Wouldn’t it be funny if the Calgary Flames drafted one of their prospects&#8217; brothers?
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No, I’m not talking about Michael Misa (<a href="https://flamesnation.ca/news/michael-misa-would-be-a-game-changing-centre-for-the-flames-if-they-were-to-trade-up">whom I did write about</a>). Instead, the Flames could and should have their sights set on a more realistic target, Henry Brzustewicz.
On Jan. 31, 2024, the Flames traded Elias Lindholm to the Vancouver Canucks for a sizeable package. On top of Joni Jurmo, Matvei Gridin, Luke Misa, Eric Jamieson, and Andrei Kuzmenko (<a href="https://flamesnation.ca/news/throwback-tuesday-the-curtis-glencross-trade-tree-expanded-with-the-andrei-kuzmenko-trade">and by extension, Joel Farabee and Morgran Frost</a>), the Flames acquired right-shot defenceman Hunter Brzustewicz
His brother is draft eligible come Friday. Let’s get to know the 18-year-old right-shot defenceman.
<h2>Scouting report</h2>
Brzustewicz stands at 6’2”, 203 lbs and is a right-shot defenceman from Washington, Michigan. He has spent the past two seasons with the prestigious London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League, but more on that later.
<a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/2025-nhl-draft-rankings-final-top-120-steven-ellis-schaefer-misa-obrien-martin-frondell-desnoyers-hagens-martone">Daily Faceoff’s</a> Steven Ellis ranked the right-shot defenceman as his 38th-best draft prospect in the final draft rankings, having this to say:
<blockquote>“Brzustewicz is an all-around defender who may not be the most refined right now, but he doesn’t have many notable flaws. He had a solid year in London, which finished with a Memorial Cup championship. He’s a two-way defender who can shoot the puck, skate well and is willing to join in on the rush any time he can. The more he played, the better he played, too. Brzustewicz feels like a safe pick to become a second-pairing defenseman, but I’d like to see him take further steps in his own-zone play.”</blockquote>
The 18-year-old was ranked a little bit higher by <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/scouts-analysis-ranking-the-top-80-prospects-for-the-2025-nhl-draft/">Sportsnet’s </a>Jason Bukala, saying this about the Michigan native:
<blockquote>“Brzustewicz was part of the Memorial Cup champion London Knights and played a significant role for the team. He quietly produced 10G-32A in the regular season and followed it up with some secondary scoring in the playoffs (1G-4A). He has the skill set to be used in a variety of roles and he’s trustworthy defensively. He engages his opponents and doesn’t cut corners searching for offence. I like his size, strength, detail and compete overall.”</blockquote>
Brzustewicz’s most recent <a href="https://dobberprospects.com/player/henry-brzustewicz/">Dobber Prospects</a> observation was written in June by Luke Sweeny, and he had this to say about the defenceman:
<blockquote>“With size, puck-moving ability, and strong defensive instincts, Brzustewicz was a strong companion for Sam Dickinson on a competitive London blueline all season long. While he got pushed down the lineup as the games got more important, he still managed to contribute a critical stretch-pass assist in the Memorial Cup Finals. A larger role next season will be both a test and an opportunity.”</blockquote>
<h2>The numbers</h2>
