(TNS) —This time last summer, Harrison Brunicke was a lesser-known Penguins prospect who arrived at his first development camp eager to learn and get a glimpse behind the NHL’s curtain before heading back for another Western Hockey League season.

As it turned out, the young defenseman came awfully close to sticking around here in Pittsburgh. He surprisingly lasted until final preseason cuts before the Penguins concluded that it was in Brunicke’s best interest to return to the Kamloops Blazers.

Brunicke is back in town this week for his second development camp, and in terms of his pro readiness, he is clearly a cut above the other 47 prospects participating.

After Saturday’s session, Brunicke made known his objective for the upcoming fall.

“I hope to be a Pittsburgh Penguin playing full time. That’s my goal,” said Brunicke, a 6-foot-3, 203-pound righty. “That’s what I’m going to work toward. And whatever happens, happens. But I know I’m going to put in the work to get to that point.”

The Penguins might face the same dilemma as last fall. Brunicke, still just 19, is not eligible for the American Hockey League next season. So if Pittsburgh doesn’t keep Brunicke on the NHL roster, he will have to go back for one last season in the WHL.

Would Brunicke’s development stagnate if he returned to Kamloops? It’s possible.

Is there a danger in handing him an NHL spot before he is ready? There’s that, too.

Brunicke understands the situation and is trying his best to not dwell on that now.

“I’m thinking about my work that’s going into getting to that point,” Brunicke said.

Brunicke got a taste of pro hockey this spring when he joined Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for the playoff push, which he was able to do because Kamloops’ season had ended.

He admittedly struggled a bit in his first couple of weeks in Wilkes-Barre. His puck management was a problem. He said it was a matter of him trying to do too much.

The turning point was a chat he had with Penguins assistant general manager Jason Spezza, who encouraged Brunicke to keep it simple and play within himself.

“Going to Wilkes was probably one of the best things I’ve done in my career so far, just playing pro hockey at a younger age and seeing what that’s like. Right away, I had some junior habits that probably weren’t that good or were going to hurt me at that level, and it did,” Brunicke said. “I thought after that talk, it was my best hockey.”

Baby Pens head coach Kirk MacDonald agreed, saying they saw “huge” growth.

In their two postseason losses, Brunicke tallied two points with a plus-2 rating. He scored his first pro goal on April 25, joining the rush then ripping a shot top shelf.

“I thought he did a really good job the last couple of regular season games and the playoffs stint,” MacDonald said. “He was moving pucks quick and jumping into the rush. The goal he scored in the playoffs was outstanding. [Brunicke has the] ability to kill plays. I think the less he does in certain areas, the more he accomplishes.”

Spezza said this week that Brunicke was probably the prospect who was “hurt the most” by the Baby Pens’ early exit, costing him a crucial development opportunity.

However, he did get a chance to join Canada for the IIHF World Championships in May. Penguins president Kyle Dubas was in charge of putting together that team.

“Going to Europe, that was awesome to [learn] from guys like [Sidney Crosby] and [Travis] Konecny and things like that,” said Brunicke, who appeared in two games.

Brunicke was invited to development camp this week because he has yet to play a full pro season. And with Owen Pickering and Rutger McGroarty having graduated out of development camp, Brunicke has stood out among other recent draft picks.

The real test for Brunicke, whom the Penguins project as a two-way defenseman with offensive upside, will come during their NHL camp and preseason schedule.

“I think Harrison knows the task at hand and [we believe] he had a great camp last year,” Spezza said. “He’s a guy that I think is really looking to push and take a step and make some noise in camp. But he’ll be the one that dictates how ready he is.”

Brunicke hopes to leave no doubt that he should spend the season in Pittsburgh.

“I saw how close I was last year,” Brunicke said. “So I’m looking to carry that mindset over to now, and a lot of work is [now being put] into getting to that point again.”