Rookies Harrison Brunicke, Ben Kindel set to make NHL debuts in Penguins' season opener

Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Harrison Brunicke and forward Ben Kindel are each scheduled to make their NHL debuts on Tuesday in the team’s season opener, a road contest against the New York Rangers.

Coach Dan Muse announced the pair of teenagers would be in the lineup following a practice in Cranberry on Monday.

Brunicke, 19, and Kindel, 18, are eligible to return to their junior teams in Canada. They can each skate in nine NHL games before the first year of their entry-level contracts are tolled.

This will mark the first time the Penguins have had two junior-eligible players in the lineup since defenseman Kris Letang and forward Jordan Staal each debuted in 2006-07.

“I’m excited for both of them,” Muse said. “They earned them. This wasn’t something that they came in (when) we started training camp or went through the summer saying these guys are going to be in (the lineup). Those two players were given an opportunity and along the way, they earned new opportunities. Through those new opportunities, they’re here today.

“It was multiple steps that they had to go through to get to this point. There was points in (the preseason) where we’re purposely putting them in those hard situations to see how they handle them. And they handled them well. Now, we’re going into tomorrow and both guys earned the right to be there in that opening night lineup.”

Brunicke, a second-round draft pick (No. 44 overall) in 2024, appeared in four games this preseason and scored two points (one goal, one assist).

Kindel, a first-round draft pick (No. 11 overall) in June, skated in a team-high six preseason games and posted three points (one goal, two assists).

Notes:

• Muse declined to identify his starting goaltender for Tuesday’s game.

• The team’s lines and pairings in practice were:

41 Ville Koivunen – 87 Sidney Crosby – 67 Rickard Rakell

39 Anthony Mantha – 71 Evgeni Malkin – 16 Justin Brazeau

18 Tommy Novak – 81 Ben Kindel – 53 Philip Tomasino

19 Connor Dewar – 46 Blake Lizotte – 55 Noel Acciari

28 Parker Wotherspoon – 65 Erik Karlsson

5 Ryan Shea – 58 Kris Letang

82 Caleb Jones – 45 Harrison Brunicke

75 Connor Clifton – 24 Mathew Dumba

Forward Filip Hallander skated as a reserve.

• The top power-play unit included Crosby, Karlsson, Letang, Malkin and Rakell. The second power-play group involved Brazeau, Brunicke, Koivunen, Mantha and Novak.

• The NHL’s deadline to formally submit a season-opening roster compliant with the league’s 23-man limit is at 5 p.m. Monday.

• The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League assigned eight players to the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers, including defensemen Daniel Laatsch and Emil Pieniniemi. Both players are signed to NHL entry-level contracts with the Pittsburgh Penguins.