All Brzustewicz has done in junior hockey is win. He joined the London Knights for the 2023-24 season, playing 52 games and scoring two goals and five points. In the post-season, Brzustewicz matched his goal total from the regular season and added an assist in just 16 games. He was held pointless in four Memorial Cup games as the Knights fell to Zayne Parekh and the Saginaw Spirit.
Entering his sophomore season, Brzustewicz earned more opportunities, especially when Sam Dickinson and Oliver Bonk departed around the holidays to play for Team Canada at the World Junior Championships. The right-shot defenceman finished with 10 goals and 42 points in 67 games.
Like the season before, the Knights ran through the Ontario Hockey League, winning the J. Ross Robertson Cup in 17 games, compared to 18 games the year prior. Brzustewicz added a goal and five points in 17 post-season games, and even scored a goal and an assist in four Memorial Cup games as the Knights won their third Memorial Cup in franchise history.
Bonk, the Knights’ top right-shot defenceman, will be ineligible for the OHL in the 2025-26 season, meaning Brzustewicz should get top pairing minutes alongside Sam Dickinson, as long as the San Jose Sharks prospect doesn’t make their roster.
It’s worth noting that the Knights probably won’t be as dominant next season, as Bonk, Denver Barkey, Easton Cowen, Jacob Juelin, Landon Sim, and Blake Montgomery will be too old to play in the league next season. 
In team scoring, Barkey ranked second in points, Cowen in fourth, Julien in sixth, Sim in seventh, Montgomery in eighth, and Bonk in 12th. The two top scorers who have the potential to come back are Dickinson and two Edmonton Oilers prospects, Sam O’Reilly and William Nicholl. Funnily enough, I wrote about <a href="https://flamesnation.ca/news/is-2024-draft-prospect-sam-oreilly-a-fit-for-the-calgary-flames-prospect-pool">O’Reilly in one of last year’s draft profiles</a>.
<h2>Availability and fit</h2>
Brzustewicz is ranked towards the backend of the first round, which is good news because the Flames own the last pick of the first round, <a href="https://flamesnation.ca/news/a-history-of-the-32nd-overall-pick-the-pick-the-flames-received-from-the-panthers">the 32nd overall pick</a>. It’s not a foregone conclusion that Brzustewicz will be available, but there is a chance.
What makes me believe the Flames won’t select the right-shot defenceman is that they already have a handful of good right-handed defencemen. For starters, Brzustewicz’s brother is one of them, as well as Parekh and Henry Mews.
That said, if one brother is good, the other one is probably solid as well. Look no further than Calder Trophy winner Lane Hutson. He had a terrific season with the Montréal Canadiens, but his brother Cole fell all the way to 43rd, which teams immediately regretted after a terrific World Junior Championship.
All of this is to say that if Brzustewicz is the best player available, the Flames should draft him.
<hr />
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for <a href="https://flamesnation.ca/combinations">FlamesNation</a>, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
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Wouldn’t it be funny if the Calgary Flames drafted one of their prospects' brothers?
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No, I’m not talking about Michael Misa (<a href="https://flamesnation.ca/news/michael-misa-would-be-a-game-changing-centre-for-the-flames-if-they-were-to-trade-up">whom I did write about</a>). Instead, the Flames could and should have their sights set on a more realistic target, Henry Brzustewicz.

