Calgary Flames sign Hunter Brzustewicz to entry-level contract (three years, $950,000 AAV)

The Calgary Flames have signed one of their most alluring prospects. The club announced Thursday morning that they’ve signed defenceman Hunter Brzustewicz to a three year, entry-level contract with a $950,000 cap hit. (No word yet if the deal includes any performance bonuses.)

Originally selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the third round, 75th overall, of this past June’s NHL Draft, Brzustewicz is a right shot defenceman with an offensive mindset. He was acquired by the Flames from Vancouver in the Elias Lindholm trade at the end of January.

As of this writing, he has 12 goals and 85 points in 62 games this season with the Ontario Hockey League’s Kitchener Rangers. He’s 10th in the OHL in points overall and leads the league outright in assists with 73. Among OHL blueliners, he’s second in points behind 2024 NHL Draft top prospect Zayne Parekh. Brzustewicz is in just his second season in the OHL, following a couple seasons in the U.S. National Development Program before opting to head to Canada to try his hand in major junior.

Because Brzustewicz signed after March 1, his deal automatically slides to begin in the 2024-25 season. As a 2004-born player, he’ll be eligible to play in the American Hockey League or head back to the OHL as an overager – though the OHL route seems unlikely given the first year of his ELC will run next season regardless of where he plays. Brzustewicz would be eligible to join the Wranglers on an amateur try-out this season whenever Kitchener’s season ends, provided the Wranglers are still active.

Brzustewicz joins a very interesting Flames prospect group on the blueline. Jeremie Poirier and Etienne Morin (who isn’t signed yet) are offensive-minded defenders like Brzustewicz, while players like current Wranglers Artem Grushnikov, Yan Kuznetsov and Ilya Solovyov are more meat-and-potatoes defensive types. If the Flames can create some chemistry mixing and matching some of these various skill-sets in the AHL, it could translate to the NHL quite nicely – the Flames have done this in the past with the likes of Oliver Kylington and Rasmus Andersson.