One huge presence was missed on the ice last season—Jesper Fast. Thanks to an injury he sustained at the end of the 2023-24 season, he sat out the last year of his contract injured, and the extent of those injuries became clear when he announced his retirement in June. Fast was just 33 at the time of his retirement, meaning he could have had plenty of hockey left, and while his presence on the Staal line was easy to take for granted, his absence was shown when players like Seth Jarvis had to try
and play in his place.
Bigger than that though, Fast was a popular teammate. Much was made of the trade that Jack Roslovic made for his number 96 to Mikko Rantanen, but completely forgotten was the fact that for Taylor Hall to wear his preferred 71, Jesper Fast also had to give his OK. Nothing was ever discussed about what, if anything, Fast got for the trade, and it really does speak to the respect he had inside and out.
Now it appears the Canes have decided he needs to stay on.
On Wednesday, the Hurricanes announced that Jesper Fast will be coming back to the team as a Devlopment Coach. What that means is unknown, but with a lot of younger players joining the team long-term, having the experience of Fast continuing on while also giving him experience as a coach should be mutually beneficial. Fast will start to get his feet wet as a potential next step for his career, while the current Hurricanes will continue to benefit from his experience.
The Hurricanes’ staff also is changing up with the addition of John Stanier as a video coordinator. He’ll replace Paul Fink, and the move is a promition for Stanier since this will be his first NHL job. He did the same job with the Chicago Wolves, so he’s familiar with the process of the Canes and is a familiar face for the team.
Finally, the Hurricanes are adding a little local flavor to the communications department, announcing that they hired Freddy Stanley in communications. Stanely is a graduate of UNC and has experience in communications with both the UNC athletic department and The Soccer Tournament that’s held in Cary.
All of the moves fill in spots as Training Camp is just around the corner. With the single game tickets going on sale Thursday, plus the release of the theme nights, things are really ramping up to skates getting on the ice.
