things we were trying to coach him on,” Sullivan told reporters. “This is a guy who we’re really excited about and feel strongly that he’s going to be an impact player for us.”

Brunicke exceeded his own expectations by hanging on for the duration of the Pittsburgh pre-season, but the prospect of an NHL debut became tangible, so falling just shy of that milestone was a tough pill.

“Maybe a little bit bummed because I stayed that long, seeing all my buddies go down to the American league or back to juniors and I was one of the last guys standing and it left a little bit of bitter taste in my mouth, but they obviously had a plan for me and it’s just how everything worked out,” said Brunicke, who signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Pens in July.

Brunicke stood on a South African beach about 10 years ago wearing a Penguins’ hoodie and a big smile, a moment captured in a photo the NHL club’s social media team posted this past summer.

Sidney Crosby inspired the boyhood beachwear and No. 87 continues to influence Brunicke, who was born in Johannesburg and was two years old when his family moved to Calgary.

“Being around the rink, seeing them do the extra stuff — the extra workouts after a practice or how much they’re eating and weighing themselves, those little details — that’s just really cool to see,” Brunicke said when asked about interactions with teammates Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. “I can take that into my every day life and every day game, the details that separate them from being average to being the greatest.”

Olaf Kolzig is the first South African-born NHL Draft pick and player, a goaltender who represented Germany internationally.

Brunicke is the first South African-born skater to be selected in the NHL Draft and is aiming to become the first skater born in the African nation to play in the NHL.

“My whole family is there and I’m from there,” said Brunicke, an elite skater who credits power-skating coach Patrick Puddifant for fostering that part of his game. “I take huge pride in it. It’s almost like playing for my family. Hockey was not a thing there. I’m kind of bringing a new eye, a new perspective in the world to them. I think that’s pretty cool.”

Brunicke plans to continue making an impression on Sullivan and Quinn from afar, sending friendly reminders via scouts and highlights.

With alternate captain duties added to responsibilities with the Blazers this season, demonstrating exemplary leadership qualities while pacing the back end would help his case to make an indelible mark.

“One of the things I noticed when I came back was maybe a little bit of a lack of communication in the locker room,” Brunicke said.

“With all great teams, high energy and communication is huge. As a leadership group and being a leader myself, that’s one thing we can really harp on and that’s what we’ve been doing.”