Brzustewicz poised for season debut with Flames

CALGARY – Last year was a taste, this year it’s a test.

Eight months after he made his NHL debut with a token year-ender, Hunter Brzustewicz appears set to make his first appearance of the year with the Calgary Flames on Wednesday against the Detroit Red Wings.

“Pretty good chance,” confirmed coach Ryan Huska on Tuesday.

“I mean, we're still talking (amongst coaches) about it right now, but he is a Michigan boy, so sometimes stuff like that factors into it as well.”

It has been an interesting 24 hours for the Flames, as three of their future cornerstone defencemen are all in town, making news.

First-rounder Zayne Parekh spoke of jump-starting his season at the world juniors this Christmas, second-rounder Yan Kuznetsov scored the game-winner for the Flames against Buffalo, and Brzustewicz was summoned from the AHL’s Wranglers.

“He's been playing well for the Wranglers, and he's a good young prospect, and I think over the stretch of a regular season you want to, one, reward guys for playing well, but to see if he's improved on the things we've asked him to work on,” explained Huska of the rationale behind summoning Brzustewicz for the injured Jake Bean.

“The biggest thing was consistent pace of play. Every day, we ask them to be just a little bit quicker than you were the day before. So that was his big challenge when he got sent down.”

A playmaker whose final year in the OHL saw him finish just behind Parekh in points, the right-shot defenceman has followed up a 32-point rookie campaign as a pro with four goals and 12 points in 23 games with the Wranglers so far this season.

The six-foot, 195-pound prospect likely won’t get the chance to play on the power play or crack the top two pairings the Flames feel pretty good about these days. So the onus will be on the 21-year-old to prove in other ways he belongs and is worthy of a prolonged look like Kuznetsov recently translated into a permanent NHL gig.

“I just think any time you get in the league you never know when it's gonna be your last, so you’ve just got to make every single day count and just be joyful to be here - I'm just super grateful,” said Brzustewicz, who said Kuznetsov’s successful ascension to the bigs over the last month has given him increased confidence “that step is close.”

“Obviously it's good to be noticed. I would say I feel good about my game right now, and hopefully just keep building.”

He said he’s more mature than last spring, and that he’s worked on his consistency.

With Bean’s injury being assessed, and the ever-looming possibility Rasmus Andersson could be traded at any time, the blue-line transition the Flames are preparing for could come quicker than anyone thought.

Not that anyone is counting on it, but if the lad they call “Brew” is able to make enough of an impression to extend this stay, it’s not out of the realm of possibility all three of these youngsters could be Flames fixtures as early as mid-January.

“Bringing the young guys in is a big part of what we are, and I think they're the guys that are going to help push us forward,” said Huska.

“But I still feel like the most important part is the way the guys that have been here for a long period of time push and compete, because if they're not doing it the right way you can't rely on a younger player. There has to be a standard that's set all the time and to me, the older guys have been doing that over the last little while.”

There it is again, the reminder this hybrid rebuild in Calgary will only be done with what the organization sees as a careful blend of veterans setting the culture and showing the way. 

Nothing will be given to Parekh or Brzustewicz, it will have to be earned, as it was with Kuznetsov, whose play has steadied the second pairing with MacKenzie Weegar.

“I like our top two pairs right now 100 per cent, so that's not going to be something that changes,” said Huska, whose club is on a 7-2-1 roll that stems largely from better defensive play. 

“So when a young guy finds his way into the lineup you have to earn your keep. And if that means, ‘I'm going to be a checker for however long that's going to be, or someone that's going to defend, I'm going to do it with a ton of pride to make sure that these guys know that I'm not coming out of the lineup.’ 

“You have to grab a hold of a role, and if there's one spot open, then you have to find a way to make sure that you're the best guy for that one spot.”

Brzustewicz insists he’s up to the challenge.

“Whatever they need of me,” smiled Brzustewicz, who grew up a Wings fan, idolizing Nick Lidstrom.  

“Be a puck-moving defenceman, play hard, do things they asked me to work on and hopefully I can just keep growing. I can find my groove in that game whenever I get the chance.

“Any time you get in this league it means a lot, but especially if it’s against Detroit it would be pretty cool.”