Prospect Prospective: Is Hunter Brzustewicz the real deal?

Hunter Brzustewicz is certainly having a standout draft plus one season. Even his well-over point-per-game production in the OHL wasn’t enough to earn an invitation to selection camp for the under-20 World Junior Championship (WJC) for Team USA. Are there legitimate concerns about his game? What is the realistic upside for him in a system where Quinn Hughes exists? We’ll answer these questions and much more.

Hunter Brzustewicz. D-1 USNTDP. Impressive shift for a 17 yo defender. Winger tries to chip the puck by him and he knocks it out of the air to his forward. Then starts a nice breakout from his own end, and stays with the rush to help set up a scoring chance. 2022-3-25#Canucks📷 pic.twitter.com/67CJJAjb9i

— Fantasy Hockey Doctor - Victor Nuño (@VictorNuno12) January 3, 2024

Brzustewicz was drafted in the third round, 75th overall in 2023 by the Vancouver Canucks. The EP Rinkside team had him rated as the 52nd-best prospect, so it certainly seems like the Canucks got a value in him. They rated his best skill as his passing and described him as a “passy Gustav Forsling.”  There were raves about his transition game and passing ability, but some questions abou