Stanley Cup Champions! Celebrating Carolina Hurricanes Goaltending
- Brandon Bussi replaced an injured Frederik Andersen in Game 3 of the Cup Final and won all three of his playoff starts to close out the series.
- Bussi entered the 2025–26 season as a pre-season waiver claim and set an NHL record as the fastest goalie to reach 10 wins.
- Bussi's Pro Reads on InGoal cover head-drive scans on low-high pass-outs, net drives, pop passes, and active stick technique — making him one of the publication's most prolific goaltender contributors.
- Carolina's championship room includes multiple InGoal contributors, reflecting the depth of the franchise's goaltending culture.
- InGoal Magazine is marking the Hurricanes' Cup win with a roundup of Pro Reads, features, podcasts, and coaching sessions tied to the Carolina goaltending staff.
The Carolina Hurricanes are Stanley Cup champions — and this morning InGoal Magazine is celebrating right alongside the long-time members, friends and contributors who got to lift it.
Brandon Bussi capped an improbable season by stepping into the Carolina crease for an injured Frederik Andersen in Game 3 of the Cup Final, then winning his first three playoff starts to close it out Sunday night. It’s exactly the kind of story we love telling — and we’ve been lucky to tell a lot of it, because so many of the goaltenders and coaches in this Carolina room are part of the InGoal family.
So today we’re doing something a little different. Instead of breaking down a save, we’re raising a glass — with a roundup of the Pro Reads, podcasts, features and coaching sessions we’ve shared over the years with the people who just got their names on the Stanley Cup. Congratulations to every one of them.
Born Jun 25, 1998 · Sound Beach, New York, United States — Undrafted
| SEASON | GP | W | GAA | SV% | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 39 | 31 | 2.47 | .895 | 2 |
| CAREER | 39 | 31 | 2.47 | .895 | 2 |
Brandon Bussi
Where else to start? Bussi went from a pre-season waiver claim to the fastest goalie in NHL history to 10 wins, signed a three-year extension, and then helped close out the Cup Final. He is one of the most generous students of the game we’ve worked with — and it shows across four Pro Reads, a feature and a podcast.
FeatureLetting Go of PerfectionHow letting go of perfection fuelled the most unlikely record-setting run in recent NHL memory.Read the feature →
Pro ReadPro Reads 3: Head Drive & Scans on Low-High Pass OutsHis newest breakdown, filmed this season: a low-high pop pass into the slot against St. Louis, and the head scans that let him recover when the puck found a seam.Read it →
Pro ReadPro Reads 2: Net Drives, Pop Passes & an Aggressive StickA three-part sequence against Dallas: sharp-angle net drive, rebound, and the active stick Bussi uses to take passes away before they happen.Read it →
Pro ReadPro Reads 1: Reading the RushThe can’t-miss debut: Bussi walks through a rush chance and the save process behind his record-setting start.Read it →
PodcastInGoal Radio Episode 209 with Brandon BussiBack to 2023 and his breakout AHL season with the Bruins, loaded with advice young goalies will relate to.Listen →
Born Oct 2, 1989 · Herning, Denmark — Drafted 2012 · Rd 3, #26 overall
| SEASON | GP | W | GAA | SV% | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 16 | 13 | 1.84 | .932 | 3 |
| 2024-25 | 22 | 13 | 2.50 | .899 | 1 |
| 2025-26 | 35 | 16 | 3.05 | .874 | 0 |
| CAREER | 552 | 324 | 2.59 | .913 | 28 |
Frederik Andersen
The veteran Bussi replaced is an InGoal Pro Reads original — one of the very first NHL goalies to sit down for these video reviews, going back to his Toronto days. He has done 16 of them now, so here are a couple of standouts plus a feature and his last visit to the podcast, with a link to dig into much more.
FeatureStop Chasing Perfect — Start Making SavesAndersen’s mental-game philosophy in his own words: if you can only perform when circumstances are perfect, you won’t make it far as a goalie.Read the feature →
Pro ReadManaging Depth and Anticipation Against a 2-on-0His most recent Pro Read, filmed in the locker room coming off a dominant first-round run against Anaheim: reading a 2-on-0 off a turnover, and the depth-and-anticipation balance that makes it look easy.Read it →
Pro ReadFacing Ovechkin’s One-TimerAndersen breaks down defending the most feared one-timer in hockey, off the Washington power play.Read it →Much More16 Pro Reads and countingFrom six in-person Toronto breakdowns to his Carolina sit-downs, browse Andersen’s full Pro Reads archive.Explore his Pro Reads →
PodcastInGoal Radio Episode 48 with Frederik AndersenAndersen joins the show alongside Noora Raty for a wide-ranging goalie conversation.Listen →
Goaltending coach of the 2026 Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes, and a longtime InGoal collaborator on the mental and technical sides of the position.
INGOALMAG.COMPaul Schonfelder
Behind every great crease is a great coach. Paul Schonfelder is the Carolina Hurricanes’ goaltending coach, and he has shared his thinking with InGoal more than once.
PodcastEpisode 342: Carolina’s Goaltending Coach Paul SchonfelderSchonfelder on building one of the NHL’s deepest goalie rooms and the philosophy now etched on the Cup.Listen →
Pro TipHow to Clean Your Mental FilterA mental-game classic with Schonfelder on resetting after a goal and keeping a clean filter under pressure.Read it →
SeminarInGoal InPerson Seminar with Andy Chiodo & Paul SchonfelderA deep coaching session with Schonfelder and Andy Chiodo.Read it →
WebinarNHL Goaltending Development CoachesSchonfelder (then Carolina) and Andy Chiodo (Pittsburgh) on developing pro goaltenders.Read it →
Carolina's equipment manager and practice goaltender — and the answer to a great trivia question: on Dec. 31, 2016 he dressed and played 7.6 seconds of an NHL game for the Hurricanes.
INGOALMAG.COMJorge Alves
And then there’s the best story of all. Jorge Alves is Carolina’s equipment manager and practice goalie — and back in 2016 he dressed and got into a real NHL game for the Hurricanes, all 7.6 seconds of it. Yes, he has an InGoal goaltender page. Yes, he earned it.
Born Jun 25, 1999 · Penza, Russia — Drafted 2019 · Rd 2, #5 overall
| SEASON | GP | W | GAA | SV% | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 42 | 23 | 2.33 | .911 | 4 |
| 2024-25 | 47 | 27 | 2.60 | .898 | 2 |
| 2025-26 | 9 | 6 | 2.33 | .899 | 1 |
| CAREER | 125 | 71 | 2.46 | .905 | 11 |
Pyotr Kochetkov
We can’t sign off without a tip of the mask to Pyotr Kochetkov, a big part of this Carolina crease. We don’t have a Pro Read with Pyotr yet — but that’s a “yet,” and his card and InGoal goaltender profile are a good place to get to know him while we work on changing that.
Congratulations, Champions
From all of us at InGoal Magazine: congratulations to Frederik, Brandon, Paul, Pyotr, Jorge and the entire Carolina Hurricanes organization. It has been a privilege to learn alongside you over the years — and there is no better feeling than watching members of the goaltending community lift the game’s greatest prize. Enjoy every second with the Cup.