Sound Beach's Brandon Bussi has been a stalwart in goal for the top-seeded Carolina Hurricanes
Hurricanes goalie Brandon Bussi, a Sound Beach native, prepares to tend net against the Islanders on April 14, 2026, at UBS Arena. Credit: Getty Images/Bruce Bennett
It’s not true, Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said, that Sound Beach native Brandon Bussi, who was claimed off waivers by the Hurricanes in October, came from out of nowhere to become Carolina’s No. 1 goalie this season.
“No. I mean, we knew about him, and we were obviously looking to get him in the organization a long time ago,’’ Brind’Amour said after Bussi made 29 saves in a last-minute start to help the Hurricanes close out their regular season with a 2-1 victory over the Islanders at UBS Arena on Tuesday. “But, you know, it just fell in our hands. I mean, we got lucky with that and how it worked out, and we’ve certainly been really pleased with how he’s played.’’
Bussi, who had never played at UBS Arena and had never played on Long Island as a professional, stepped in Tuesday when scheduled starter Pyotr Kochetkov was unable to play because of what Hurricanes PR called “a roster technicality.’’ He was brilliant in earning the win in front of “a good amount’’ of family and friends.
“It was a cool experience,’’ Bussi told Newsday. “First time here. Beautiful facility.’’
The 27-year-old had to rush off after his postgame interview to meet his family because the game was the back end of a back-to-back and he didn’t get a chance to see anyone before the game. He didn’t even get a chance to visit a favorite deli.
“No, I slept, because we got in late,’’ he said. “So hopefully next year we can come here twice, and I can get the day off beforehand to see family.”
Getting the win was especially impressive because Bussi had played the night before in a shootout loss in Philadelphia. He wasn’t supposed to play against the Islanders but was pressed into action when Kochetkov, who is returning from hip surgery in December, was ruled out at the last minute and Carolina’s other goalie, Frederik Andersen, was unavailable.
“He was great tonight,’’ Brind’Amour said. “One of his better games. He was solid [and] made some huge saves at critical times of the game. He was probably the difference-maker.’’
Brind’Amour hasn’t revealed who his starting goalie will be when the Hurricanes, 53-22-7 in the regular season and the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, open the playoffs Saturday afternoon against the Ottawa Senators. But the 6-4, 218-pound Bussi played the most of any of the Hurricanes’ goalies (39 starts) and went 31-6-2 with a goals-against average of 2.47 and a save percentage of .895.
(Andersen was 16-14-5, 3.05, .974. Kochetkov was 6-2, 2.33, .899 but hasn’t played since Dec. 20.)
A “backwards’’ goalie who carries his stick in his left hand and wears his catching glove on his right, Bussi had a long, convoluted path to get to the NHL.
He played junior hockey in Middletown, New Jersey; Amarillo, Texas, and back on Long Island with the Junior Islanders before going to Muskegon, Michigan, and then to Western Michigan to play in college.
After three seasons there, he signed as an undrafted free agent with Boston and spent three seasons with the Bruins’ AHL affiliate in Providence, where he made the AHL All-Rookie team in 2023.
But despite getting called up to Boston a few times to serve as a backup, he never got into a game for the Bruins, and he signed as a free agent with the Florida Panthers this season. When they put him on waivers in October, the Hurricanes claimed him. And in February, when he was 23-3-1 with a 2.11 GAA and .920 save percentage, they signed him to a three-year, $5.7 million contract.
“I think you get opportunity at different times, different ways,’’ he told Newsday of his circuitous route to the NHL. “You never know when it’s going to happen. My journey was unique. I felt like I could always do it. It’s not necessarily a surprise to me, but it feels good to just have an opportunity here. I came in the locker room day one, felt like part of the family. So it feels good to be doing it in a place you care about.’’
Because of his age, NHL rules say Bussi isn’t eligible for rookie honors, so he won’t make the All-Rookie team (you have to be 26 or under). But he’s not worried about that. The big thing right now is playing playoff hockey, something Bussi hasn’t done at this level. He said he’s not worried about that, either.
“I’ve played playoffs in the AHL. I’ve played in college. I played in junior,’’ he said. “Obviously, it’s a little bit of a bigger stage, louder buildings, and the atmosphere, you know, can be a lot. But . . . if my name is called upon, I’m ready to go. If not, I’ll work to make my team better in some way, and I’m just gonna enjoy the ride.’’
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
