Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi is now one win away from helping his team win the Stanley Cup, but the undrafted 27-year-old's journey to the NHL was a long and unconventional one.

Bussi went entirely overlooked in the NHL Entry Draft following his collegiate tenure at Western Michigan University.

A viral social media post by B/R Open Ice revealed that Bussi spent a portion of his summer in 2020 working as a crew member at Chipotle while systematically pursuing his hockey goals.

He was a part of the USPHL's National Collegiate Development Conference with the P.A.L. Jr. Islanders. This was before playing three seasons of NCAA Division I hockey at Western Michigan University.

He then joined Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL in his junior days and helped Western Michigan win the first NCAA tournament game. This was the first time in the school's history in the 2021-22 season. 

In March 2022, the Boston Bruins signed Bussi to an entry-level contract after he elected to leave college early. He then began his professional career with the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League.

He was ranked among the top of the league and selected in the AHL All-Star Game and the AHL All-Rookie Team. 

Despite his success and progress, Bussi found himself caught in a depth-chart bottleneck. After a preseason stint with the Florida Panthers, he was placed on waivers. Eventually, the Carolina Hurricanes claimed him off waivers.

He debuted in the NHL on October 14, 2025, posting a .941 save percentage on 17 shots in a 5-1 win over the San Jose Sharks.

His outstanding performance in his early season got him a three-year contract worth $5.7 million in February, securing his career in the NHL .

Brandon Bussi's Growing Role in the Stanley Cup Final

Bussi started Games 4 and 5 of the Stanley Cup Final. He made 18 saves in a 5-3 Carolina win in Game 4 and then made 23 saves in a 4-2 victory in Game 5.

He became the first goaltender in NHL history to make his first two career playoff starts in the Final and win each game.

The Lenovo Center crowd gave Bussi the biggest amount of support ahead of Game 5 and chanted his name throughout the night.

Coach Rod Brind'Amour talked about his goaltender's play and put it simply, "Bus had a lot of poise. I think he looked pretty calm in there and, obviously, played a great game for us."

Carolina now holds a 3-2 series lead and can win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 2006 with a victory in Game 6.

The man who spent his college summer working at Chipotle is now the goaltender standing one win away from the Stanley Cup.

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Written by

Aadhya Nalla

Edited by

Koushik Biswas