The Skinny
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 216 pounds
DOB: June 12, 2007 (age 19)
Shoots: Left
Hometown: North Vancouver, BC, Canada
2025-26 Team: Everett Silvertips (WHL)
2025-26 Stats: 12 games played, 13 goals, 5 assists, +13
NHL Draft: 2025 4th round (128th overall) by Florida Panthers
2026-27 Outlook
Busch is coming off an upper-body injury that sidelined him from late October until April. He had rolled up 13 goals in 12 games early in the season before his injury, a massive improvement from scoring 11 goals in 39 games in 2024-25. He rejoined the team in time for the playoffs and helped lead the Silvertips to their first WHL title with 7 goals and 6 assists in 16 playoff games.
After the WHL season, he turned in a solid performance at the Florida Panthers’ development camp. At 6’3”, 216 pounds, he is currently the tallest and biggest forward on Penn State’s roster. Penn State will need him to use his physicality to his advantage. The Nittany Lions got pushed around last year by teams that wanted to clog the ice and use heavy checking defensively. His injury history is a bit of a concern, especially after missing four months last season and given the bevy of injuries Penn State had last year.
Busch should be a good fit in the bottom six right away. I am cautiously optimistic that his offensive production last season when healthy is a sign of things to come for him in Guy Gadowsky’s high-octane offensive scheme.
