2025-26 Hurricanes Are Immortalized on the Stanley Cup

Almost a month after winning the Stanley Cup, the 2026 Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes are officially on the Stanley Cup. They’re now forever immortalized on the greatest trophy in sports. The 2025-26 Hurricanes will be remembered for their 16-3 playoff run en route to their second Stanley Cup in franchise history. It was a 20-year wait that is finally over. Let’s look over the players and coaches who will be remembered forever.

Engraved in Silver, Forever

When it comes to the faces that people know more than the players, it’s the coaching staff. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour always praises his staff, from Tim Gleason and Jeff Daniels to the Goaltending Coach Paul Schonfelder, Video Coach Chris Huffine, and Video Coordinator John Stanier. The coaches make sure the guys are ready every single night during the regular season and the playoffs.

Brind’Amour has been the head coach since 2018-19 after being an assistant coach. He has led the Hurricanes to the playoffs every season since taking over. He has multiple division titles, three conference final appearances, an Eastern Conference title, and now a Stanley Cup as a coach. After winning a Stanley Cup as the captain in 2006, along with two Selke Trophies, as a player, Brind’Amour is the epitome of what it means to be a Carolina Hurricane.

Outside of the coaches, there’s the support staff to keep the team healthy and fit as well. Especially when you have a staff like Head Athletic Trainer Doug Bennett, Assistant Athletic Trainer Koryd Lavimoniere, and Head Strength & Conditioning Coach Bill Burniston. Even the scouts and front office played massive roles behind the scenes.

General manager Eric Tulsky, along with associate general manager Darren Yorke, Assistant General Manager Tyler Dellow, Special Advisor to the General Manager “Mr. Game 7” Justin Williams, Manager of Team Services Michael Brown, VP, Pro Player Personnel Chris Abbott, and Director of Pro Scouting Mark Craig, and the amateur scouting staff were pivotal along the way to help build and take care of this roster from the draft, trades, and free agency.

Finally, the equipment staff played a massive role in getting skates, sticks, gear, and everything else taken care of before, during, and after games, regardless of whether at home or on the road. The team cannot function without Head Equipment Manager Jorge Alves and Assistant Equipment Managers Patrick Budds and Nick Roy.

Now, it’s on to the players who worked tirelessly night in and night out. After 82 regular-season and 19 playoff games, they will forever be brothers as 2026 Stanley Cup champions.

Brothers for Life, as Champions

After battling all season and winning the top seed in the Eastern Conference, the 2026 Hurricanes went on a historic playoff run, going 16-3, with two sweeps in Rounds 1 and 2, and finally getting over the hump of the Eastern Conference Final. Following that, they went on to defeat the Vegas Golden Knights in six games, winning Games 4, 5, and 6, en route to a Stanley Cup title. These players will be remembered forever:

Captain – Jordan Staal

What a season it was for the captain, Jordan Staal. Ten years after scoring 20 or more goals, the 37-year-old center tallied 20 goals and 36 points in 75 games during the 2025-26 season. After being told he needed to score more, he became one of seven players to score 20 or more goals with the Hurricanes this past season. After being traded on his wedding day, the long journey since 2012 has all culminated in what he’s been striving for since joining his brother Eric, becoming a champion in Carolina.

Staal followed up a great regular season with a playoff for the record books. After tallying two goals through the first three rounds, he went on to score six goals in the Stanley Cup Final. Staal scored goals in each of the first five games to begin a Stanley Cup Final, something that hasn’t been done since 1956. Plus, he had won almost 70% of the faceoffs that he took over the course of the series. That’s why he went on to become the oldest player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP.

Alternate Captain – Sebastian Aho

After being drafted 35th overall in the 2015 NHL Draft and making his debut in the 2016-17 season, Sebastian Aho is finally a Stanley Cup champion. As part of a small group of players who saw what it was like during the playoff drought and what it is now, the journey was worth it for what he has become now, a champion.

The Finnish forward had 27 goals and 80 points in the regular season. His 80 points led the team. He won a bronze medal at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Games, sweeping the medals for the Hurricanes. Aho followed that up with five goals and 12 points during the playoffs. In the Stanley Cup Final, he had one goal and five points against the Golden Knights.

Alternate Captain – Jaccob Slavin

If there was one person who had a weird 2025-26 season, it was certainly Jaccob Slavin. While he played only 39 regular-season games, tallying one goal and eight points, he did come away with a gold medal at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics. Thankfully for the Hurricanes, the best defensive defenseman in the NHL was healthy and ready for the playoffs. Slavin tallied five assists in the postseason en route to becoming the second American to win a gold medal and a Stanley Cup in the same year.

Alternate Captain – Jordan Martinook

Rounding out the leadership group of the Hurricanes is the first player to be acquired in the Tom Dundon era, the hype man himself, Jordan Martinook. Martionook has been around since Brind’Amour took over as head coach, and like the rest of the leadership group, he saw the culture shift. Furthermore, he has seen the now Lenovo Center go from a few thousand to become the loudest house in the NHL.

