Gang, sometimes things don’t go quite according to plan and you end up having to pivot. But sometimes those pivots turn out to have positive impacts. With that in mind, let’s chat about the 2025-26 Calgary Flames and how some unexpected challenges have led to a couple of young blueliners getting some prolonged National Hockey League looks.

The Flames had a rough start to the season, and we’ve seen a few bumps in the road for some blueliners. Daniil Miromanov struggled early on and was waived and sent to the American League’s Calgary Wranglers midway through October. Zayne Parekh experienced some growing pains moving to the NHL from junior and then got hurt. (He’s currently on loan to the Canadian national junior team.) Jake Bean was playing through a nagging injury and eventually opted to undergo surgery rather than continue to solider on.

But these challenges, and related absences from the Flames lineup, have opened doors for two young blueliners in their system. Yan Kuznetsov came up in early November and has been a fixture in the top two defensive pairings ever since. And when Bean couldn’t play anymore, it opened the door for Hunter Brzustewicz to step in and see if he could play in the NHL on a regular basis.

A product of Washington Township, Michigan – a Detroit suburb – Brzustewicz was a third-round selection by the Vancouver Canucks in 2023, selected after a year in the U.S. National Development Program and another with the Ontario League’s Kitchener Rangers. He was moved to the Flames in the Elias Lindholm trade and went pro with the Wranglers in 2024-25.

An offensive-minded defender who had 92 points in his final year of junior – only Parekh had more in that circuit among blueliners – the thought process was that Brzustewicz would need to learn the two-way ins-and-outs of the AHL, so he was paired with Kuznetsov, the Wranglers’ reigning shutdown ace. It would really well, with Kuznetsov hitting career highs offensively and Brzustewicz putting together a strong rookie year with 32 points in 70 games. He even made his NHL debut in the Flames’ regular season finale in Los Angeles.

This year, Kuznetsov and Brzustewicz often played apart, with Brzustewicz getting several games with veteran pro Nick Cicek and still impressing. By the time the Flames called him up, Brzustewicz had 12 points in 23 games and was really relied upon by the Wranglers coaches in key situations. 10 games into his NHL audition, he’s seemed to fit right into the Flames lineup and become a fixture on the third pairing with Joel Hanley.

“I think he’s been really consistent with his game,” said Flames head coach Ryan Huska, speaking prior to the Flames’ Dec. 29 game against Boston. “Right from the first one to the last one we played against Edmonton [on Dec. 27], where he’s shown a lot of composure with the puck. He’s not afraid to take hits to make a play. And I think every game that we’ve seen him play, the offensive side or the confidence that he’s gaining is growing. So I think he’s done a really good job.”

Brzustewicz was praised by Wranglers head coach Brett Sutter for his ability to adapt to the NHL game.

“I think his pace adapted pretty well,” said Sutter, speaking prior to the Flames’ Dec. 31 game against Philadelphia. “That was always kind of the question mark going up is can he skate with those guys up there? And I think he’s handled it really well. I think he’s working hard to get back to pucks quick, and then he’s always going to have that poise with the puck. He’ll be able to make those little slip plays and seam plays and find guys in traffic. So, you know, really proud of him. I think he’s done a great job and hopefully continues to do a great job and earn more opportunity.”

Folks, we don’t know exactly what the short-term future holds for the Flames blueline: the two most common topics of conversation among onlookers are about a potential Rasmus Andersson trade and what the Flames will do with Zayne Parekh when the World Juniors conclude. Maybe Brzustewicz sticks around with the Flames for the remainder of the season, and maybe he goes down to the Wranglers for a period of time.

But regardless of what happens in the future, Brzustewicz has made the most of his present opportunity, and as a 21-year-old in his second year of pro hockey, he’s fit like a glove on the Flames blueline. It bodes well both for his future, and the Flames’.