Sullivan Opens Door for Brunicke to Make Penguins Roster

The legend of Harrison Brunicke keeps growing. Or so it seems during the Pittsburgh Penguins training camp. Wednesday, coach Mike Sullivan added to the narrative.

Asked after practice — when Brunicke skated with the main group — if there is a chance for the 18-year-old could open the season on the roster with an eye toward at least giving him the nine-game tryout he could play before his entry-level contract kicks in, Sullivan answered quickly and at length.

“Of course there is,” Sullivan said. “We’re watching these guys, and we’re trying to reserve judgment and just continue to watch. We’ll see how the camp evolves. With every opportunity that these guys have on the ice, it just gives us another opportunity to observe and just gather more information on players that we have.”

Brunicke in particular was strong Tuesday in a preseason game against Detroit. So will the 2024 second-round draft pick be on the roster when the Penguins open the regular season in one week?

“Anything’s possible,” Sullivan said. “We’re going to try to put the best 20-something players on our roster for the opening night, who gives us the best chance to win. That’s the approach.

“I know I’ve been asked on a number of occasions about Harry’s game. It’s hard not to be complimentary. I think he’s just had a terrific camp to this point. He looks the part when he practices with our top players, and we like so much about his game.”

“But we’ll see where it goes. No one’s going to get ahead of themselves here. We’re just going to watch the camp evolve and try to make the best decisions for the individual players that are part of this and also for the team.”