Prospect Info: Hunter Brzustewicz: 75th Overall 2023 Draft (Kitchener) - RD

[Mr. Canucklehead]

Discuss.

EDIT:

EliteProspects Profile - Hunter Brzustewicz at eliteprospects.com

Rankings:
Ranked #53 by CONSOLIDATED RANKING
Ranked #52 by ELITEPROSPECTS.COM
Ranked #51 by FCHOCKEY
Ranked #54 by FLOHOCKEY/CHRIS PETERS
Ranked #58 by DAILY FACEOFF
Ranked #44 by THE HOCKEY NEWS
Ranked #52 by TSN/BOB McKENZIE
Ranked #66 by MCKEEN'S HOCKEY
Ranked #61 by TSN/CRAIG BUTTON
Ranked #41 by NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING (NA Skaters)
Ranked #82 by HPR/SHANE MALLOY
Ranked #48 by RECRUIT SCOUTING
Ranked #56 by DOBBERPROSPECTS
Ranked #32 by DRAFT PROSPECTS HOCKEY
Ranked #91 by SMAHT SCOUTING

Click to read more...

 

[HockeyWooot]

So is Brzustewicz legit, does he actually have a chance at the NHL one day or does he have any known see deficiencies that make it an uphill battle from the start?

 

[LordBacon]

If you haven't tried it already, if you cook stringy bacon on a cooling rack in the oven (with a tray under it) you can render out much more of the fat and grease. It will never be as lean as back bacon, but it is the best tasting and healthiest way to cook stringy bacon, in my humble opinion. If you are adventurous, fire it under the broiler for some extra colour and texture.

I might just try it out. But I have to try the spicy pineapple pizza some other poster mentioned first.

 

[MS]

So is Brzustewicz legit, does he actually have a chance at the NHL one day or does he have any known see deficiencies that make it an uphill battle from the start?

I love the production but I don’t love the eye test - he’s smallish and slow, although he has pretty good edgework, and his compete level defensively isn’t great.

I kind of get Adam Clendening vibes and Clendening was once a high-producing top prospect as well but obviously the skating killed him.

 

[arttk]

I love the production but I don’t love the eye test - he’s smallish and slow, although he has pretty good edgework, and his compete level defensively isn’t great.

I kind of get Adam Clendening vibes and Clendening was once a high-producing top prospect as well but obviously the skating killed him.

Clendenning really really really could not skate. Raty looks like an Olympic skater compared to Clendenning.

 

[The Iron Goalie]

For those interested here's a shift-by-shift video I came across.

 

[F A N]

I love the production but I don’t love the eye test - he’s smallish and slow, although he has pretty good edgework, and his compete level defensively isn’t great.

I kind of get Adam Clendening vibes and Clendening was once a high-producing top prospect as well but obviously the skating killed him.

For those interested here's a shift-by-shift video I came across.

Ya I have to agree with MS here. Only watched half the video but he didn't look too good there. He was slow and lost puck battles that he could have won. I don't like his skating, especially for a small guy. I read reports of him being a smooth skater but passive defender but I'm not sure if he's slow or he just doesn't bother moving his legs.

 

[IComeInPeace]

For those interested here's a shift-by-shift video I came across.

Ugh….some Rathbone-esque defensive plays in there.

Obviously you never want to judge a kid by one game, but based just on what is in that footage, he’s got a lot to clean up before an NHL coach will ever let him see the ice.

Not out of the ordinary for an offensive 19 YO d-man to have to learn the defensive side of the game though.

 

[clay]

He needs to increase his compete level and attention to detail defensively or he'll be AHL fodder. I think he has the tools, but his mentality needs to shift going into the pros. This is common with young d-men. Hughes figured it out and got a chip on his shoulder after a lot of valid criticism on his defense early in his pro career.

 

[Breakers]

Thanks for posting that video @The Iron Goalie


his gap control is really really bad.
He allows zone entries which isnt the problem, you can allow zone entries with possession.
The problem is that he retreats into his zone then stops right above the hashmarks and tries to defend from a standstill. He stopped in like 4 clips.

also didnt know his skating was that poor. He got beat on puck retrieval's a ton in this video. It's almost like he allowed the retrieval's, just so casual.
The blind clears that led to scoring chances arent great.

his intensity does ratchet up in the offensive zone with good poise.

when I heard the goalie banging is his stick on the goal against not sure why Hunter didnt pick that pick that up?
right when you hear it he could have stopped that goal against pretty easy.

 

[Canucks LB]

For those interested here's a shift-by-shift video I came across.

Why did you show me this, this, reduced my hype by a little bit Lmao

 

[sting101]

Junior counting stats have to be taken with a grain of salt. It shows on puck potential but even then the amount of time and space will change dramatically at the next levels. Even the above video needs to be taken with a grain of salt as good players adjust their games to different levels and the urgency of each shift.

Brustewicz' numbers have him passing last season in half the games. That is a big step in development in the proficiency of his minutes played. That is a good sign about his IQ.

He went in the 3rd round because of the deficiencies in his ability to defend and skate and how that translates as a pro hockey player. The work he puts in to improve and the gains he makes will decide whether he's a Hronek or Clendening.

 

[arttk]

Junior counting stats have to be taken with a grain of salt. It shows on puck potential but even then the amount of time and space will change dramatically at the next levels. Even the above video needs to be taken with a grain of salt as good players adjust their games to different levels and the urgency of each shift.

Brustewicz' numbers have him passing last season in half the games. That is a big step in development in the proficiency of his minutes played. That is a good sign about his IQ.

