So Hugo completed his puppy kindergarten 2 weeks ago. He knows the basic commands--sit, stay, down, etc. and a few tricks, too. But he doesn't always listen. I know husky's are independent thinkers--and that's fine--it's one of the reasons I like the breed. My question is--is this normal, or should I try to train him to the point where he obeys regardless of his independence, and if so, how do I go about doing that?

I've been taking him to the park a lot, too. If I call his name, he turns his attention toward me to see what's up, and then goes about his business. Usually I only use the "come" command when I'm far from him, otherwise he doesn't come, and I don't want to wear the command out. I've gone there when no one else is at the park and practiced his recall with high value treats, and he does come when I call him--he comes with a sense of urgency. I haven't really seen this translate to everyday situations, though. He's also not as responsive to commands like sit, down, etc as he was just a few weeks ago. He's 4 months and two weeks, so I guess he's entering adolescence--and I know he'll try to assert himself and not listen during this stage. How should I handle that?

I know there are many questions in this post. My main concern is if there's a certain way I should interact with him as he goes through these defiant stages. Do I make him do the command and not move on until he complies or should I not even arbitrarily ask him to do something just to make him do it--even if there isn't really a point to it outside of that.

I don't think it is possible to train a husky to obey outside his independence. It is a husky, they work for themselves while other breeds work for you.
Consistency in training will keep him up to date with basic commands like sit, down, etc. you can't teach them down one day and a week later expect them to remember. At that age and for training I would constantly keep up with training every day or every other day. They will get it pretty quick, for the right reinforcement.
I don't think age will affect training and these stages of development shouldn't concern you as long as you maintain your role as pack leader.
Some people confuse energy level and lack of exercise for a defiant stage, as long as your pup releases the energy it needs to, you will be fine.
As for training, shorter sessions to teach are much better than long sessions, I wouldn't keep trying for a long duration of time if the pup doesn't get it, take a break and try later.
Good luck with the training.

Dogs don't generalize very well so understanding what those cue mean indoors doesn't mean they will understand them in new enviroments. Also the more distractions there are the harder it will be for the pup to focus on you.

How far you want to take obedience trainig is a personal decision, sone people want a dog that will listen in a situations others are happy to let the dog be independant at the park. Huskies certainly can learn to be very obedient it will likely just take a lot more work than with some other breed.

If you want your dog to be obedient outside start with puppy kindergarden basics outside i a low distraction enviromenf (like the back yard) and slowly build to more distracting environents. Playing attention ganes will help teach the dog to focus on you.