Western Michigan Professional Athletes

Brandon Bussi had a week that encapsulated the brutal unpredictability of NHL goaltending — and Western Michigan's most-watched alum is now squarely in the middle of one of the league's biggest trade storylines.

Bussi in the Spotlight

Carolina started its West Coast road trip by naming Bussi the starter against Edmonton on Thursday, Oct. 23 — a marquee matchup the Hurricanes clearly viewed as a litmus test. It didn't go well. Bussi stopped just 16 of 21 shots (.762 SV%) in a 6-5 shootout loss, allowing the tying goal in the dying seconds of regulation to cap a night to forget. By Friday morning, the hot stove was burning: reports surfaced that Carolina had received a fresh Connor Hellebuyck trade update directly in the wake of Bussi's performance, suggesting urgency inside the organization to pursue a proven No. 1 netminder had intensified.

To be fair to Bussi, the week wasn't all disaster. Just three days earlier, on Oct. 19, he turned aside 31 of 34 shots in a 3-2 loss to Calgary — a respectable showing that didn't get the result but demonstrated the capability that got him the starting nod in the first place. He was also back between the pipes Saturday against the Blues. The job isn't gone, but the pressure has unmistakably ratcheted up.

Cotter and Sasson Struggle in Vancouver

Paul Cotter and Max Sasson are both registered on the Canucks' roster, and both had tough going this week. Cotter, who has four goals and seven points through 12 games this season, posted a -2 on Wednesday in a 6-3 blowout loss to Carolina, then went -1 in Friday's 5-2 loss to Detroit. Sasson scored a goal Wednesday against Carolina but finished -1 in both of Vancouver's losses this week. The Canucks dropped two straight, and the two WMU products were on the wrong side of the ledger each time.

Samuelsson Dealing With a Tough Stretch in Buffalo

Mattias Samuelsson, the 6-foot-4 blueliner who dealt with a preseason injury before the season even started, is navigating a bumpy stretch in Buffalo. The Sabres lost to Philadelphia on Wednesday and fell to Washington on Saturday, with Samuelsson posting a -1 in the Flyers game. Buffalo's defense corps remains unsettled — reports this week noted the team is exploring trade options to shore up the back end following Rasmus Dahlin's injury, though Samuelsson's own situation wasn't a direct factor in those talks.

Quick Hits

• Tim Washe (Ducks, C) had a solid week: a goal Tuesday against the Devils and an assist Saturday in a 5-4 win over Philadelphia, going +1 in the latter. Small sample, but real production.
• Owen Michaels (Oilers) logged an assist in Edmonton's Oct. 21 win over Minnesota, though he finished -2 in the Oilers-Hurricanes game Friday and -1 Saturday against Toronto in a 7-2 blowout.

The week belonged — for better and worse — to Bussi. Whether Carolina decides he's a long-term answer or accelerates a Hellebuyck pursuit, the next few weeks will tell the story. WMU fans should keep close watch on the trade wire.

Owen Michaels Is Writing a Rare Story in Edmonton

Nobody drafted Owen Michaels. Nobody had to. The Western Michigan product earned his NHL roster spot the hard way — through college hockey in Kalamazoo and an undrafted free-agent signing with the Edmonton Oilers — and through the first week-plus of the 2026–27 season, he's been proving the scouts wrong.

Michaels picked up an assist in the Oilers' Oct. 16 loss to the Utah Mammoth, his most notable statistical contribution of the week. Edmonton dropped that one 4–2, but the bigger picture remains the fact that Michaels is in the lineup at all. Undrafted college players cracking NHL opening-night rosters is not a common story, and for Broncos fans, it's one worth tracking all season. His start has been described as "confusing" by some observers — likely a reflection of the inevitable adjustment bumps for a player without the traditional scouting pedigree — but the baseline achievement of sticking in the world's best league without ever being drafted is history in its own right.