On Jan. 31, 2024, the Flames traded Elias Lindholm to the Vancouver Canucks for a sizeable package. On top of Joni Jurmo, Matvei Gridin, Luke Misa, Eric Jamieson, and Andrei Kuzmenko (<a href="https://flamesnation.ca/news/throwback-tuesday-the-curtis-glencross-trade-tree-expanded-with-the-andrei-kuzmenko-trade">and by extension, Joel Farabee and Morgran Frost</a>), the Flames acquired right-shot defenceman Hunter Brzustewicz

His brother is draft eligible come Friday. Let’s get to know the 18-year-old right-shot defenceman.
<h2>Scouting report</h2>
Brzustewicz stands at 6’2”, 203 lbs and is a right-shot defenceman from Washington, Michigan. He has spent the past two seasons with the prestigious London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League, but more on that later.

<a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/2025-nhl-draft-rankings-final-top-120-steven-ellis-schaefer-misa-obrien-martin-frondell-desnoyers-hagens-martone">Daily Faceoff’s</a> Steven Ellis ranked the right-shot defenceman as his 38th-best draft prospect in the final draft rankings, having this to say:
<blockquote>“Brzustewicz is an all-around defender who may not be the most refined right now, but he doesn’t have many notable flaws. He had a solid year in London, which finished with a Memorial Cup championship. He’s a two-way defender who can shoot the puck, skate well and is willing to join in on the rush any time he can. The more he played, the better he played, too. Brzustewicz feels like a safe pick to become a second-pairing defenseman, but I’d like to see him take further steps in his own-zone play.”</blockquote>
The 18-year-old was ranked a little bit higher by <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/scouts-analysis-ranking-the-top-80-prospects-for-the-2025-nhl-draft/">Sportsnet’s </a>Jason Bukala, saying this about the Michigan native:
<blockquote>“Brzustewicz was part of the Memorial Cup champion London Knights and played a significant role for the team. He quietly produced 10G-32A in the regular season and followed it up with some secondary scoring in the playoffs (1G-4A). He has the skill set to be used in a variety of roles and he’s trustworthy defensively. He engages his opponents and doesn’t cut corners searching for offence. I like his size, strength, detail and compete overall.”</blockquote>
Brzustewicz’s most recent <a href="https://dobberprospects.com/player/henry-brzustewicz/">Dobber Prospects</a> observation was written in June by Luke Sweeny, and he had this to say about the defenceman:
<blockquote>“With size, puck-moving ability, and strong defensive instincts, Brzustewicz was a strong companion for Sam Dickinson on a competitive London blueline all season long. While he got pushed down the lineup as the games got more important, he still managed to contribute a critical stretch-pass assist in the Memorial Cup Finals. A larger role next season will be both a test and an opportunity.”</blockquote>
<h2>The numbers</h2>
All Brzustewicz has done in junior hockey is win. He joined the London Knights for the 2023-24 season, playing 52 games and scoring two goals and five points. In the post-season, Brzustewicz matched his goal total from the regular season and added an assist in just 16 games. He was held pointless in four Memorial Cup games as the Knights fell to Zayne Parekh and the Saginaw Spirit.

Entering his sophomore season, Brzustewicz earned more opportunities, especially when Sam Dickinson and Oliver Bonk departed around the holidays to play for Team Canada at the World Junior Championships. The right-shot defenceman finished with 10 goals and 42 points in 67 games.

Like the season before, the Knights ran through the Ontario Hockey League, winning the J. Ross Robertson Cup in 17 games, compared to 18 games the year prior. Brzustewicz added a goal and five points in 17 post-season games, and even scored a goal and an assist in four Memorial Cup games as the Knights won their third Memorial Cup in franchise history.

Bonk, the Knights’ top right-shot defenceman, will be ineligible for the OHL in the 2025-26 season, meaning Brzustewicz should get top pairing minutes alongside Sam Dickinson, as long as the San Jose Sharks prospect doesn’t make their roster.

It’s worth noting that the Knights probably won’t be as dominant next season, as Bonk, Denver Barkey, Easton Cowen, Jacob Juelin, Landon Sim, and Blake Montgomery will be too old to play in the league next season. 

In team scoring, Barkey ranked second in points, Cowen in fourth, Julien in sixth, Sim in seventh, Montgomery in eighth, and Bonk in 12th. The two top scorers who have the potential to come back are Dickinson and two Edmonton Oilers prospects, Sam O’Reilly and William Nicholl. Funnily enough, I wrote about <a href="https://flamesnation.ca/news/is-2024-draft-prospect-sam-oreilly-a-fit-for-the-calgary-flames-prospect-pool">O’Reilly in one of last year’s draft profiles</a>.
<h2>Availability and fit</h2>
Brzustewicz is ranked towards the backend of the first round, which is good news because the Flames own the last pick of the first round, <a href="https://flamesnation.ca/news/a-history-of-the-32nd-overall-pick-the-pick-the-flames-received-from-the-panthers">the 32nd overall pick</a>. It’s not a foregone conclusion that Brzustewicz will be available, but there is a chance.

What makes me believe the Flames won’t select the right-shot defenceman is that they already have a handful of good right-handed defencemen. For starters, Brzustewicz’s brother is one of them, as well as Parekh and Henry Mews.

That said, if one brother is good, the other one is probably solid as well. Look no further than Calder Trophy winner Lane Hutson. He had a terrific season with the Montréal Canadiens, but his brother Cole fell all the way to 43rd, which teams immediately regretted after a terrific World Junior Championship.

All of this is to say that if Brzustewicz is the best player available, the Flames should draft him.

<hr />

Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for <a href="https://flamesnation.ca/combinations">FlamesNation</a>, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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The Flames could reunite the Brzustewicz brothers by selecting Henry with the 32nd overall pick

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