🏒@HockeyBangers2026-27 projections

Overview

@HockeyBangers

2026-27 Projection

Hunter Brzustewicz

CGY · Age 21.7 · 🇺🇸 USA · 6′0″, 190 lb · Draft 2023, 75th overall (VAN)
CGYteam
Dposition
272position rank
754skater rank
-49overall
-44offense
-5peripherals

Value over replacement, based on 82 games played.
Ideal for H2H 12-team banger category leagues, 16 roster spots.

Per 82 GP2026-27projection adj2025-2634 GPH224 GPH110 GPPrev 3thin
TOI17.2916.1617.1013.30
PP TOI1.101.001.120.71
G5570
A1512170
PTS2017240
PPP4230
SOG90808274
PIM1410140
Hits52586249
Blocks62557216

Sample: 34 GP · 501 5v5 min (2025-26) — how much ice time backs these rates

Positional rankingDefense · league-wide (of 303)
offenseperipheralsvalue over replacement

Counts = projected deployment × projected /60 rate, per 82 GP. Rates regress off the process metric (ixG, shot-driving), not last year's finishing %. PP points = projected PP rate (anchored on the 2nd-half PP1 role, finishing regressed) × projected PP TOI.

Context-adjusted (▲/▼ vs the rate-model baseline): Rookie baseline: projected role (two-way, modest secondary PP; one day could become someone like Toews) blended with 2025-26 NHL (34 GP) at w=0.50. Per-82 line; GP/availability is separate. Tune here.

Metrics worth highlighting

The charts that move this projection — where he broke from his own 3-year rate, where the season split in half, and where we’re taking the number next year
We project it up
A
1522-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5

We’re projecting assists 25% above last season, 12 to 15.

Second-half surge
HITS
5222-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5

Hits ran at a 62 pace in the second half after 49 in the first, per 82 games.

Second-half surge
TOI
18.25Q1Q2Q3Q4

TOI finished the year 24% above where it started (13.30 in the first half, 16.52 in the second). The projection leans on how the season ended, so the second half counts for more.

Bottom of the league
1A/60
0.0022-2323-2424-2525-26

1A/60 sits in the 4th percentile league-wide (0.00).

Picked automatically from every chart on this card, ranked by how far each number moved. Each claim is measured off the chart drawn beside it.

Similar & complementary players

Similar makeup Defense
Closest across all seven categories — match % is the whole-profile fit
Complementary Defense
Same position, opposite profile — strong where Hunter Brzustewicz is weak or average, light where he’s strong
  • Quinn HughesD · Minnesota Wildcovers 3
    fills: A, PPP, SOG
  • Rasmus DahlinD · Buffalo Sabrescovers 4
    fills: A, PIM, SOG, PPP
  • Vince DunnD · Seattle Krakencovers 4
    fills: PIM, A, PPP, SOG
  • Erik KarlssonD · Pittsburgh Penguinscovers 3
    fills: A, PPP, SOG
Profile shape — per-82 category values vs the league p99 for the position (same scale as the hero bars)
This player
GAPPPSOGPIMHitsBlocks
the profile below
vs Similar
GAPPPSOGPIMHitsBlocks
similar players hug the shape
vs Complementary
GAPPPSOGPIMHitsBlocks
complements fill the gaps

Deployment

Deployment projection — next-year TOI & PP TOI vs the last two years (the role that drives every count)
Coaching
2026-27 · Ryan Huska (CGY)
Last year: Ryan Huska full season — no change
Metric26-27
proj
2025-26Prev 3Diff
TOI17.2916.16n/a
5v5 TOI16.0514.74n/a
PP TOI1.101.00n/a
By quarter — 2025-26 vs 3-yr baseline
GP  0 · 10 · 8 · 16
TOI*
18.25Q1Q2Q3Q4
5v5 TOI
16.78Q1Q2Q3Q4
PP TOI
1.23Q1Q2Q3Q4
*Total TOI by quarter reconstructs 5v5+PP quarterly totals plus a held-flat season PK/GP — NST has no all-strength quarterly export. Level is accurate; quarter-to-quarter movement comes from 5v5+PP.
By season — year over year
TOI
17.2922-2323-2424-2525-2626-27
5v5 TOI
16.0522-2323-2424-2525-2626-27
PP TOI
1.1022-2323-2424-2525-2626-27

Shooting — volume & conversion

How much and how well he shoots — volume (SOG), finishing (% vs chance quality), and the individual shot-quality funnel (iCF ⊇ iSCF ⊇ iHDCF).

Metric (5v5)26-27
proj
2025-26Prev 3Diff
SOG/603.573.47n/a
G/600.250.24n/a
iSH%6.926.92n/a
ixG/600.14n/a
iCF/608.26n/a
iSCF/601.44n/a
iHDCF/600.24n/a
By quarter — 2025-26 vs 3-yr baseline
GP  0 · 10 · 8 · 16
SOG/60
2.90Q1Q2Q3Q4
iSH%
7.59Q1Q2Q3Q4
ixG/60
0.12Q1Q2Q3Q4
iCF/60
4.92Q1Q2Q3Q4
iSCF/60
0.67Q1Q2Q3Q4
iHDCF/60
0.45Q1Q2Q3Q4
By season — year over year
SOG/60
3.4722-2323-2424-2525-26
iSH%
6.9222-2323-2424-2525-26
ixG/60
0.1422-2323-2424-2525-26
iCF/60
8.2622-2323-2424-2525-26
iSCF/60
1.4422-2323-2424-2525-26
iHDCF/60
0.2422-2323-2424-2525-26
Per-82 count — 3 seasons, 2025-26 halves & 26-27 projection
G
522-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
SOG
9022-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
The blue 26-27 point is our projection. The bold line is all situations; the muted line under it is 5v5 alone, so the gap between them is his special-teams production. Full seasons are true per-82 counts; the 2025-26 H1/H2 reconstruct all-strength from the 5v5+PP quarterly exports plus the season's held-flat PK/other. The projected 5v5 point is the engine's even-strength share of the total, converted to 5v5 by his own 5v5-to-even-strength split, so overtime and 4-on-4 scoring stays out of it.
Regression read — where next year's /60 rate lands and why (process over finishing)
TailwindTrajectory: 5v5 ixG/60 climbed 0.13→0.16 across the year — process trending the right way into next season.
TailwindAge 21 — still on the up-slope of the scoring curve.
TailwindAge 21 on a single NHL season — projected a development step, not a flat repeat: scoring rates +10% and role +7% toward the mid-20s peak (a young riser improves on last year, not repeats it).

