Brandon Bussi is an American professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played college ice hockey for Western Michigan University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
| Brandon Bussi | |||
|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Bussi at the 2023 AHL All-Star Game | |||
| Born |
June 25, 1998 Sound Beach, New York, U.S | ||
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) | ||
| Weight | 209 lb (95 kg; 14 st 13 lb) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Catches | Right | ||
| NHL team (P) Cur. team |
Boston Bruins Providence Bruins (AHL) | ||
| NHL draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 2022–present | ||
Playing career
editCollegiate
editBussi committed to playing college ice hockey for the Western Michigan University during the 2019–20 season.
In the 2021–22 season, Bussi helped the Broncos win their first ever game in the NCAA tournament, making 30 saves in a 2–1 OT win over the Northeastern Huskies.[1] The Broncos ended up getting eliminated the next round by the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Professional
editOn March 30, 2022, the Boston Bruins announced that Bussi would forgo his senior year to sign a one-year, entry-level contract with the team.[2] He would play the rest of the season with the Bruins AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins. He appeared in 5 games with the team, recording a 3–2–0 record with a shutout.
Bussi had a very successful first full season with the Providence Bruins. As a rookie, he finished the 2022–23 season sixth in the league among goalies in goals against average (GAA) with 2.40 and second in the league in save percentage, with .924. Bussi's play got him named to the 2023 AHL All-Star Game, representing the Atlantic Division.[3] On April 12, 2023, Bussi was recalled to the NHL squad for an emergency recall.[4] Although he dressed as the backup, he did not play, and was sent back down shortly after. Bussi was named to the AHL's All Rookie team at season's end.[5]
On June 19, 2023, the Bruins announced that they had extended Bussi to a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000.[6]
Bussi's successful first season had him penciled in as Providence's starting goaltender for the 2023–24 season. Although with the increased responsibility, Bussi's statistics dipped a little, he still had a successful season, starting 41 games and going 23–10–5. Throughout the season, Bussi was occasionally called up to the NHL team on an emergency basis, due to injuries to Boston goaltenders Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark. However, Bussi only served as a backup for these games, and did not see NHL action on any of these call-ups. At seasons end, for the second consecutive year, the Providence Bruins were set to face the Hartford Wolf Pack in the first round of the Calder Cup playoffs. Bussi would start all four games, registering a shutout in Providence's 6–0 game 2 win. However, this would be the only win of the series for Bussi and the Bruins, as they would fall in four games, with the final two losses going to overtime.
On June 24, 2024, the Bruins announced that they had once again extended Bussi to a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000.[7]
Personal
editBussi catches with his right-hand, something that is uncommon amongst NHL goaltenders.
Career statistics
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T/OT | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
| 2018-19 | Muskegon Lumberjacks | USHL | 52 | 33 | 12 | 4 | 2,824 | 115 | 7 | 2.44 | .915 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 474 | 20 | 1 | 2.53 | .894 | ||
| 2019–20 | Western Michigan University | NCHC | 34 | 18 | 12 | 4 | 1,922 | 85 | 0 | 2.65 | .910 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Western Michigan University | NCHC | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 211 | 10 | 0 | 2.84 | .889 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Western Michigan University | NCHC | 39 | 26 | 12 | 1 | 2,334 | 99 | 4 | 2.55 | .912 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Providence Bruins | AHL | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 307 | 13 | 1 | 2.54 | .920 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Maine Mariners | ECHL | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 240 | 10 | 0 | 2.50 | .922 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Providence Bruins | AHL | 32 | 22 | 5 | 4 | 1,879 | 75 | 1 | 2.40 | .924 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 237 | 9 | 0 | 2.28 | .926 | ||
| 2023–24 | Providence Bruins | AHL | 41 | 23 | 10 | 5 | 2,403 | 107 | 1 | 2.67 | .913 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 252 | 9 | 1 | 2.14 | .922 | ||
| AHL totals | 78 | 48 | 17 | 9 | 4,589 | 195 | 3 | 2.55 | .918 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 489 | 18 | 1 | 2.21 | .924 | ||||
Awards and honors
edit| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| AHL | ||
| All-Rookie Team | 2023 | |
| Atlantic Division All-Star Team | 2023 | |
References
edit- ^ "Box Score - College Hockey, Inc". collegehockeyinc.com.
- ^ "Boston Bruins Sign Brandon Bussi to One-Year, Entry-Level Contract". NHL.com.
- ^ Bruins, Providence. "BUSSI AND LETTIERI NAMED TO ATLANTIC DIVISION ALL-STAR TEAM | Providence Bruins". www.providencebruins.com.
- ^ "Bruins Recall Brandon Bussi On Emergency Basis". NHL.com.
- ^ Bruins, Providence. "BUSSI, MERKULOV NAMED TO AHL ALL-ROOKIE TEAM | Providence Bruins". www.providencebruins.com.
- ^ "Bruins sign Brandon Bussi to one-year, two-way contract extension". Boston Bruins. 19 June 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
- ^ "Bruins re-sign goaltender Brandon Bussi to one-year, two-way extension". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or The Internet Hockey Database