By Matt Tidcombe/CHL
A visit to the Aud in April was all Hunter Brzustewicz needed to see.
After the Kitchener Rangers had acquired his rights from Barrie in a January trade, Brzustewicz officially de-commited from the University of Michigan in June and signed in the CHL.
“We were talking about it back in January but didn’t know I would come to Kitchener but I had that option,” Brzustewicz said. “But when I came to Kitchener for a game and they showed me their facility, showed me the opportunity I would have, I felt the opportunity was way too big to pass down so that was mainly the deciding factor.”
So far through 12 games, Brzustewicz has impressed. The 17-year-old has 13 assists and put together a 10-game point streak that ran from Oct. 1 – Oct. 30.
“It was nice but I have to give credit to the forwards who put the puck into the net,” he said.
Overall, Brzustewicz’s 13 points are tied for the sixth most among OHL d-men while he’s tied second in assists. His seven power play helpers lead all OHL blueliners.
He gives credit to his defensive partner, Ottawa Senators prospect Tomas Hamara, who, despite also being in his first OHL season, has helped steady Brzustewicz.
“With Tomas being my partner, it’s been really good to rely on him when I need it and vice-versa,” Brzustewicz said. “We have a good balance of that and the other d-men too when I go out there with them sometimes. It’s good to build chemistry with everyone.”
His strong play to start the season was recently recognized by NHL Central Scouting who in their ‘Players to Watch’ list that was released Oct. 25, identified Brzustewicz as a ‘B’ rated prospect that indicates a likely second or third round selection at the 2023 NHL Draft.
“It’s motivating for me to see where I’m at and I’m grateful and honoured to be on that list,” he said. “I’m just motivated to keep on improving and getting better.”
He’ll have plenty of teammates to seek advice from leading into the draft as colleagues Hamara, Filip Mesar (MTL), Francesco Pinelli (LA) and Roman Schmidt (TB) have all had their names called at the NHL Draft.
There’s no shortage of talent on the Kitchener roster but under new head coach Chris Dennis, the Rangers have been slow out of the gates with a 5-7-0 record and began the season on a five-game losing streak. However, the addition of Mesar has certainly sparked the club with the team 4-1-0 in the five games he’s played since he was reassigned by Montreal Oct. 15.
“It gave us a whole other confidence level just having that type of player that is very skilled, very good and very smart,” Brzustewicz said. “Having him up front and moving the puck to him to let him do his thing … we just sometimes sit back and watch.”
Yet while it’s been a slower than anticipated start, Brzustewicz doesn’t seem concerned.
“We just need to find our identity,” he said. “I don’t think we’ve quite found it yet. We just need to buy in and trust the process of what coach has been telling us to do.
“Once we do all those things, it will come along nicely and this is going to really be a special team.”
Brzustewicz and the Rangers are in action Tuesday night in the CHLTV Game of the Week when they host Owen Sound at 7pm ET / 4pm PT.
Available to fans from coast to coast, CHL TV is accessible on the CHL mobile app, in addition to Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire, and online at watch.chl.ca. Each year, CHL TV offers access to more than 2,000 regular-season games covering the CHL’s three Member Leagues and 60 markets across Canada and the United States. Fans can download the free CHL app via the App Store and Google Play.