Assists — playmaking & on-ice offense

Primary vs secondary helpers, plus the on-ice offense and luck signals underneath them.

Metric (5v5)26-27
proj
2025-26Prev 3Diff
on-ice SH%9.859.85n/a
IPP28.6928.69n/a
1A/600.000.00n/a
2A/600.480.48n/a
By quarter — 2025-26 vs 3-yr baseline
GP  0 · 10 · 8 · 16
1A/60
0.00Q1Q2Q3Q4
2A/60
0.67Q1Q2Q3Q4
By season — year over year
1A/60
0.0022-2323-2424-2525-26
2A/60
0.4822-2323-2424-2525-26
Per-82 count — 3 seasons, 2025-26 halves & 26-27 projection
A
1522-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
PTS
2022-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
The blue 26-27 point is our projection. The bold line is all situations; the muted line under it is 5v5 alone, so the gap between them is his special-teams production. Full seasons are true per-82 counts; the 2025-26 H1/H2 reconstruct all-strength from the 5v5+PP quarterly exports plus the season's held-flat PK/other. The projected 5v5 point is the engine's even-strength share of the total, converted to 5v5 by his own 5v5-to-even-strength split, so overtime and 4-on-4 scoring stays out of it.
Regression read — where next year's /60 rate lands and why (process over finishing)
TailwindProject Brzustewicz for a modest CGY role for 2026-27 with low-end secondary PPP.
ContextAssist environment looks normal (on-ice SH% 9.8%, IPP 28.7%).
ContextDefenseman — weight transition/PP facilitation over raw 2A; secondary assists read a touch better for D than forwards.

Power play

PP opportunity and finishing — modelled separately from 5v5.

Metric26-27
proj
2025-26Prev 3Diff
PP TOI1.101.00n/a
PP iSH%0.000.00n/a
PP SOG/607.367.06n/a
PP ixG/600.31n/a
By quarter — 2025-26 vs 3-yr baseline
GP  0 · 10 · 8 · 16
PP TOI/GP
1.23Q1Q2Q3Q4
PP SOG/60
9.16Q1Q2Q3Q4
PP ixG/60
0.41Q1Q2Q3Q4
By season — year over year
PP TOI/GP
1.0022-2323-2424-2525-26
PP SOG/60
7.0622-2323-2424-2525-26
PP ixG/60
0.3122-2323-2424-2525-26
Per-82 count — 3 seasons, 2025-26 halves & 26-27 projection
PPP
422-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
PPG
122-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
PPA
322-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
The blue 26-27 point is our projection. PPG and PPA are the 2 halves of the PPP above them, split by the projection's own goal/assist mix. PP-only, so the halves are exact.
Regression read — where next year's /60 rate lands and why (process over finishing)
TailwindProject Brzustewicz for a modest CGY role for 2026-27 with low-end secondary PPP.
TailwindPP role projected up: 1.0→1.1 PP TOI/gp (same coach (Ryan Huska) — carries the elevated finish (2nd half 1.1, Q4 1.2) over the full-year 1.0; one NHL season — role grown +7% toward a sophomore workload) — the biggest PPP lever.

Physical — PIM · hits · blocks

Peripheral counting categories. Noisier and scorer-biased — read as role over the years, not pure talent.

Metric (5v5)26-27
proj
2025-26Prev 3Diff
PIMs/600.500.48n/a
Hits/602.872.87n/a
Blks/602.522.39n/a
By quarter — 2025-26 vs 3-yr baseline
GP  0 · 10 · 8 · 16
PIMs/60
0.89Q1Q2Q3Q4
Hits/60
3.35Q1Q2Q3Q4
Blks/60
2.68Q1Q2Q3Q4
By season — year over year
PIMs/60
0.4822-2323-2424-2525-26
Hits/60
2.8722-2323-2424-2525-26
Blks/60
2.3922-2323-2424-2525-26
Per-82 count — 3 seasons, 2025-26 halves & 26-27 projection
PIM
1422-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
HITS
5222-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
BLK
6222-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
The blue 26-27 point is our projection. The bold line is all situations; the muted line under it is 5v5 alone, so the gap between them is his special-teams production. Full seasons are true per-82 counts; the 2025-26 H1/H2 reconstruct all-strength from the 5v5+PP quarterly exports plus the season's held-flat PK/other. The projected 5v5 point is the engine's even-strength share of the total, converted to 5v5 by his own 5v5-to-even-strength split, so overtime and 4-on-4 scoring stays out of it.
Regression read — where next year's /60 rate lands and why (process over finishing)
ContextHits role-stable at 2.87/60 (37th pct league-wide) → 2.87 projected.
TailwindBlocks surging late: Q4 2.68/60 and 2nd-half 3.27 vs a 2.39 season rate (n/a 3-yr) (45th pct league-wide) — reads as a real role/confidence step, so projected UP to 2.52/60, weighting the finish over the 3-yr baseline.