2024 is officially over and the Carolina Hurricanes have 45 games left before the 2025 NHL Playoffs begin. They finished off 2024 with a shootout loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets to finish the first part of the season with a 22-13-2 record and 46 points. The Hurricanes are still within third- place in the Metropolitan Division, seven points ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins with two games in hand. On the flip side, they are five points behind second-place New Jersey Devils with three games in hand. There is a high chance they will make the playoffs for the seventh straight season under head Rod Brind’Amour. Who stood out for the team as they finished the last month of 2024 and we head into 2025? In the third edition of the “Three Stars of the Month” series at The Hockey Writers, let’s dive into the three Hurricanes players who will take the honors.
3 Stars for December
Third Star: Seth Jarvis
For the second-straight month, the Hurricanes’ energizer bunny, Seth Jarvis, makes the 3 Stars of the Month list. Jarvis played in all 13 games in December after missing games in November due to shoulder issues. In the 13 games, he notched seven assists and nine points while averaging 19:39 of time on ice (ATOI). He had a power-play goal along with two assists on the special teams, one each on the power play and penalty kill. The Hurricanes’ best attribute is being able to play in all situations and Jarvis was able to do so. He had only one penalty in the whole month, which allowed him to play more than 255 minutes overall and 285 shifts. Furthermore, he carried a 5.9% shooting percentage (S%) and scored two goals in the process.
Related: Hurricanes’ Seth Jarvis Will Crack Top-30 in Franchise Points This Season
Jarvis once again showed how dynamic he has been for the Hurricanes as he is currently tied for fifth in team scoring with 25 points in seven fewer games played. He has been taking more faceoffs in December to help the team there when needed. He is the Swiss Army Knife who can be plugged anywhere in the lineup to jump-start a line or be a catalyst.
Jarvis closed out December with four points in two games, including three assists in one game for the first time in his career. He did that after the Hurricanes defeated the Devils 5-2 on Dec. 28 for the last home game of 2024. In the first year of his new eight-year extension with the Hurricanes, the contract is looking like money well spent.
Second Star: Jack Roslovic
Making the list for the first time is Columbus, Ohio native Jack Roslovic. In December, “Rosey” accumulated five goals and 10 points in 13 games. He finished 2024 with a five-game point streak, recording four goals and seven points that included a three-point game against the Devils on Dec. 28 at home. Of the 10 points in 13 games, he had seven to close out 2024 on a hot streak. On the season as a whole, Roslovic leads the Hurricanes in goals (17) and is tied for fifth in points (25) with Jarvis after 37 games played.
Related: Hurricanes’ Jack Roslovic on Pace for Career Season
Roslovic has become an underrated signing after accepting a one-year, $2.8 million deal to come to Carolina. He is currently on pace to achieve 36 goals and 55 points which would set new career highs for him – his previous career-highs are 22 goals and 45 points, which he set in 2021-22 with the Blue — if he keeps it up. While no one expected him to have an offensive season like this scoring-wise, it comes as some relief for the Hurricanes as they were hoping to have scoring all around the lineup. Roslovic’s team-leading 17 goals is something any team would love to have 37 games into the season. Roslovic came up big for the Hurricanes when they needed him to in December and now it starts to beg the question of how much it would cost to keep him in Raleigh long-term. A month like December goes a long way to keep the wheels turning to make Roslovic a mainstay on the roster past the 2024-25 season.
First Star: Sebastian Aho
Surprisingly, this is the first time Sebastian Aho has made the Three Stars of the Month list. After the start of the season where some questioned Aho’s slow start, he kicked it into high gear and showed why he finished with 89 points in 2023-24. During December, he accumulated five goals and 15 points in all 13 games. He had four even-strength goals and one shorthanded marker, assisted by Jarvis to tally up his five goals. Aho only took two penalties, both two-minute minors. He averaged 20:24 ATOI while playing a total of 265:17 of time on ice (TOI). Furthermore, Aho had a S% of 14.3% on 35 shots.
Related: Hurricanes Need Another Gear From Sebastian Aho
Aho surged his way to second place for team scoring with 40 points, only five back of Martin Necas (45). He is also second on the team in assists (28) only behind Necas’ 31 and tied for third on the team in goals (12) behind Necas (14) and Roslovic (17).
While Necas has seemingly cooled off in December, Aho has found a way to pick up the slack for him and keep the Hurricanes well secured in third place in the Metropolitan Division. Aho is currently on pace for 88 points, just one shy of the career high he set last season. However, there is a chance for him to hit 90 points if he can manage a couple more multi-point games with 45 games left into the season. Furthermore, he is on pace to score 27 goals which would snap his three-season streak of having 35 or more goals. While the goal total is down, he is currently on pace for 62 assists which would be a new career high for him. His current career high in assists is 53 which he set in 2018-19 and tied last season. If he can match his goal total, he could be on pace to set new career highs in assists and points.
Overall, it was not a bad December for Aho as he stayed on pace to set new career highs.
Goodbye 2024, Hello 2025
The Hurricanes’ (22-13-2) first game of January will be on Thursday, Jan. 2 on the road against the Florida Panthers (23-13-2). After their back-to-back games post-Thanksgiving, they will be looking to get revenge for those two losses and get a win over the defending Stanley Cup Champions. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. Eastern which will be aired on FanDuel Sports Network South and 99.9 The Fan.
