Rookie defenseman Harrison Brunicke was not in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ lineup Wednesday.

And for good reason.

There was no lineup. The team is idle until it hosts the Minnesota Wild on Friday.

If Brunicke is part of the lineup that night, it’s anyone’s guess.

The plan the Penguins have for the promising prospect has been a frequent topic of discussion in the early part of the season. He has been a healthy scratch for five consecutive games, and having reached that threshold, he is eligible for a potential conditioning assignment with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League.

NHL rules do not allow players who are still eligible for junior hockey, as the 19-year-old Brunicke is, to be assigned to a minor-league affiliate under regular circumstances, but exceptions — such as conditioning purposes — do exist.

Another exception unfolded late last season when Brunicke was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after his junior squad, the Western Hockey League’s Kamloops Blazers, missed the playoffs. In 10 AHL regular-season contests at the end of the 2024-25 campaign, Brunicke recorded two assists.

The right-handed Brunicke previously met another threshold by playing in nine games this season. Junior-eligible players can play no more than nine contests before the first year of an entry-level contract is tolled.

During a practice Wednesday in Cranberry, Brunicke appeared to work on a fourth pairing with reserve Matt Dumba.

He largely declined to indicate if management has outlined what might be next for him.

“I don’t really think it’s my place to tell,” Brunicke said. “They have a plan for me, and my job is to just show up and be my best every single day and take everything in. Learn as much as I can. That’s what I’m focused on.”

Brunicke has not played since a 4-3 road loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Nov. 3. Aside from injuries, Brunicke indicated he has never been out of a lineup this long at any level of the sport.

“I want to play,” Brunicke said. “Right now, it’s obviously tough watching all the time. It’s my job to show up and do the best I can. My time will come. They have a plan for me.”

Coach Dan Muse didn’t offer much detail on those designs.

“There have been a lot of discussions on that with him and our plan,” Muse said. “Continuing to execute it. There’s on ice, there’s off ice, there’s video. There’s a lot of things too that have gone on behind the scenes which might not be as evident. There is a plan. I’m not going to get into any more details on it. We’re continuing to work through that with him, and we feel like it’s been going well.”

Tomasino clears

AP In nine games this season, Penguins forward Philip Tomasino has one assist.  

Penguins forward Philip Tomasino cleared waivers Wednesday and is eligible to be assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

A healthy scratch for 10 of a possible 19 games this season, Tomasino has labored through an underwhelming 2025-26 season. In the nine games he has played, he has a single assist while averaging 12 minutes, 10 seconds of ice time per contest, primarily while skating on the right wing of the third line.

That futility has happened in the wake of a productive preseason in which the 24-year-old Tomasino was the team’s second-leading scorer with five points (two goals, three assists) in five contests.

Nearly a year ago (Nov. 25, 2024), the Penguins acquired Tomasino from the Nashville Predators in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick in 2027.

A first-round selection (No. 24 overall) of the Predators in 2019, Tomasino struggled with that team over parts of four seasons but appeared to gain traction with the Penguins. In 50 games following the trade, he scored 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists) while averaging 13:27 of ice time per contest, much of which came on the second line skating with All-Star center Evgeni Malkin.

Six of his goals last season were game-winning scores. Only franchise center Sidney Crosby (10) had more.

Tomasino is signed to a one-year contract worth $1.75 million. He is scheduled to become a restricted free agent this upcoming offseason.

During Wednesday’s practice session, Tomasino was a full participant, largely operating as a reserve with the fourth line. Including Tomasino, the Penguins currently have 23 active players on the NHL roster, a figure which is the league’s limit.

Kettles facing surgery

Chaz Palla | TribLive The Penguins selected defenseman Peyton Kettles in the second round (No. 39 overall) in the NHL Draft this past June.  

Penguins defensive prospect Peyton Kettles is scheduled to undergo shoulder surgery Friday in Pittsburgh.

His junior team, the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL, announced his status Tuesday afternoon. There was no specific word as to the nature of his ailment, a timeframe for recovery or which shoulder was injured. Per the Rockets, the Penguins’ medical staff will oversee his convalescence.

Kettles was a second-round draft pick (No. 39 overall) in the NHL Draft this past June.

Within the WHL, the Rockets recently traded for Kettles (6-foot-6, 194 pounds) from the Swift Current Broncos on Oct. 30. Between the two teams, Kettles has appeared in five games and scored three points (two goals, one assist) this season. He has not played since Nov. 8.

Kettles, 18, attended the Penguins’ training camp in September but an undisclosed injury limited his participation and lingered until October. It is not publicly known if that injury is related to the ailment he will undergo surgery for.

The Penguins have not yet signed Kettles to an NHL contract and they can retain his rights until June 1, 2027.

Given his dimensions, the right-handed Kettles largely offers a physical brand of defense.

“Don’t want anybody to come to my corner,” Kettles said during the Penguins’ development camp in July. “Want (them) to be scared to play against me. … Just always be physical, always be in guys’ faces.

“I try to be as physical as I can during games on other top players.”

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