The Pittsburgh Penguins will have two players participating in this year’s World Junior Championships, the U-20 tournament that takes place starting tomorrow, Friday December 26th and lasting through Monday January 5th over in Minnesota. What the Pens lack in quantity will be made up for in quantity with Canada’s Harrison Brunicke and the US’s Will […]
The Pittsburgh Penguins will have two players participating in this year’s World Junior Championships, the U-20 tournament that takes place starting tomorrow, Friday December 26th and lasting through Monday January 5th over in Minnesota. What the Pens lack in quantity will be made up for in quantity with Canada’s Harrison Brunicke and the US’s Will Horcoff both expected to fill key roles for the two powerhouse teams.
Horcoff finished the tune-up games on the first line for the Americans, playing left wing for high draft pick James Hagens. Center depth has been a question mark and potential question mark for the US, it shows where Horcoff is that he’s being used for the national team on the wing, just as where he normally plays for the University of Michigan these days.
Steven Ellis from the Daily Faceoff listed Horcoff among his handful of top performers in that tune-up game against Finland:
#24 Will Horcoff, LW (Pittsburgh Penguins): After scoring twice against Germany, Horcoff looked great again today with a good first-period goal. He does an excellent job of rushing to the net and using his big frame to bully opponents. He also has quick hands, something that very few players his size manage to replicate. Horcoff likely has played his way onto the top line with James Hagens and Brodie Ziemer for good.
The good news there is that description is perfectly in-line with what Horcoff has been doing all fall so far at Michigan, where he’s emerged as a goal-scoring machine and one of the top prospects in NCAA hockey this season. Horcoff could be on the verge of an even bigger coming out party on the international stage if he can prove himself against the best players in his 18-19 year old age bracket.
The US plays Germany on Friday at 6:00pm eastern (NHL Network) as they look to repeat on last year’s championship and add a fourth ‘chip within the last six years. The US follows that up with round robin games against Switzerland (Dec 27th), Slovakia (Dec 29th) and Sweden (Dec 31st) before the single-elimination quarterfinals start on January 2nd.
Harrison Brunicke and the Canadians are over in the other group, they will play the Czechs on the 26th to open things up, followed by Latvia on the 27th, Denmark on the 29th and Finland on New Year’s Eve.
Ellis did a nice writeup on the experienced Brunicke heading into this tournament as well:
In total, Brunicke has played 26 pro games between the NHL and AHL over two years. For a player his age, that’s a lot of quality competition and increased speed he has had to deal with.
“Coaches love that at this level,” one scout said. “They know they can count on the guys who’ve played against the best of the best. They’re coachable.”
Brunicke has played a lot of meaningful hockey early in his career. He played in the Memorial Cup in 2023 prior to his draft year and then helped Canada win gold at the U-18 World Championship the following spring. Brunicke even skated in a pair of games with the senior national team ahead of the 2025 World Championship – showing a high level of trust from the Hockey Canada brass. That, plus his NHL experience, has allowed Brunicke to handle every challenge thrown his way so far.
“When you’re in more high-pressure situations, you get more comfortable with it,” Brunicke said. “I’m hoping to bring that here.”
Many believe Brunicke will be loaned back to Kamloops for the team’s WHL playoff push after the tournament. Others think the 6-foot-3 defender would benefit more from playing against men in the NHL. Regardless, he needs playing time – and he’s set to get a lot of it for Canada.
“I’m still trying to build that pro style of game, where it’s strictly hard defense, where you’re moving the puck and moving your feet, less risks,” Brunicke said. “That’s what I’m trying to bring here.”
Parekh is projected to be Canada’s No. 1 right-handed defender. That’ll leave Brunicke on the second pair, where he’ll still be able to eat heavy minutes as he did in Kamloops. Canada has a strong contender this year, and Brunicke is expected to be a leader, especially with his NHL experience.
Brunicke has played just five games over the past month, all coming in the AHL. The native of Johannesburg, South Africa had four points in that span, showing a high level of puck proficiency. On the surface, going from playing against men and adjusting to junior hockey sounds easy. But there’s a real adjustment, especially from a tempo perspective.
Brunicke is ready for the challenge.
“Whatever position I’m put in, whatever role, I’m ready to execute it,” Brunicke said. “I’m a two-way defenseman, playing hard defensively and getting to show my offense as well. I want to be a reliable defenseman who can eat minutes.”
After a fall mostly spent watching or practicing, Brunicke should certainly get all the chances he can handle in this venue where he is one of the most experienced players. Team Canada looks stacked with talent, they’ll need a veteran like Brunicke to help guide them along.
The fun for the Pens will be what looks like the annual, inevitable collision between the US and the Canadians, which will just so happen to feature Pittsburgh having one of the top American forwards and Canadian defenders. That won’t happen until early in the new year with the group format, but one that would be very closely monitored in Western PA.
Category: General Sports
