What to expect from Hunter Brzustewicz in a crucial development year

Hunter Brzustewicz is an intriguing prospect who’s facing a fairly critical development year; in other words, this season will be more telling than any previous year about what he can actually project to be as an NHLer.

Though he’s not ready for the NHL just yet, taking another step forward with the Calgary Wranglers in 2025-26 could go a long way in earning him a full-time spot with the Calgary Flames as early as next season.

Meets expectations: 40+ points with Wranglers and a handful of NHL appearances

Brzustewicz had a very impressive first year as a pro. His 32 AHL points were good for eighth most amongst Wrangler players, not too shabby for a first-year defenceman.

There was a learning curve for Brzustewicz in his debut pro season, at least for the first 18 games where he posted just two assists. The Michigan native then went on a tear, rattling off 30 points in his final 52 regular-season contests, and became a reliable blueliner for the Wranglers.

His fast-paced acclimation to pro-level hockey certainly inspires confidence that 40+ points in his sophomore AHL season is attainable, especially considering he’s a superb puck-moving defenceman.

If he continues to improve, he should see more opportunity with the big club than his one-game stint at the end of 2024-25.

Below expectations: Matches last season’s production

Stagnation is the last thing you’d like to see from Brzustewicz after he’s taken steps forward every year of his career from junior to pro. The sophomore year as a pro is a crucial development year for every prospect, it should serve as a stepping stone for those who showed flashes in their rookie seasons, but for some, their effectiveness stays about the same or even takes a dip.

When the latter occurs, you have a player who is now 21 or 22 years old and no closer to being NHL-ready, which can be cause for concern and make things complicated as far as waivers go.

A Flames example is Jeremie Poirier, a similar style defenceman to Brzustewicz, who had an outstanding rookie season in the AHL, where he boasted 41 total points over 69 contests. To no fault of his own, an injury forced him to miss two-thirds of his sophomore year and subsequently delayed his development.

This is all sort of a long-winded way of saying that it would be optimal to see Brzustewicz show some growth this season in any way, shape, or form.

Exceeds expectations: 50 point pace with Wranglers and 10+ NHL appearances

There is often too much weight put into offensive output from defencemen, when in reality their true function is to limit chances against. However, because one of Brzustewicz’s greatest assets is his ability to distribute the puck, it’s reasonable to gauge his development, especially at the AHL level, based on his primary numbers.

If he were to fulfill his role as an offensive defenceman and become one of the Wranglers’ key offensive contributors, he’d leave very little left to prove at the AHL level.

The 50-point mark has only been eclipsed 13 times by AHL defencemen over the past four seasons, so it’s no easy feat, but Brzustewicz is actually on pace to do it in the near future. Over the final 50 games in 2024-25, Brzustewicz operated at a 0.58 point-per-game rate, that’s good for 41 points over an entire 72-game season. Given he takes another step in 2025-26, I don’t see why Brzustewicz couldn’t finish the year on a 50-point scoring pace.

With a big leap offensively, paired with sustained reliability, 10+ games with the Flames could be in the cards for Brzustewicz, considering the uncertainty that surrounds Calgary’s defensive core.