| Hunter Brzustewicz | |
| Birth Date: | 24 November 2004 |
| Birth Place: | Washington, MI, U.S. |
| Height Ft: | 6 |
| Height In: | 0 |
| Weight Lb: | 190 |
| Position: | Defense |
| Shoots: | Right |
| League: | NHL |
| Team: | Calgary Flames |
| Prospect Team: | Kitchener Rangers |
| Prospect League: | OHL |
| Draft: | 75th overall |
| Draft Year: | 2023 |
| Draft Team: | Vancouver Canucks |
Hunter Brzustewicz (born November 29, 2004) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) as a prospect to the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL).[1] He was selected in the third round by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.[2]
As a 15-year-old, Brzustewicz achieved 111 points in 66 games for the Oakland Jr. Grizzlies, capturing the record for most points by a defenceman in that league.[3] Brzustewicz saw his ice time limited playing two seasons for the US National Team Development Program. He was drafted in the fourth round by the Barrie Colts in 2020 but was traded to the Kitchener Rangers in exchange for Declan McDonnell.[4] Brzustewicz committed to play for the University of Michigan at the age of 13, but de-committed when the Rangers showed interest.[5] In the first month of the 2023 OHL season, Brzustewicz lead the league with 16 points in 7 games, which saw him playing on the Rangers’ top pairing and running the first unit power play.[6] His 46 points in 28 games and plus-20 differential had some speculating he was a "draft steal", comparing his season to that of Ryan Ellis and Brandt Clarke.[7] [8] Brzustewicz became the first OHL defenceman to lead the league in scoring at the halfway point of a season since Bryan Fogarty in 1988.[9]
On January 31, 2024, Brzustewicz was traded to the Calgary Flames, along with Andrei Kuzmenko, the Canucks’ 1st round pick in 2024, a conditional fourth round pick and Joni Jurmo in exchange for Elias Lindholm.[10] He was later signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Flames on March 14, 2024.[11]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |||||
| 2021–22 | U.S. National Development Team | USHL | 25 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Kitchener Rangers | OHL | 68 | 6 | 51 | 57 | 12 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Kitchener Rangers | OHL | 67 | 13 | 79 | 92 | 24 | 10 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 12 | ||
| OHL totals | 135 | 19 | 130 | 149 | 36 | 19 | 1 | 12 | 13 | 12 | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | United States | HG18 | 5th | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2022 | United States | U18 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| Junior totals | 9 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 2 | ||||