Henry Brzustewicz 2025 NHL Draft Profile

Brzustewicz’s on-ice production

Brzustewicz’s strengths

Playmaking

Brzustewicz is believed to have serious upside at the NHL level, and a big reason for that is his playmaking. He is very good at starting breakouts, both through his ability to find teammates effectively in his own zone and by skating it out himself. He picks his spots well when deciding when to rush up.

Powerful shot

Has the potential to be a very dangerous player from the point thanks to a surprisingly powerful shot. He excels at finding the gaps in traffic in front of the net with his wrist shot, which often leads to rebounds for his teammates. While he doesn’t yet have that same accuracy on his slapshot, power like that doesn’t grow on trees.

Skating

Put quite simply, Brzustewicz is very fast. With his affinity to join the rush, he isn’t afraid to show it off either. Whether you want straight line speed, acceleration, or lateral movement, Brzustewicz has got it all in that sense. He doesn’t only use his skating abilities for offensive purposes; he also backchecks hard after rushing up, and is known for his ability to keep a possession alive on the opponent’s blue line.

Brzustewicz’s areas of improvement

Consistency and decision making

Like many offensive defensemen, the highs can be very high, and the lows can be very low. Brzustewicz isn’t immune to attempting to be a little too fancy with his stick handles, often leading to bad turnovers and odd man rushes in the other direction. Needs to be more consistent with his passes; he has the ability to make insanely impressive passes, but will also miss easy ones.

Defense

Brzustewicz’s defensive game is still a work in progress. Scouts have noticed him struggling to mentally keep up with the play around him. He can get pushed around in corners a bit. He is good at reading when to join the rush more often than not, but he can still be too aggressive, leading to chances the other way.

Brzustewicz’s comparables

Brzustewicz’s strong offensive upside has drawn comparisons to Erik Karlsson, specifically during his time with the Ottawa Senators. Both share impressive skating and playmaking abilities and can create offensively at an elite level. A comparison like that should tell you all you need to know about why some see Brzustewicz as a steal in the second round.

Fit with the Flames

Seeing the Brzustewicz brothers rushing up the ice together in Flames jerseys sounds like a fun idea. However, the chances Calgary takes a shot on Brzustewicz are probably not high. With the Flames already having Zayne Parekh, Henry Mews, and Hunter Brzustewicz in the pipeline on the right side, it is hard to imagine Calgary taking another right-handed defenceman that early in the draft.

Summary

Henry Brzustewicz is a dangerous offensive threat with all the tools to potentially elevate his game to the NHL level. While he comes with all the same flaws that many young offensive defencemen have, he should have plenty of time to work on them, with potentially two more seasons in the OHL. If he can find consistency in his game and become stronger in his own zone, he could be a star at the NHL level, but that may be easier said than done.

Risk: 4/5

Reward: 4.5/5

Projection: Top 4

Check out all of The Win Column’s individual player profiles of selected 2025 NHL Draft prospects:

Matthew Schaefer | Michael Misa | James Hagens | Porter Martone | Anton Frondell | Victor Eklund | Roger McQueen | Caleb Desnoyers | Jackson Smith | Jake O’Brien | Carter Bear | Radim Mrtka | Lynden Lakovic | Brady Martin | Justin Carbonneau | Malcolm Spence | Cameron Reid | Logan Hensler |Cameron Schmidt | Ben Kindel | Kashawn Aitcheson | Cullen Potter | Braeden Cootes | Ivan Ryabkin | Blake Fiddler | Cole Reschny | Joshua Ravensbergen | Bill Zonnon | William Moore | Jack Nesbitt | Jack Murtagh | Milton Gastrin | Sascha Boumedienne