Carolina Hurricanes

Starting out as the New England Whalers of the WHA, the organization’s move to the NHL came with a new name: The Hartford Whalers.

As the smallest American market in the league, while competing with the Boston Bruins and New York area teams, the Whalers were forced to move to Carolina in 1997.

In North Carolina, the Hurricanes didn’t start off great. The short-notice circumstances around the move meant they had to play well outside Raleigh, and it didn’t do well for attendance numbers.

After a while, they got back on their feet and aired competitive teams, one even winning a Stanley Cup in 2006. However, success didn’t carry on for long. The team missed the playoffs 11 times in 12 seasons after their Cup victory. The team slowly faded.

However, after being bought by Tom Dundon, the Hurricanes had new life. With a smartly constructed team, the Hurricanes were also able to become a fun team. The Carolina Hurricanes took the league by storm. With their Storm Surge celebrations at the end of games, the team got the attention of many around the hockey world. Don Cherry branded them a “Bunch of Jerks”, and they embraced it. With increased marketability, an energized social media staff, team success, and winning with a Zamboni driver in net, things are looking up for the Canes.

2019-20 Team

The Carolina Hurricanes exceeded expectations in 2019-20. With young stars like Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov to go with guys like Dougie Hamilton and Teuvo Teravainen, the future looks bright! The Hurricanes were able to surround the team with one of the deepest defense cores in the league and a solid supporting cast offensively. Up next? Solving their goaltending.

The team will try to improve on their 38-25-5 showing in 2020-21, taking the next step with their young team.

Owner: Tom Dundon

Tom Dundon is a familiar name in sports circles. Although he acquired his wealth through a number of other ventures, the Carolina Hurricanes aren’t Dundon’s only dip into sports. Dundon invested a significant amount of money to keep the AAF afloat, in a move that still ended up in the league shutting down. He’s also known as the owner of golf entertainment company TopGolf.

Even though he has a net worth of $1.1 billion, with the Hurricanes notably struggling to make much money, Dundon has been hesitant to put more money into the team. The Hurricanes know he has the money just in case, but continue to tiptoe around extra expenses.

GM: Don Waddell

When Don Waddell was officially hired as President and GM of the Carolina Hurricanes in 2018, it wasn’t a major shock. Waddell had been president of the parent company for the team for the past four years. It’s not like it was his first rodeo as GM anyway. Waddell spent 9 years as GM for teams in the now-defunct IHL. After an AGM gig with the Red Wings in 1997-98, Waddell spent the next 12 years as GM for the Atlanta Thrashers, becoming President of the team in his 13th season there.

For the last two years under Waddell, the Hurricanes have been one of the smartest teams in the league, and they hope to keep that up as they continue building their promising roster.

Head Coach: Rod Brind’Amour

When hired as Head Coach in 2018, Brind’Amour was already a familiar name to Canes fans. He spent 10 seasons with the team as a player, captaining them for four of them. When his playing career ended, he became Director of Player Development for the team, and later became an assistant coach for seven seasons.

Under Brind’Amour, the Hurricanes have been solid, with a passionate coach who’s also a Raleigh legend, it seems he’ll be here to stay.

Roster:

Forwards:

Jordan Martinook, Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teravainen, Ryan Dzingel, Vincent Trocheck, Justin Williams, Warren Foegele, Jordan Staal, Brock McGinn, Nino Niederreiter, Morgan Geekie, Martin Necas, Andrei Svechnikov

Depth: Max McCormick, Steven Lorentz, Clark Bishop

Defensemen:

Jaccob Slavin, Dougie Hamilton, Brady Skjei, Sami Vatanen, Jake Gardiner, Haydn Fleury, Brett Pesce, Joel Edmundson

Depth: Jake Bean, Roland McKeown, Trevor Van Riemsdyk

Goalies:

Petr Mrazek, James Reimer

Depth: Alex Nedeljkovic, Anton Forsberg

Achievements:

2006 Stanley Cup Champions, 2002 and 2006 Eastern Conference Champions

Individual:

Selke Trophy: Rod Brind’Amour (2005-06, 2006-07)

Lady Byng Trophy: Ron Francis (2001-02)

King Clancy Memorial Trophy: Ron Francis (2001-02)

Calder Memorial Trophy: Jeff Skinner (2010-11)

Major Recent Trades:

2019-2020:

February 24, 2020

Hurricanes acquire Vincent Trocheck, Panthers acquire Erik Haula, Lucas Wallmark, Eetu Luostarinen, Chase Priskie.

Hurricanes acquire Sami Vatanen, Devils acquire Janne Kuokkanen, Fredrik Claesson, 2020 conditional 4th round pick.

September 24, 2019

Hurricanes acquire Joel Edmundson, Dominik Bokk, 2021 7th round pick, Blues acquire Justin Faulk, 2020 5th round pick.

June 22, 2019

Hurricanes acquire Patrick Marleau, 2020 conditional 1st round pick, 2020 7th round pick, Leafs acquire 2020 6th round pick.