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"I kind of bounced around a little bit for different reasons, but all those different experiences really helped shape me into the hockey player I am today," he said. "It was good working with a lot of different coaches, playing with a lot of different teammates. It was overall a great experience." One of the big lessons every successful player learns along the way is that you can't control the uncontrollable. By focusing on his attitude and his effort, Bussi was able to take his game to the next level. He offers that same advice to aspiring young goalies looking to find their way in the game. "The main thing that I wish I could have told myself was just to have more fun with it and not stress over the difficulties of it. I put so much pressure on myself," he said. "A lot of it is based off your play. You have to earn those opportunities. Whenever I became a little inconsistent, I'd be really hard on myself. There'd be long nights where I wouldn't go to bed because of the way the game went, and that just wasn't good for me. Going into my last year of juniors, I started playing the game very free." His career trajectory took a sharp turn u p w a r d w h e n h e j o i n e d t h e M u s k e g o n Lumberjacks of the USHL in 2018 and led the team on a long playoff run. He appeared in 60 regular season and playoff games and devel- oped the confidence that would serve him well over his three seasons at Western Michigan. Under the tutelage of former NHL coach Andy Murray and later Pat Ferschweiler, Bussi learned what it takes to make it to the next level. He felt ready after to make the leap to the NHL after his junior year, even though NHL teams didn't agree. Undrafted but undaunted, he signed an entry-level deal with the Boston Bruins, where he found a home with the team's AHL franchise in Providence, where he was named to the league's All-Rookie team in 2023. After two more seasons in Providence, Bussi was signed by the Florida Panthers last summer but his time in South Florida was short lived. Instead, the Hurricanes snatched him up as insurance for their goalie tandem. It was a move that paid off for both Bussi and the team. Even with a new three-year contract and a Stanley Cup ring on his finger, Bussi knows that nothing is guaranteed once the puck drops on the new season. Despite heading into camp as the presumptive No. 1 goalie on a championship team, he knows he will have to work even harder than he already has if he wants to stay on top. "Nothing has changed," Bussi said. "It's going to be my second year in the NHL, and I still have a lot to prove. I have to continue to earn everything that I get in my career. Yes, it's nice to have a Stanley Cup, but it's a results-driven league. If I'm not delivering the results we need, then I'm not going to play. "Nothing 's really changed on my end. I'm going to continue to work hard and do what I can to help the team win and continue to prove why I should be in the league." P OCTOBER 2026 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 37 If you had told me [my season] would end with a Stanley Cup, I probably would 've said you were joking." –Brandon Bussi PRIOR TO PLAYING COLLEGIATE AND PROFESSIONAL HOCKEY, BUSSI PLAYED JUNIOR HOCKEY IN THE NAHL (NEW JERSEY/AMARILLO) AND THE USHL (MUSKEGON).