During the 2025-26 season, he had 12 goals and 29 points in 77 games. Martinook followed that up with two goals and five points in the playoffs, including the double-overtime game-winning goal in Game 2, Round 1 against the Ottawa Senators. At the Stanley Cup parade, he gave the Caniacs one last “Mista Svechnikov” for old times’ sake.

Nikolaj Ehlers

After spending 10 seasons with the Winnipeg Jets, Nikolaj Ehlers signed a six-year deal with the Hurricanes this past summer. He was the highest sought-after forward entering free agency on July 1. During his first season in Raleigh, “Fly” went on to have a career season, tallying 26 goals and 71 points in 82 games. Ehlers went on to have eight goals and 18 points in 18 games during the playoffs, scoring the first goal and the last goal in the Stanley Cup Final. Not a bad first season in Raleigh for Ehlers.

Andrei Svechnikov

What a 2025-26 season it was for Andrei Svechnikov. After having zero points through the first eight games, the Russian forward went on to have a career season, tallying 31 goals and 70 points. A couple of seasons after having surgery on a torn ACL, Svechnikov had a season that people were waiting to see from him. He went on to have six goals and 11 points during the playoffs.

Seth Jarvis

When it comes to Seth Jarvis, his personality alone makes him a star player in the NHL. Adding that to what he can do on the ice, and you have an underrated elite player who can take control of games. The Winnipeg native tallied his third straight 30-goal-or-more season, finishing with 32 and having 66 points in 71 games.

Jarvis won a silver medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics, just losing out to Slavin’s USA team. During the 2026 Playoffs, “Jarvy” had four goals and 11 points, while playing on the top line with Aho and Svechnikov, and on the third line with Staal and Ehlers. What a crazy couple of seasons for Jarvis: winning the 4 Nations Face-Off in 2025, a silver medal at the Olympics, and now a Stanley Cup in 2026.

Jackson Blake

Heading into his sophomore season in the NHL, American forward Jackson Blake wanted to become a better version of himself after having 17 goals as a rookie. Well, he certainly did that, tallying 22 goals and 53 points in 81 games during the regular season.

During his second-ever playoffs, Blake went on to lead the Hurricanes in assists (13) and points (20) as part of the “Junkyard Dog” line, which was the hottest line in the postseason. Talk about a jump from year one to year two for “Blaker”, going from a guy breaking onto the roster to leading the team in the playoffs. He will be entering his third season in the NHL, starting his new eight-year deal, and being a Stanley Cup champion.

Shayne Gostisbehere

There were plenty of “Ghost” sightings throughout the regular season and the playoffs as Shayne Gostisbehere showcased why the Hurricanes brought him back during the summer of 2024 on a three-year deal. During his second season in Raleigh, Gostisbehere had 13 goals and 50 points in 55 games. If he had not gotten injured four times throughout the season, he could have easily broken Brent Burns’ record for the most points in a single season for the Hurricanes defenseman (61).

Gostisbehere followed up a 50-point regular season with three goals and 12 points during the playoffs, en route to becoming a Stanley Cup champion.

Taylor Hall

One season removed from being part of the three-team trade to come to Raleigh, Taylor Hall became one-third of the most consistent line for the Hurricanes during the regular season and the playoffs. Hall had 18 goals and 48 points in 80 regular-season games, almost becoming the eighth player to score 20 goals. In the playoffs, Hall was playing like his MVP-like self from 2018 as one of the frontrunners to win the Conn Smythe Trophy.

He tallied seven goals and 19 points as part of the “Junkyard Dog” line, finishing second in assists (12) and points to Blake. The best part, Hall is entering year two of his current three-year deal that he signed during the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Logan Stankoven

Rounding out the “Junkyard Dog” line and putting some stank on it, Logan Staknoven took on a bigger role in Raleigh and ran with it. In his first full season in Carolina, Stankoven tallied 21 goals and 44 points in 81 games. The impressive thing is that he did all of this while being the Hurricanes’ second-line center all season. Furthermore, it was the most he had played center since his time with the Kamloops Blazers in the Western Hockey League (WHL).

He went on to anchor the best line in the playoffs with Blake and Hall, having 11 goals and 16 points. His 11 goals in the playoffs led the Hurricanes, and Stankoven was another guy who had a case for the Conn Smythe Trophy, along with Hall. Just like Blake, he will enter the first season of his new eight-year deal.

K’Andre Miller

Along with Ehlers, K’Andre Miller was another big addition to the Hurricanes’ roster for the 2025-26 season. He joined the team in a sign-and-trade with the New York Rangers, where the defenseman signed an eight-year deal on July 1. Despite the noise coming out of New York, Miller got better as the season progressed in North Carolina.

