Penguins defenseman Harrison Brunicke to represent Team Canada at 2026 World Junior Championship
Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Harrison Brunicke will represent Team Canada at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, the team announced on Thursday.
The tournament will take place from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5 at the 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis and Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Brunicke, 19, has appeared in nine games for Pittsburgh in 2025-26, recording one goal and averaging 15:43 minutes of time-on-ice per game. He's also suited up for the American Hockey League's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, recording four assists in five games.
The 6-foot-3 defenseman was drafted by the Penguins with the 44th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft and became just the second South Africa native to appear in an NHL game when he made his NHL debut on Oct. 7, 2025, according to a media release from the Penguins.
Brunicke played junior hockey with the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League, recording 19 goals, 40 assists and 59 points in 151 career games.
Brunicke previously represented Team Canada at the 2024 World Under-18 Championship, scoring one goal and three assists and en route to a gold medal.