Ville Husso

Lore & Background

Husso started his career in the youth setup at HIFK in his hometown of Helsinki. He made his debut with the club's men's team during the 2013–14 Liiga season. He reached the Liiga finals with HIFK in the 2015–16 season, where they fell short to Tappara. Husso excelled with a save percentage (SVS%) of .927 and a goals against average (GAA) of 1.91 that season, while receiving the Urpo Ylönen Award as the Goaltender of the Year.

He also competed in the Champions Hockey League with HIFK. On 10 May 2016, he signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the St. Louis Blues. After attending the Blues' 2016 training camp, he was assigned to American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, on 29 September. Husso made his North American debut with the Wolves against the Grand Rapids Griffins on 15 October, to begin the 2016–17 season.

It was the first of two games he started in with AHL's Chicago Wolves. Through the two games, he posted a SV% of .914 and a GAA of 2.53. He was reassigned to the Missouri Mavericks of the ECHL on 26 October. Husso thrived in net for the Mavericks, where he was fifth on the St. Louis Blues' organizational goaltender depth chart.

On 23 December, Husso earned his first professional shutout with 33 saves in a 4–0 victory over the Wichita Thunder. Husso returned to the Chicago Wolves in late December 2016, where he had continued success, posting a SV% of .925 and GAA of 2.21 through five games played for the Wolves. On 20 July 2019, the Blues re-signed Husso to a one-year, two-way contract extension. In the pandemic-shortened 2020–21 season, on 31 January 2021, Husso recorded his first win in the NHL, in a 4–1 game over the Anaheim Ducks.

On 12 May, Husso recorded his first NHL shutout in a 4–0 win over the Minnesota Wild. The 2021–22 season was a breakout for Husso, who began it as the backup goaltender to Jordan Binnington, but then saw his role expand as Binnington struggled. By the end of the regular season he had taken over the starting position, which in turn raised questions about the future of the team's goaltending, as Binnington was signed to a lengthy and expensive contract, while Husso was to become a free agent. He finished the regular season with a 25–7–6 record and a .919 SV%.

Reader's Guide

Ville Husso is a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Anaheim Ducks of the NHL. He began his career with HIFK in Liiga, won the Urpo Ylönen Award in 2015–16, and later played for the St. Louis Blues and Detroit Red Wings before being traded to Anaheim in February 2025.

Did You Know?

• He was traded to the Anaheim Ducks on 25 February 2025.
• Husso won a gold medal with Finland at the 2014 World Junior Championships.