The Minnesota native finished the season with eight goals and 37 points in 72 games. Unfortunately, he did have to deal with injuries, like most of the blue line on the Hurricanes last season. When the playoffs rolled around, Miller’s game went to another level. In his first postseason in Raleigh, he tallied nine assists and was a plus-12, being an absolute force. Even Wayne Gretzky praised how good Miller was defensively during the playoffs, especially in the Eastern Conference Final.

Alexander Nikishin

The 2025-26 season was one of learning for Russian Alexander Nikishin, who went through his first full season in North America. The rookie defenseman was highly anticipated by the organization and the fanbase in 2024-25, especially after making his Hurricanes debut in Round 2 against the Washington Capitals.

In his rookie season, Nikishin had 11 goals and 33 points in 81 games. During the playoffs, he had one assist in 17 games. He missed two games due to a concussion in Round 1 against the Senators. Overall, it was a learning curve for Nikishin in Raleigh, but in the end, he became a Stanley Cup champion as a rookie in the NHL.

Sean Walker

When describing the 2025-26 season for Sean Walker, it was one in which he took on a huge role in his sophomore campaign with the Hurricanes. While the rest of the blue line was getting injured, Walker was the anchor on the defense. He would have managed to play in all 82 games, but got some rest in the last game of the season.

Overall, Walker finished the regular season with nine goals and 31 points, along with a plus-6. In the postseason, he had three assists and had a plus-11 as he and Miller became the most underrated defensive pairing in the playoffs. They combined for a plus-23 and were shutting down the best lines left and right, taking some pressure off the rest of the defense by logging huge minutes in the playoffs.

Mark Jankowski

In his first full season in Raleigh after joining the team in 2024-25 on trade deadline day, Mark Jankowski showcased why he earned himself a two-year extension to stay through the 2027-28 season. He finished the 2025-26 season with 11 goals and 21 points in 68 games. He took some shifts on the power play at times, along with the penalty kill for Brind’Amour at times during the season. He won 51.4% of his faceoffs, being that fourth-line guy to go out and win faceoffs when needed.

In the playoffs, he had one goal and five points, helping anchor the bottom six behind Staal, who was having a playoff of his life. Jankowski enters the first year of his now two-year deal as a Stanley Cup champion.

Eric Robinson

After signing a four-year extension the season before, Eric Robinson, in his second season with the Hurricanes, finished with 12 goals and 18 points in 67 games. When he wasn’t in the lineup due to injuries, his speed and size were sorely missed. When he was in the lineup, Robinson was noticeable every night. His combination os size, speed, physicality, and sneaky scoring was something Brind’Amour and the staff appreciated.

In the playoffs, Robinson had three goals and eight points. His three goals came in the Eastern Conference Final against the Montreal Canadiens, in which he led the Hurricanes in scoring for that round, en route to the team making the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2006. Robinson came up clutch when it mattered the most.

William Carrier

When he signed his six-year deal in 2024-25, most were wondering what William Carrier could bring to the Hurricanes. Carrier won a Stanley Cup in 2023 with the Golden Knights, so he knew what it took to win it all. Plus, he was a bulldozer on skates, hitting everything in sight with authority. Over the course of his second season in Raleigh, Carrier tallied seven goals and 18 points in 70 games.

During the playoffs, he had four assists and gave some much-needed physicality. Carrier managed to win his second Stanley Cup in his career, and it was against the team he won his first with three seasons prior on that same home ice.

Jalen Chatfield

After going undrafted and being picked up out of the Vancouver Canucks organization, Jalen Chatfield ground his way through the Hurricanes organization. He won a Calder Cup Trophy with the Chicago Wolves in 2022 on a very stacked team, which included Jack Drury, Stefan Noesen, and a few others. Fast-forward four years, and Chatfield added a Stanley Cup to his name. During the 2025-26 season, he had two goals and 17 points, along with a plus-15 in 72 games.

Alongside Slavin on the top defensive pairing, he had one goal and eight points, along with a plus-8. His one goal came shorthanded in Game 3 of Round 2 against the Philadelphia Flyers. Chatfield is now a Calder Cup and Stanley Cup champion.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi

The 2025-26 season was one of ups and downs for Finnish forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi. He managed to play 42 games, passing the 41-game threshold to have his name on the Stanley Cup. He tallied two goals and nine points over the course of the regular season. Unfortunately, he did not play a single game in the playoffs, being a healthy scratch in all 19 games. However, no one can say he is not a Stanley Cup champion.

Mike Reilly

What a wild 2025-26 season it was for Mike Reilly. Reilly signed a one-year deal, knowing he was going to be the Hurricanes’ seventh defenseman. The thought was that he would get a handful of games, maybe giving some guys a night off, or in case of injury. Well, since most of the blue line was out at various times, Reilly managed to play in 42 games, also passing the threshold to place his name on the Stanley Cup.

