On Thursday night against the New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins' rookie defenseman Harrison Brunicke became the first teenager to score a goal for the Penguins since Daniel Sprong in 2015.
On the surface, this doesn’t seem all that crazy. After all, teenagers playing in the NHL, period, is a bit of a rarity, and it’s something that certainly doesn’t happen on a yearly basis for most teams. But when considering the tendency of the Penguins to have largely favored veterans for a large chunk of the last decade, true youth populating the roster seemed like something that happened a lifetime ago.
This season, things are different.
Of course, there are a few reasons for that. It’s important to distinguish the fact that - prior to the 2025-26 season - the Penguins had simply lacked legitimate youth talent in their system for a long while. Years of winning championships, 16 consecutive postseason appearances, and going all-in at the trade deadline does that to an organization.
But because Pittsburgh has missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons, they have already shifted into rebuild mode, and they’re focused on collecting high-value assets and infusing talent into their system. As a result, there are better young players and, therefore, more legitimate opportunities for those young players - such as Brunicke and 18-year-old center Ben Kindel - to populate the NHL roster.
However, the mere existence of young players isn’t the only factor. New head coach Dan Muse - hired this summer - along with the rest of his staff that is focused on development, is also giving the kids some runway to show what they can do at the NHL level. That kind of leeway wasn’t as easy for former head coach Mike Sullivan and his staff to grant while the organization was still prioritizing making the playoffs.
The prevailing sentiment heading into this season was that the Penguins would likely be a pretty far cry from playoff contention. Yet - two games into the 2025-26 season - something about this team simply feels different. Feels rejuvenated. Energized.
Now, getting too far ahead of anything would be foolish. To declare the Penguins a playoff hopeful after two regular season games is unrealistic, especially since most people have them finishing in at least the bottom-10 this season. On top of that, GM and POHO Kyle Dubas himself said at the end of the 2024-25 season that the Penguins making the playoffs this season would be “an accomplishment.”
That said, there is a certain energy - and structure - around this team that has been lacking in recent years. The team is playing faster. Smarter. Tighter. More risk-averse. In the two games so far this season - both wins against each team from New York - they were the better team in the final 20 minutes of play, generally doing a good job of limiting opposing chances, controlling play, and shutting things down, as they haven’t allowed a third-period goal.
And it’s not as if the youth on their team is sitting back and letting the veterans do all the work. Yes, Evgeni Malkin has five points in two games. Justin Brazeau has three goals in two games. Sidney Crosby has a goal and an assist as well.
But Kindel has been driving play on the third line, both in the offensive zone and in his own zone. The work of his line led to Brunicke’s goal on Thursday, and Brunicke himself has been quarterbacking the second power play unit and helping to generate offense in transition and off the rush.
Filip Hallander has six points in six games dating back to the pre-season. Ville Koivunen does not have a point yet, but fans and the organization got a glimpse of what Koivunen and Rutger McGroarty - currently on injured reserve - are capable of at the end of last season.
The kids are providing a spark and an energy that this team has desperately needed. They have, so far, proven capable of playing with NHL competition, even if there are some bumps along the way with their development and learning curve. They have given a dead-in-the-water team some new life - a new identity - and it’s translating into team performance.
Muse said that the goal of the coaching staff - and the biggest thing that they want to see out of this 23-man unit - is for the team to play “connected.” And, so far, that’s exactly what has happened. They have played well within structure, they have developed chemistry in a short period of time, and they have shown that they have a lot to play for, even if outside noise says otherwise.
That "connectedness" is, in essence, their identity. And the mix of youth and experience on the roster is cultivating a perfect environment for that identity to thrive.
There is no telling how this season will unfold. The Penguins could certainly still use improvement in some areas, and there are going to be some tough roster decisions to make as veterans Bryan Rust and Kevin Hayes work their way back from injury. With a current roster at full capacity, some players will need to go.
But one thing is for certain: The kids are alright. And they’re giving some much-needed life to a team - and a fanbase - that craves a strong dosage of hope for the future.
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