Sunday night might not have ended the way the Calgary Flames wanted, but for 21-year-old defenseman Hunter Brzustewicz, it’s a night that’ll be etched in memory for a long time.
Recalled from the Calgary Wranglers back in early December, Brzustewicz found the back of the net early in the first period-his first career NHL goal. That’s a milestone moment for any young player, and judging by the celebration, his teammates knew it too.
“It’s been a little bit now since I’ve been called up. It feels real good. It really does,” Brzustewicz said postgame, beaming with the kind of excitement you’d expect from a player who just hit a major career milestone.
The goal came during a strong opening push by the Flames, who dominated the early going. By the end of the first period, Calgary held a commanding 17-2 edge in shots, and Brzustewicz’s tally helped fuel that early momentum. It was the kind of start that had the Saddledome buzzing and the bench fired up.
But the celebration had an extra layer of joy thanks to forward Adam Klapka, who gave Brzustewicz a moment he won’t soon forget-literally picking him up and twirling him around in a celebration that looked more like a proud dad congratulating his kid than a teammate in the middle of a game.
“He picked me up like I was his kid or something,” Brzustewicz laughed. “I don’t even know what happened, really. He just picked me up and twirled me around like I was a little string bean out there.”
Klapka and Brzustewicz go back to their AHL days with the Wranglers, so the moment clearly meant something to both players. Klapka couldn’t stop smiling when asked about it.
“It’s special,” Klapka said. “I played with him in his first NHL game.
To see him score his first goal and be on the ice with him… He’s getting better every game, every day. He’s still a kid and an awesome hockey player.
I can’t wait to see him in the future.”
That’s the kind of chemistry and camaraderie coaches love to see-especially when it’s coming from players still cutting their teeth at the NHL level.
Head coach Ryan Huska was quick to praise Brzustewicz’s effort, even if the goal came on a bit of a broken play.
“He was trying to make a pass through the seam, but it’s his first NHL goal. That’s pretty cool for him,” Huska said. “The guys are very happy for him.”
And while Brzustewicz’s goal wasn’t enough to secure the win-the Ducks clawed back from deficits of 2-0 and 3-2 to steal a 4-3 victory in overtime-it was a bright spot in a game that showed flashes of what this young Flames team is capable of when they’re firing on all cylinders.
Brzustewicz had been a healthy scratch just two nights earlier against the Capitals, but performances like Sunday’s make a strong case for him to stay in the lineup. With a matchup against Quinn Hughes and the Minnesota Wild looming on Thursday, the Flames coaching staff may have a decision to make-but if Brzustewicz keeps trending upward, it’s going to be hard to take him off the ice.
For now, the puck from his first NHL goal is likely sitting somewhere safe, and the memory of that twirl from Klapka is still fresh. It wasn’t a perfect night for the Flames-but for Hunter Brzustewicz, it was unforgettable.