LAS VEGAS — The Pittsburgh Penguins concluded Day 2 of the 2024 NHL Draft on Saturday by acquiring one center, one forward and four defensemen.
With their second-round picks, Pittsburgh selected defenseman Harrison Bruenicke and forward Harrison Bruenicke with the 44th and 46th overall picks, respectively. The Penguins also acquired defensemen Chase Pietila (fourth round), Jonah Vaisanen (sixth), Finn Harding (seventh) and center Mack Swanson (seventh).
“We're happy with all of the players we selected today,” Penguins director of amateur scouting Nick Pryor said.
Brunicke, 18, will play in 49 games with the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League in the 2023-24 season, totaling 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists). A native of South Africa, Brunicke spent parts of the past three seasons with Kamloops, totaling 29 points (14 goals, 15 assists) in 110 games. The 6-foot-3, 196-pound defenseman will play for Canada in the 2024 IIHF World Under-18 Championship, where he will win a gold medal and total four points (three assists).
“Harrison had a tough year with injuries but he had a great year with Canada's U-18 national team,” Pryor said. “He's a mobile, tall, quick defenceman. He's good at the puck game and he's physical. So he has a lot of attributes that are very attractive to us. When you can find a defenceman at that size who can move like that and move the puck, it's really appealing.”
Howe, 18, will spend the 2023-24 season with the WHL's Regina Pats, where he will serve as captain and lead the team in goals (28), assists (49) and points (77) in 68 games. The 5-foot-10, 183-pound forward has been with Regina for parts of the past four seasons, recording 233 points (92 goals, 141 assists) in 207 games. His best season with Regina came in 2022-23, when he recorded career-highs in goals (36), assists (49) and points (85). A native of Saskatchewan, Howe helped Team Canada win a gold medal at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, appearing in five games and scoring four points. The forward will represent Canada in two World Under-18 Championships (2022 and 2023), winning a bronze medal in 2023. Howe, who grew up alongside Penguins 2023 first-round draft pick Braden Yeager, is ranked 41st among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting.
“He's a very competitive guy,” Pryor said. “He's small, but he's a strong kid for his size. He's very competitive, very athletic and has skill offensively. So we're very excited to get Tanner and we're happy we got him.”
Pietila, 20, will play for Michigan Tech in the 2023-24 season, where he recorded 22 points (19 assists) in 40 games. The 6-foot-2, 187-pound defenseman spent three seasons (2020-23) with the United States Hockey League's Lincoln Stars (2020-21) and Youngstown Phantoms (2021-23), where he recorded 50 points (42 assists) in 164 games. A Michigan native, Pietila won a USHL Clark Cup championship with Youngstown and a Central College Hockey Association championship with Michigan Tech in 2023-24.
His older brother, Logan Pietila, signed an American Hockey League contract with Pittsburgh's affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after a five-year collegiate career at Michigan Tech.
“He's had a really good year (in his third year as a draft eligible),” Pryor said. “He's big, he's physical, he's really good defensively, he can move the puck on breakouts and in transition, but having Chase there has really helped him have a great year. He's improved from his time in the USHL and developed into a really good defenseman this year at Michigan Tech. I really like the competitive spirit he brings, his size and his ability to move the puck.”
Vaisanen, 19, spent the 2023-24 season with Dubuque of the USHL, totaling 40 points (31 assists) in 53 games. The 6-foot-1, 176-pound defenseman also played for Team Finland in the 2024 World Junior Championship. He was fourth among USHL defensemen in scoring this season and was named to the USHL All-Star First Team.
Vaisanen played in Dubuque under new Wilkes-Barre/Scranton coach Kirk McDonald, and the Fighting Saints won the USHL Eastern Conference championship in the Clark Cup Playoffs after finishing with the best record in the Eastern Conference.
“Kirk had very positive things to say about him as a player and as a person,” Pryor said, “so it added to the information we had and made us feel even better about where we chose to acquire Jonah.”
“He's a smooth-skating defenseman who moves the puck really well on the breakout, in transition, in the offensive zone and on the power play,” Pryor said. “Really good skater, moves the puck really well and is really good defensively, using his feet and his stick to defend and close plays. He's going on to a really good program at Western Michigan University so we're excited to have him in the position that we have.”
Swanson, 18, will play in 55 games with the USHL's Fargo Force in the 2023-24 season, totaling 77 points (26 goals, 51 assists) and helping the team win the Clark Cup. He was named Clark Cup MVP, USHL Player of the Year and USHL All-Star First Team. The 5-foot-7, 165-pound forward will play in 112 games with Fargo, totaling 38 goals, 94 assists and 132 points. The Alaska native has committed to play collegiate hockey at the University of North Dakota in the 2024-25 season.
“He's a small forward from the Fargo Force in the USHL,” Pryor said, “and a really exciting hockey player to watch. He's small, but he's very competitive and has very good skills and a great brain. So, we were excited again to get him, especially because we liked where we got him.”
Matt Cullen, who won two Stanley Cups with the Penguins in 2016 and 2017 and currently works in player development, is also a co-owner of the Fargo Force.
“Matt thinks very highly of Mac and is a big fan,” Pryor said.
Swanson was teammates with Zam Plant, the Penguins' fifth-round draft pick in 2022.
Harding, 19, appeared in 68 games with the Mississauga Steelheads of the Ontario Hockey League in 2023-24, totaling 34 points (10 goals, 24 assists) and being a plus-39. The 6-foot-1, 201-pound defenceman played two seasons with Mississauga, recording 12 goals, 32 assists and 44 points in 131 games and is a plus-47.
“Smart, intelligent defender,” Pryor said, “Takes pride in his defense. Has high integrity. We were very impressed with his game in our research. So we're happy with his development. He takes pride in his defense and he can move the puck. So we're happy with him.”
