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BrewskyBoy · 11-05-2019, 01:10 PM

(900+ words)

Texas Renegades defenseman Noah Brusky was called up to play in the SHL before the start of the S50 season after playing just two seasons in the SMJHL for the St. Louis Scarecrows. Some critics believed that this call-up might have been too early for the youngster while others were excited to see him get some playing time early in the SHL for the rebuilding Renegades.

In his two seasons in the SMJHL, Brusky played in 100 regular season games and 18 playoff games. While playing primarily on the third and second pairings his rookie season in the SMJHL, he managed to put up 4 goals and 15 assists. Those 19 points did not come as much of a surprise, despite Brusky being touted as a defensive minded player. His ability to break the puck out of his own zone with excellent passing helped to tack on the assists. In his second and final season in the SMJHL, Brusky improved in every aspect of his game. Playing on the first pairing, his goals went from 4 to 5 while his assists climbed from 15 to 23. His plus/minus went from a -11 to a -2. His hit totals more than doubled from 48 to 100. He gained more time on the power play in his second season and his confidence in general rose as he took 60 shots throughout the season, which was nearly double what he logged in his rookie season in the SMJHL. The development that Brusky showed in just his two seasons in the SMJHL is why Texas decided to pull the trigger and call him up to play with the big club for the S50 season.

Prior to the start of the S50 season, Brusky received word that he was going to be called up to play for the Texas Renegades. He assumed this meant that he'd be serving as an extra defenseman in case of injury or at best playing sheltered minutes on the third pairing. He quickly learned however that he'd be playing over 20 minutes per game on the second pairing with fellow rookie Piotr Horvat. All in all, Texas went into the season with 4 rookies (including Ricky Spanish and Josef Kubinec) playing large minutes on the first and second lines in their position groups. Considering that Texas was in full rebuild with so many rookies and many of their star players being dealt within the past season, Brusky knew that his rookie season might come as a bit of a struggle in terms of overall team performance. He was not wrong, as the team finished dead last in the league with an abysmal record of 13-29-8. That being said, the young players on the team all came to play each and every night and gave signs of hope to a rebuilding team that is looking to become a dynasty for years to come. The Renegades hold two lottery picks in the upcoming SHL draft, with one pick guaranteed to be a top 2 pick. Texas will be looking to build on their already impressive prospect pool by adding another pair of studs.

On an individual level, Brusky's performance was about what you'd expect from a rookie defender with only two seasons of SMJHL experience. Playing on the second line for the Renegades and logging minutes on the second power play unit, Brusky registered 5 goals and 16 assists. His total of 21 points was actually good enough to rank 8th among all SHL rookies in the S50 season. He ended the season with a plus/minus of -13 which certainly was not ideal, but that was actually one of the better plus minus ratings on the young Texas team among players who logged major minutes. One surprising number for the rookie was his hit totals of only 62. In his final season in the SMJHL, Brusky notched 100 hits. This was a steep decline to trickle back down to 62 for a defenseman who normally is out looking to bang some bodies, but this may have been due to him being a bit undersized and out-muscled compared to the more experienced players in the league. With an off-season of training at the highest level, he should be able to fill out his frame a bit more and will get those hit totals back up to numbers that he'd expect. The shot blocking numbers for Brusky were phenomenal, as he blocked 73 shots during the course of the season. That total was good enough to be the second most on his team, and was only 9 blocks away from cracking the top 10 league leaders for shots blocked. He even made his mark on the penalty kill unit, as he was one of the few players in the league to tally a short handed goal.

While Brusky was unsatisfied with the team's last place finish in the league standings, he was happy overall about his rookie season in the SHL. As he continues to develop his game and the team around him continues to improve as well, this Renegades squad will certainly become a force to be reckoned with. It should be interesting to see if both he and the team can take any major steps forward in the S51 season. Brusky has already taken advantage of the extended off-season for his team by hitting the ice and/or the weight room nearly every day. He is truly committed to being one of the best defenders in the league.