On Tuesday, a pair of teenagers made their NHL debuts on the same night for the Pittsburgh Penguins, which was something that hadn't happened since 2006.
And one of the rookies made history in a different way as well.
19-year-old defenseman Harrison Brunicke - one of the Penguins' top prospects - became the first skater born in South Africa to play in an NHL game. The only other player in NHL history from South Africa to take the ice was goaltender Olaf Kolzig, who was the longtime netminder for the Washington Capitals in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Harrison Brunicke makes history on opening night! 🇿🇦 #NHLFaceOff
— NHL (@NHL) October 8, 2025
📺: @espn ➡️ https://t.co/m0LyTCIwdfpic.twitter.com/UN3NiOGQiw
The 6-foot-3, 201-pound rookie blueliner, like Kolzig, was born in Johannesburg, RSA. Brunicke's parents, Kim and Dean, grew up in South Africa and relocated to Canada when Brunicke was young. He picked up hockey once they moved, and the rest is history.
Brunicke - selected 44th overall by the Penguins in 2024 - was invited to Team Canada's World Junior camp last season, but a broken wrist sustained last November kept him from participating and, ultimately, representing Canada at the 2025 World Junior Championship. He and Ben Kindel, 18, both made the Penguins' NHL roster out of training camp and debuted in Tuesday's 3-0 win over the New York Rangers, and Brunicke is fighting to stick around the NHL for good with the big club.
In 41 games for the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL last season, Brunicke registered five goals and 30 points.
Penguins Play Clinical Road Game, Shut Out Rangers, 3-0 There were a lot of storylines heading into the Pittsburgh Penguins' season opener against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.
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