Damien Brunner (born March 9, 1986) is a Swiss former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

forward who last played for EHC Biel of the National League (NL). He has also played in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

for the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

and the

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The club w ...

Playing career

As a youth, Brunner played in the 1999 and 2000

Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament () is an annual minor ice hockey event in Quebec City. The tournament was founded in 1960 to coincide with the Quebec Winter Carnival, and give an opportunity for international competition to p ...

s with a team from

Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

. He played for the Kloten Flyers of the

National League A The National League (NL) is a professional ice hockey league in Switzerland and the highest level of the Swiss league system. Prior to the 2017–18 season, the league was known as National League A. During the 2018–19 season, the league h ...

in 2006–07 and 2007–08. In 2008–09, he moved to EV Zug. In 2011–12, Brunner had 60 points in 45 games. He led the NLA in points and was named the league's forward of the year."Damien Brunner"
eliteprospects.com. Retrieved January 18, 2013. On July 1, 2012, Brunner signed a one-year entry-level contract with the

of the NHL. He then returned to EV Zug for the 2012–13 season until the 2012–13 NHL lockout was resolved, where he started the shortened season with the Red Wings. He netted the game-winning shootout goal against the

Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. The Blue Jackets compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern C ...

, in his second game with the Red Wings. He scored his first NHL goal the next day against Kari Lehtonen of the

Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. The Stars compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The Stars ...

. Brunner played in the

2010 IIHF World Championship The 2010 IIHF World Championship was the 74th IIHF World Championship, an annual international ice hockey tournament. It took place between 7 and 23 May 2010 in Germany. The games were played in the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, SAP Arena in Mannh ...

as a member of the

Switzerland men's national ice hockey team The Switzerland men's national ice hockey team (; ; ) is a founding member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and is controlled by the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation. As of 2024, the Swiss team is ranked 5th in the IIHF World Rankin ...

. After turning down two and three-year contract offers from the Detroit Red Wings, Brunner became an

Unrestricted Free Agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

. On September 16, 2013 he was signed by the New Jersey Devils on a pro tryout contract and attended the team's training camp. On September 24, 2013, he was signed by the New Jersey Devils to a two-year, $5 million contract. On December 5, 2014, the Devils placed Brunner on waivers after he was benched for the entire third period in a 5-3 win against the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

on December 4. He cleared waivers the following day. He had 2 goals and 5 assists in 17 games. With little interest in playing in the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

, Brunner agreed to mutually terminate his contract with the Devils and on December 12, 2014, he returned to Switzerland where he signed a five-year contract with HC Lugano worth CHF 6 million. Near the end of the 2017–18 regular season, Brunner broke his leg, forcing him to sit out the end of the regular season as well as the playoffs. On May 19, 2018, Brunner and HC Lugano parted ways - with one year remaining on his contract - and immediately signed a two-year deal worth CHF 2 million with EHC Biel. On August 26, 2019, Brunner was signed to an early three-year contract extension by Biel through the 2022–23 season. After more than six seasons in Biel, Brunner was limited to only six games due to injury in 2024-25 and announced his retirement on January 24, 2025.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brunner, Damien 1986 births Living people Detroit Red Wings players EHC Biel players EHC Bülach players EV Zug players HC Lugano players HC Thurgau players Ice hockey players at the 2014 Winter Olympics EHC Kloten players New Jersey Devils players Olympic ice hockey players for Switzerland Swiss expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Swiss ice hockey left wingers Undrafted National Hockey League players People from Bülach District Ice hockey people from the canton of Zürich 21st-century Swiss sportsmen