Samuelsson Carries the Sabres on His Back

If Michaels is the story of the week, Mattias Samuelsson is the stat line. The Western Michigan defenseman had a monster stretch for Buffalo, recording a goal and an assist in Thursday's 5–4 win over the Maple Leafs, adding two more assists and a plus-1 in a 3–4 loss to the Canadiens on Tuesday, and going plus-1 again in Saturday's 3–4 loss to Montreal. Through those appearances this week, Samuelsson stacked up four points and a combined plus-3, the best production of any Bronco in the league this period.

More Broncos Around the League

Paul Cotter and Max Sasson have been sharing a Canucks lineup that's had a rough go early. Cotter contributed an assist Saturday in a 2–4 loss to the Lightning, while Sasson scored in Tuesday's 2–3 loss to the Islanders. Vancouver went winless this week, so neither Bronco has much to celebrate team-wise, but both are logging regular minutes.

Tim Washe provided one of the week's cleaner individual moments, netting a goal for the Ducks in Saturday's 2–4 loss to Boston. Anaheim has been outgunned most nights, but Washe's tally was a reminder that the Western Michigan center belongs on an NHL roster.

Brandon Bussi continued to hold down the crease for Carolina — the Hurricanes went 2–1 this week, beating the Flyers and Jets while dropping a game to the Capitals. Bussi appeared in two of those contests, handling the net in wins on Oct. 11 and Oct. 17.

Ethen Frank suited up for Washington in both Capitals games this week, though the team dropped both. Sheldon Dries dressed for Detroit across three appearances without registering a point, though the Red Wings did manage a win over Philadelphia on Oct. 15.

The Broncos are well-represented across the league's early weeks — nine alumni spotted in game action in a single seven-day stretch. But Owen Michaels, suited up and producing for a Stanley Cup contender without ever having heard his name called on draft day, is the one alumni story that'll age the best if Edmonton makes a run.

Western Michigan's NHL alumni had a week to remember to open the 2026-27 season, with Paul Cotter stealing headlines league-wide, a rookie Duck writing his name in the record books, and a Stanley Cup anniversary reminding everyone what a Bronco goaltender did on the biggest stage.

Cotter Is the NHL's Hottest Forward — For Now

Paul Cotter is playing like a man with something to prove, and he's making sure everyone hears about it. The Vancouver Canucks winger was named the NHL's Third Star of the Week after posting four goals and two assists through the first four games of the season — a scorching start that earned him hardware and a platform.

Cotter didn't shy away from the moment. He called out critics of the Canucks' rebuild, describing his team as an "ego-less group" ready to silence doubters, and pushed back publicly against those who wrote off Vancouver after a last-place finish in the Western Conference a year ago. The Canucks sit at 2-2 through four games — modest on the surface, but with Cotter as their engine.

The bigger question hanging over his hot start: how long does he stay in Vancouver? The Hockey News has already floated Cotter as a top trade candidate if the organization stays committed to its rebuild. For now, the Western Michigan product is making it very expensive for any front office to move him cheaply.

Caulfield Makes History in Anaheim

In Winnipeg on Friday night, rookie Judd Caulfield scored his first career NHL goal — part of a dominant Anaheim Ducks performance that handed the Jets their first regulation loss of the season in a 5-1 blowout. Caulfield also added an assist, giving him a two-point night in his NHL breakthrough.

He wasn't the only Bronco in the building. Linemate Tim Washe chipped in a goal and an assist of his own, finishing +2 on the night as the Ducks improved to 3-1-0. Two Western Michigan alumni contributing to the same NHL win on the same night is the kind of thing that makes Kalamazoo pay attention.

Bussi's Cup Heroics, One Year Later

The anniversary spotlight is on Brandon Bussi this week. One year ago today, the Carolina Hurricanes claimed the Western Michigan product off waivers from the Florida Panthers — a transaction that turned into one of the defining moves of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final run. Facing a goaltending crisis during the championship series against Vegas, Bussi stepped in and delivered, cementing his place in Hurricanes lore.

Now safely entrenched as Carolina's starter, Bussi continued his steady play Saturday, stopping 24 of 26 shots in a 5-2 win over the Blackhawks. A .923 save percentage and a Stanley Cup ring — the Bronco backstop has earned every bit of his legendary status in Raleigh.

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Three storylines, three alumni, one week. Western Michigan's NHL footprint is hard to ignore right now.