ANAHEIM, Calif. — On June 28, 2014, the Blues traded Roman Polak to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Carl Gunnarsson and a fourth-round draft pick. That same day, the club used the pick to grab goaltender Ville Husso No. 94 overall.
The Finnish native was the ninth netminder taken in the draft, following Calgary's Mason McDonald (No. 34), Vancouver's Thatcher Demko (No. 36), Carolina's Alex Nedeljkovic (No. 37), Washington's Vitek Vanecek (No. 39), the New York Rangers' Brandon Halverson (No.59), Buffalo's Jonas Johansson (No. 61), Columbus' Elvis Merzlikins (No. 76) and the New York Islanders' Ilya Sorokin (No. 78).
It takes time to crack the NHL at the position, as evidenced by the limited exposure the 2014 draft class has had in the league thus far. In the three-plus seasons since the draft, the eight goalies taken ahead of Husso have combined for just two NHL games — Nedeljkovic played one with Carolina in 2016-17, and Halverson had one with the Rangers this season.
Similarly, Husso has had a long, winding road. He spent two more seasons in Finland after being drafted by the Blues, and then after coming over to North America in 2016, he bounced from the AHL's Chicago Wolves to the ECHL's Missouri Mavericks and then back to the Wolves. He's spent this year on loan to the San Antonio Rampage, who will be the Blues' AHL primary affiliate in 2018-19.
Husso, who is third in the Blues' organizational depth chart, remains a highly regarded prospect, and his numbers in San Antonio support that. The Rampage are sixth in the Pacific Division, but Husso has a 2.31 goals-against average, a .928 save percentage and four shutouts, which is tops in all three categories among AHL rookies.
Husso's fourth shutout of the season came in San Antonio's 4-0 victory over the Ontario (California) Reign on Sunday, which was part of a wild weekend for the 23-year-old. With the Carter Hutton dealing with a sore neck, Husso was called up to be the Blues' backup Saturday in Los Angeles, rejoined San Antonio for Sunday's shutout, and now he'll be backing up Jake Allen Monday night against Anaheim.
Even though Ontario is only about an hour away, Husso had a travel hiccup going from the Blues to the Rampage Sunday. In a Q&A with The Athletic after Monday's morning skate at the Honda Center, Husso had a good laugh about that, along with discussing the progress he's made the past two seasons and when he thinks he'll be ready to make the jump to the NHL.
When you got to North America in 2016, it was a steep learning curve for you. How did that go?
Ville Husso: “I played two games first in AHL and then I got sent down to East Coast. I was there for like two months. At that time last year, I was getting a little mad and pissed because I was playing there and I had a good season back home (in Finland) the year before. It's tough in North America because goalies are battling for the game time and spots on every team, so you just need to show that you deserve your spot. Now I'm thinking that was a pretty good thing for me. I learned a lot in the games there. Then after Christmas, I got a call back up to the AHL and I started to get a lot of games there. I enjoyed the time, learned the game. In the playoffs, I wasn't my best level, but it was a good experience for me. It was easier to come this year because I knew what was going on here.”
What was the toughest aspect of playing on the smaller ice surface, and how far have you come in becoming more comfortable?
VH: “I think the biggest thing, the game here is pretty fast and everything happens pretty quickly. In Europe you have a little bit more time in net, so you don't need to be that sharp every time. And here, almost every guy can shoot the puck absolutely 100 percent wherever they want. If you are late, you never have any chance to stop the puck. So that was the biggest thing, just be fast and quick.”
Did you think you had a good training camp with the Blues this year?
VH: “Yeah, this year I had a pretty good training camp. Like I say, it was easier to come over this year. I know a little bit of the guys and the coaches and everything. It's a really big change when you come over from Finland, so the first year I was really nervous and I didn't know how to do the things here, how everything goes here. But now it's so much easier and I just enjoyed the time in camp. I did my best, but I think now I'm so much better than in the training camp. My game is so much better and I feel comfortable in the net. I think I have been taking good steps during the season and I feel like I'm getting ready for the NHL.”
Was it a good situation when you arrived in San Antonio this year?
VH: “It was a big change from last year. St. Louis, they don't have their own AHL team. Maybe at first I didn't get that many games, but after Christmas, I have been playing pretty well and I have deserved the game time. I have like over 30 games, which is not that many, but we still have 15 games left. It's been a pretty tough season for us because we haven't won that many games, so I just need to do my best to help the team get some points and wins.”
Since being sent down to the AHL after training camp, this is the fourth time you've been called up to the Blues this season. What do you take away from these call-ups?
VH: “It's nice to see how Jake and Hutsy, how they're practicing and how they are like professional athletes every time, off ice and on ice. When they go on the ice, they take every shot like 100 percent and that's the biggest thing for me to learn — be there 100 percent every time for every puck. That's not easy, but I think that's the biggest thing for me. So it's nice to see how they do things. For me, I want to be someday here and be the first goalie, so it's good experience for a young guy.”
You were with the Blues Friday, then San Antonio on Sunday and now back with the Blues. How crazy have the last few days been and tell us about the issue you had with your equipment before Sunday's game with the Rampage?
VH: “I think if you looked at yesterday's game — shutout! — so it worked. Yeah, for me, it's nice to be here. I still like to play almost every (AHL) game so that's nice. It was good that (San Antonio) played an hour away from Anaheim, so it wasn't a long to get there. I don't care if I go up and down, up and down. I need to be ready for everything.
“On Sunday, our equipment got locked in a room at the hotel in L.A. Me, (Chris) Butler and (Sammy) Blais took an Uber straight to the game in Ontario at like 10:45 a.m. But our Uber driver had to sit in front of the hotel because they had to saw the door to get our equipment out. I was like, 'I hope they get it open.' It took like 10 minutes, but we were on time in Ontario.”
So now you're back with the Blues and Monday will be the eighth time you've been on the bench as the backup this season. What's it like to be so close to playing in an NHL game?
VH: “We have seen some other teams like Vegas had three goals get injured and guys from AHL are playing there. I just need to be ready and, if something happens, I need to jump in there and just go. Hopefully someday I will get my first full game and get a start, that would be nice.”
After two seasons in the Blues' organization, do you feel like you're further along than you expected?
VH: “Of course when you come over you're thinking that you're going to play in the NHL, but right now I'm feeling like I'm on my way. I know the last five years almost every goalie are over 25 when they play in the NHL. I think I'm on my way and that's a good way.”
What is your personal timetable? Do you think you could play in the NHL next season?
VH: “I think after this season I might be ready to be with the NHL guys and play some games. It's tough if you're a backup goalie and you get what, 15-20 games? That's not what I want. We've seen with Nashville, Juuse Saros, he has been up and down, getting some games in the AHL and NHL. It might be that way, I don't know. But just for me, I need to do my job now and enjoy the time and try to battle every practice.”