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FN Report Cards: Hunter Brzustewicz adapted his game to earn and keep time in the NHL
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Photo credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Paige Siewert
May 7, 2026, 14:00 EDTUpdated: May 7, 2026, 02:39 EDT
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Hunter Brzustewicz was an addition to the Calgary Flames prospect pool via the famous trade that sent Elias Lindholm to Vancouver in 2024. Now, with two years in the organization, his story has expanded beyond that. He played a full season with the Calgary Wranglers in his rookie season then after getting a one game preview in the NHL, he was able to realize that dream over and over again for 34 games with the Flames this season. The right shot defenceman is known for his offensive capabilities but when he couldn’t showcase that as much in the NHL, he did a great job adapting to keep a spot in the lineup.

Expectations

After his season-closing NHL debut in the 2024-25 season, the expectation for this season was that we’d see more of Brzustewicz with the NHL club. Hunter Brzustewicz wasn’t slated to be an every day NHLer in just his second professional season but a handful of games seemed to be a reasonable estimate as his game grew. The looming reality of a Rasmus Andersson trade showed a spot and an opportunity for Brzustewicz to come in, but the timing of that was unknown at the start of the season and not something he could hold his breath for. 
After his NHL debut, he joined the Calgary Wranglers for their brief post-season run and only managed to play in one game due to a lower body injury he suffered. His off-season was about recovery first of all, then to get bigger, better, faster to get more looks with the Flames. 

Performance

What ended up happening was that Brzustewicz came to camp energetic and ready for what the season was going to throw his way. The lower body injury was a non-factor and while he didn’t crack the opening night roster, he got right to work at the start of the Wranglers season. His D-partner from the majority of his rookie year, Yan Kuznetsov, made his jump up to the Flames very early in the season and Brzustewicz didn’t go quietly into the night. He was paired up with a new veteran arrival, Nick Cicek, and his point production was huge through the first 15 games of the AHL season. 11 points in 15 games for a defenceman was hard to ignore. 
After this first month and a bit, it was clear Brzustewicz’s game took a step forward and he was itching for his next chance in the NHL. But his poise remained. When thoughts or questions about a call-up came up over the course of the season, Brzustewicz would always answer them in a way that any time in the NHL is a blessing and he takes things day by day. The theme across many of the Wranglers players who had potential to split time between leagues was to play where your feet are.
In December, Brzustewicz had his first call up to the Flames and played his first game of the season in the NHL against his hometown Detroit Red Wings. What started as a look turned into a regular place on the Flames’ defensive pairings, knocking Brayden Pachal out of the lineup as the extra blueliner at times. Pachal still played with more of a physical game so there were opportunities where it made sense to substitute Brzustewicz out.
Hunter Brzustewicz put up his first NHL point on Jan. 7 against the Montreal Canadiens on Joel Farabee’s lone goal of the night. This also happened to be his friend and Wranglers teammate William Stromgren’s NHL debut on the same night. A night for both of them to remember. His first NHL goal came a couple of weeks later on Jan. 25 against the Anaheim Ducks at home. 
Brzustewicz was still an every night roster choice for the Flames but the opportunity came up over the Olympic break to send him and Matvei Gridin back down to the Wranglers for some games due to their waiver exemption status, and the team took it. They were strategically assigned to the AHL in a way that by the trade deadline, they were on the AHL roster so they could play in the playoffs if the Wranglers qualified. Gridin returned to the Flames earlier than Brzustewicz, but was a paper transaction to the AHL on deadline day in March to retain eligibility. Hunter Brzustewicz returned to the Flames in early March and was back in the lineup on Mar. 12 against the New Jersey Devils. 
For the rest of the season, Brzustewicz was a Flame and put up his first multi-point game against the Vancouver Canucks on Mar. 28. His end-of-season stats in the AHL finished at 34 games played with four goals and nine assists. In the NHL, he had two goals and five assists in 34 games. 

Outlook

The narrative around Hunter Brzustewicz now feels as if he’s just on the edge of making that jump to an everyday NHL spot. A split season exceeded what was expected of him, and he continued to show maturity in his game as he got more shifts in the NHL. Little puck-handling, skating or positioning errors became less noticeable by the end of the season and he kept pace with his more experienced teammates and opponents.
While his goal is undoubtedly to be an everyday Flame next year, he even admitted at exit meetings that he’s not there yet and has more to prove. At the final media availability, he said:
“For me personally, I’m not an NHL player yet. For one. I think in the call-up, it was definitely there and helpful, but to realize there’s a lot of work to do still obviously. Hopefully just take advantage of the time I have in the summer to hopefully be a full time NHL player next year.”
What Brzustewicz has been able to do in the NHL this year is set a baseline expectation of what his game looks like at that level. Next year, it will be about playing at or above that baseline and giving management no reason to play him in the AHL in the final waiver exempt year of his pro career.

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