Harrison Brunicke has seen his draft stock rise over this past WHL season and he could make history if his name is called at next week's NHL Draft.
The six-foot-two defenceman could become the first South African-born skater to be selected in an NHL Draft.
Brunicke was born in Johannesburg, South Africa's largest city, but moved to Calgary at the age of two. Now, 16 years later, he suits up for the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL and is projected to be a second-round pick in this year's NHL Draft.
"I do think about that. ... It would be pretty special," Brunicke said in an interview with NHL.com. "[The South African Ice Hockey Federation] reached out and they've been very supportive, as well as my whole family. Hockey's not a big sport in South Africa, so to come to Canada, play and have some success, it's pretty special for sure."
Former goalie Olaf Kolzig is the only other South African-born player to be selected in the draft when the Capitals took him with pick No. 19 in 1989. Kolzig, born to German parents, went on to have a stellar career, playing in 17 seasons while adding a Vezina Trophy to his résumé following the 1999-2000 season.
A defensive-minded player with offensive potential, Brunicke had eight points through 59 WHL games as a rookie in 2022-2023. He added two assists in 14 playoff games as his Blazers hosted the Memorial Cup.
"His first year in the WHL included a long playoff run and Memorial Cup play, which are beneficial to any young player's development," Central Scouting director Dan Marr told NHL.com.
It seems to have made an impact going into the 2023-24 season as, despite missing the final 14 games due to injury, his numbers jumped up to 21 points through 49 games — 10 of which were goals.
After being cleared to play, Brunicke was invited to suit up for Canada at the 2024 IIHF World U18 Championship, where he helped the team win a gold medal. Throughout the seven games played, he netted one goal along with three assists and a plus-11 rating.
