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FN’s 2025 Flames summer prospect rankings – #3: Hunter Brzustewicz

Originally posted on Flamesnation | By Paige Siewert | Last updated Aug 25, 2025 10:19 AM ET

Hunter Brzustewicz proved in his rookie pro season that his talents transfer to the AHL and above. He earned and kept a spot on the blue line among some of the Calgary Wranglers’ best and was trusted on the ice in big game moments.

His impactful first season earned him a call-up with the Calgary Flames and another top three spot in the FlamesNation summer prospect rankings. Brzustewicz lands in the same place he was last year at number three among the Flames’ young talent.

Hunter Brzustewicz

Defenceman, shoots right
Born Nov. 29, 2004 (age 20) in Washington Township, MI
6’0”, 194 pounds
Drafted in the third round (75th overall) by Vancouver in the 2023 NHL Draft.

Hunter Brzustewicz caught the eye of National Team scouts in his U17 season and played on the Under-17 U.S. National Team in 2020-21 and the Under-18 U.S. National Team in 2021-22. In his U18 season, he played the full year with the U.S. National Team Development program, registering 20 points in 55 games.

Brzustewicz ended up in the Flames’ prospect pool due to the trade that sent Elias Lindholm to the Vancouver Canucks in early 2024. He had been drafted by the Canucks in the year prior and was playing his junior career with the Kitchener Rangers at the time.

His first season with the Rangers was in 2022-23 where he played in 69 games putting up six goals and 51 assists for a total of 57 points. The following season, his production exploded with 92 points in 67 games, broken down by 13 goals and 79 assists.

Once he made the move over to the Flames organization, he made his professional debut with the Wranglers in the 2024-25 season. He played in nearly every game alongside Yan Kuznetsov and had an impressive rookie season putting up 32 points in 70 games.

He was among the top two pairings for the Wranglers and put in a lot of ice time. Especially on the special teams. He wasted no time getting his first professional point by putting up an assist in the season opener against his draft club’s farm team, the Abbotsford Canucks, on Oct. 11.

Great shot from Hunter Brzustewicz through traffic to even up this game. pic.twitter.com/TDNgcj5QNx

— Paige Siewert (@thathockeygirly) January 16, 2025

Hunter Brzustewicz was one of the four rookies who made their NHL debut on the last game of the Flames’ season. He took his rookie lap and played a full game against the Los Angeles Kings on Apr. 17, where he finished with 18:23 of ice time and a plus/minus of +2. He played on a pairing with Brayden Pachal and shared the experience with his Wranglers teammate, Sam Morton.

After this experience, both Morton and Brzustewicz returned to the Wranglers to close out the season and compete in the Calder Cup playoffs. Brzustewicz played in the triple overtime decision against the Coachella Valley Firebirds but was unable to play in the second and final Wranglers playoff game due to a minor lower body injury.

FlamesNation’s Managing Editor, Ryan Pike, provided some insight on Brzustewicz and said:

“Expectations were high for Brzustewicz after a strong 2023-24 season with Kitchener. He was partnered with the reliable Yan Kuznetsov and picked up the two-way fundamentals of the AHL pretty quickly. By a couple months in, his confidence had grown with the puck and he was able to start making smart offensive plays. He’s probably still figuring out what risks he can take with the puck at the pro level, but Brzustewicz made a lot of progress in all aspects of his game in 2024-25, even making his NHL debut at the end of the year. Keep an eye on him.”

Expectations for 2025-26

Hunter Brzustewicz has already shown he has the skill and confidence for NHL play. His one game preview in April looks like it’ll be just the beginning of many to come. If he is able to surpass some of his Wranglers teammates in the drawing order for call-ups he could be up with the Flames for a stint as early as the first half of the season. He plays an exciting game and maintains his consistency. Ilya Solovyov and Yan Kuznetsov have the history with the club but Brzustewicz might surpass them with his edge.

Unless something dramatic happens this summer and into camp season, Brzustewicz is projected to start the season with the Wranglers with a route up to the Flames on short notice. The 2025-26 may not be his breakout NHL season but it could lay the foundation for him to get to that point in the next season following.

This article first appeared on Flamesnation and was syndicated with permission.

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