He went in the 3rd round because of the deficiencies in his ability to defend and skate and how that translates as a pro hockey player. The work he puts in to improve and the gains he makes will decide whether he's a Hronek or Clendening.

really hoping that we are more hands on now with our prospects, there should be somebody looking at his game tapes and then giving him advice on what he needs to work on and how he should work on it. It's still early in the season, the hope is that we will see gradual if not steep improvement as the season progresses.

 

[Vector]

The production is so gaudy that it makes me really interested to see what outside evaluators think. He was pretty much a consensus 2nd round pick so he was well liked. Is he a guy that utilizes all his package despite being average physically? Hot streak? Etc.

 

[Burke's Evil Spirit]

Would absolutely be looking to sell high on Brzcustewicz and Lekkerimaki at the deadline this year if the team is at all promising.

 

[sting101]

really hoping that we are more hands on now with our prospects, there should be somebody looking at his game tapes and then giving him advice on what he needs to work on and how he should work on it. It's still early in the season, the hope is that we will see gradual if not steep improvement as the season progresses.

This has been documented.

He's putting up record type scoring. I'm not sure if they should be injecting too much this season. I'm sure HB is well aware of what he needs to work on. The hope would be that he makes the US U20 team and levels up in that competition and if/when Kitchener goes to playoffs.

Outside of that most of what he needs to do is in the gym and through maturity

 

[WetcoastOrca]

Meh. If he was excellent defensively he would have been a top 10 pick instead of being available later in the draft.
We were always going to get a player with some warts in the third round. The question now is whether he stagnates like Rathbone did or he continues to improve on his defensive play like Hughes and others have.
We have to keep in mind that he’s 18 years old while Rathbone is 24.
At this point it’s really impossible to predict whether he improves significantly defensively but at least having high end offensive numbers gives him a leg up on many other prospects his age. I’m cautiously optimistic that the rest of his game will catch up somewhat if he gets the proper coaching and he’s willing to put in the work. At 18 years of age there’s still lots of time.

 

[ChilliBilly]

Would absolutely be looking to sell high on Brzcustewicz and Lekkerimaki at the deadline this year if the team is at all promising.

Totally disagree. We should not be selling off assets to make us marginally better. We are not considered a cup contender. And we shouldn't be.

The history of this team being a "buyer" at the TD is just ignorant. Gillis was justified; we were close. A team that misses the playoffs basically 9 / 10 years is insanely stupid to sell off assets and draft picks to try and move from 26th to 21st. Thats how you guaranteed mediocrity forever.

 

[bandwagonesque]

For those interested here's a shift-by-shift video I came across.

Edgework and ability to separate with stops and front-oriented lateral movement once he has the puck are great. Backchecking and defending the rush with rear-oriented lateral strides are pretty weak at this point. He's a lot more comfortable turning and trying to stick check then he is using lateral movement to stay in front of the puck carrier. He looks like an average skater at the CHL level at the moment.

 

[bandwagonesque]

Ya I have to agree with MS here. Only watched half the video but he didn't look too good there. He was slow and lost puck battles that he could have won. I don't like his skating, especially for a small guy. I read reports of him being a smooth skater but passive defender but I'm not sure if he's slow or he just doesn't bother moving his legs.

I see him moving his legs most of the time but he looks weak. Skating backwards defending the rush he's a long beat behind when he uses either leg to move laterally or pivot. He's definitely too static, but some of the static moments are because his teammates aren't moving their legs either and/or are out of position so it's hard to judge.

 

[Billy Kvcmu]

Would absolutely be looking to sell high on Brzcustewicz and Lekkerimaki at the deadline this year if the team is at all promising.

Lekkermaki sure
Brzcustewicz, hell no

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

Would absolutely be looking to sell high on Brzcustewicz and Lekkerimaki at the deadline this year if the team is at all promising.

Are we never planning on having impact players on ELC’s..?

In a cap world,I’d say it’s neccesary.

 

[iceburg]

Are we never planning on having impact players on ELC’s..?

In a cap world,I’d say it’s neccesary.

Completely agree. With Petey, Hughes, Demko, and Hronek still relatively young and only getting more expensive, the more ELCs you can slot in to impactful roles as soon as they're ready, the better. Before this year I would have only had Willander on that list. This year I would add Lekerrimaki and Brzustevicz to that list and maybe even Bains. 2nd contract guys that may still be cheap but effective are also needed to balance the cap as the costs for the upper guys grows. They should be retaining as much as possible guys like Hoglander, Podkolzin, Aman, D-Petey, and possibly others.
They have finally begun building prospect depth that is required for sustainable competitiveness. Don't do a quick fix that destroys the progress.

 

[VanJack]

As a third round draft pick, it would be shock if Brzustewicz didn't need two or even three seasons in the AHL to learn the defensive side of the game.

Don't really get the comparisons with Rathbone though. One guy was 24 and the other 18.

 

[MS]

Are we never planning on having impact players on ELC’s..?

In a cap world,I’d say it’s neccesary.

Brz will be spending most/all of his ELC in the AHL even if he makes it. Getting multiple years of surplus value off an ELC really only happens with high 1st rounders who are impact players.

 

[MS]

Brz will be spending most/all of his ELC in the AHL even if he makes it. Getting multiple years of surplus value off an ELC really only happens with high 1st rounders who are impact players.

Just to add to this :

If you look at the 2019 draft - from which most players are now in the last year of their ELC and some are on their first RFA deals - once you get past #15 overall there is literally 1 season from 1 player where there has been significant surplus value (40+ points for a forward, top-4 minutes for a D) for the entire rest of that draft. That was Mattias Maccelli last year, and he's now on a $10 million deal.

'Surplus value from ELCs' became a talking point when Chicago won with Kane/Toews (a #1 and #2 overall) but it generally just isn't a thing except for teams coming out of tanks with multiple top-5 picks. It happened for us briefly with Pettersson/Hughes/Boeser and we squandered it.