He tallied one goal and nine points, along with a plus-11. In the playoffs, he had two assists in two games after coming in relief for Nikishin, who was out due to a concussion. In his first playoff game, he had two assists in Game 1 of Round 2 against the Flyers. Out of the press box and on the scoresheet, talk about a clutch performance by Reilly. He can now say that he is a Stanley Cup champion after his first season in Raleigh.

Nicolas Deslauriers

If there was someone who could give Martinook a run for his money as a hype man and locker room guy, it’s Nicolas Deslauriers. As the only trade deadline move for the Hurricanes, Deslauriers was added for what he could do: be a physical force and police the shenanigans on the ice. In the end, that was not needed as much as the Hurricanes thought, but he was instantly loved in the locker room. In seven regular-season games after joining the Hurricanes, he had one point.

In the playoffs, he played in Game 4 of round 1 against the Senators after Ehlers had to miss it due to injury. It was a feisty game, where Deslauiers was used for his intimidation. While he did not play in the Stanley Cup Final, the Hurricanes used an exemption to get his name on the Cup.

During the Stanley Cup parade, it was announced that Deslauriers had signed a two-year extension to stay in Raleigh through 2027-28. What a fun few months for Deslauriers, who is now a Stanley Cup champion and will be a Hurricane for a little while longer.

Frederik Andersen

In his first season fully healthy in a bit for the Hurricanes, Frederik Andersen had a mix of good and bad in 2025-26. There was a point where he did not win a game in two months, but he did finish the season on a high note, winning eight of his last 11 starts. Overall, Andersen had a 16-14-5 record with a 3.05 goals-against average (GAA) and a .874 save percentage (SV%) in 35 games.

However, in the playoffs, a switch flipped, and Andersen went on a run for the ages. He went 13-2 with a 1.89 GAA, a .910 SV%, and three shutouts. Andersen managed to go 12-1 through the first three rounds for the Hurricanes, putting him as the odds-on best to win the Conn Smythe Trophy at one point.

If you ask anyone in the locker room, the Hurricanes would not have gotten to where they were in the Stanley Cup Final if it weren’t for Andersen playing otherworldly in the net. At long last, Andersen quieted the doubters about being clutch in the playoffs and is now a Stanley Cup champion.

Brandon Bussi

If there was a feel-good story, one filled with inspiration to a life-changing moment, leading to becoming a Stanley Cup champion in his first NHL season, look no further than Brandon Bussi. Bussi joined the Hurricanes a few days before the beginning of the regular season after being claimed off waivers from the Florida Panthers.

It was seen as a precautionary move if Cayden Primeau was going to get claimed off waivers, and he was by the Toronto Maple Leafs. What happened next was like something out of a movie. Bussi began to win and kept winning.

Bussi finished the regular season with a 31-6-2 record, a 2.47 GAA, a .895 SV%, two shutouts, and an assist. He was the fastest goalie to win 10 games, then 15 games, and then 21 in his first 25 career games. Bussi even earned him a three-year extension before the Winter Olympic break.

During the playoffs, he made his debut in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final, in relief of Andersen. He managed to stop a Mitch Marner penalty shot in the third period and helped will the team to erase a four-goal deficit and take it into double overtime. Despite the loss, Bussi stood tall in a huge moment of his rookie season.

In Games 4 through 6, he went on to shut the door and start claiming win after win. He became the first goalie to win the first two games in his first two playoff starts in a Stanley Cup Final. In Game 6, he became the second undrafted goalie to claim a shutout in a Cup-clinching win. After entering Game 3, Bussi went on to win three straight games to help the Hurricanes lift the Stanley Cup.

Pyotr Kochetkov

The 2025-26 regular season was a tough one for Russian netminder Pyotr Kochetkov. He managed to play in only nine games after missing most of the season due to hip surgery. When he did play, he had a 6-2-0 record with a 2.33 GAA, a .899 SV%, and a shutout. His shutout came in his season debut against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 4.

While he did not play in the playoffs, he was the backup in Games 4, 5, and 6 of the Stanley Cup Final behind Bussi, earning himself an automatic engraving of his name on the Stanley Cup. Even with a tough season missed due to injury, Kochetkov came up big when he was on the ice and is now a Stanley Cup champion.

After it’s all said and done, the 2025-26 Carolina Hurricanes are officially on the Stanley Cup. Following a grueling 82-game regular season and 19 playoff games, they claimed the ultimate trophy in all of sports.

Twenty years after the 2006 team, the 2026 team can now say that they are Stanley Cup champions, bringing the Hurricanes their second Stanley Cup in franchise history. They will forever be remembered for being one of the best teams to win in the playoffs, after going 16-3. From now until the end of time, these players, coaches, and staff can say that they are Stanley Cup champions.