Since the start of the 2015-16 season, there have been 30 players who have scored their first NHL goal with the Carolina Hurricanes. The overwhelming majority have been drafted by the Hurricanes, allowing them to reap the reward after meticulous scouting. For some, it was the first of many. For others, it was one of their few shining moments with the organization.
In honor of Christmas, I've chosen to rank them. In determining the order, I looked at several things. Situational factors, like when it was scored and the score at the time, are important. For me, the overall style of the goal was important, too. A shot from the point is going to be seen as less stylish than a hard-working goal around the crease, but it all comes down to personal preference.
30-26
Clark Bishop: I'll give props to Bishop for crashing the net and trying to bulldoze his way in. The issue is that his first goal really comes because Hampus Lindholm trips him into the net, and the puck goes in, too, so it was an own goal.
Charles Alexis Legault: The distance that the puck was shot from was incredibly impressive. However, that was only possible because there wasn't a goalie in the net, so that's why it's this low.
Noah Hanifin: The shot was stepped into by Hanifin after Joakim Nordstrom put in on a tee for him. Chris Terry provided a decent screen, but it was a low, short-side goal that probably should've been stopped.
Brett Pesce: Six days after Hanifin's, it's another shot from the point that eludes the netminder. It's another one that probably should've been stopped. I only rank it higher because the Canes went on to beat the Kings that night.
Skyler Brind'Amour: In terms of moments, it was cool to see the son score with his dad behind the bench. The goal itself isn't too flashy, coming after Brind'Amour drove the middle lane and knocked home a rebound.
25-21
Scott Morrow: This was a sneaky good play from Morrow to get to the rebound. Its placement is more about the timing, coming in the final seconds of a blowout victory over the Flyers.
Jalen Chatfield: As far as the "slap shot from the point that should've been stopped" goals are concerned, it's nothing special. However, we had been waiting forever to get Chatfield's first goal, finally getting it in his 67th NHL game in Pittsburgh.
Jaccob Slavin: The first of two first-career goals from this game against Dallas, it's the less flashy of the two. Slavin scored his goal from inside the crease, hopping on a rebound that leaked through to cut the Canes deficit to 4-1.
Martin Necas: This was a slightly awkward goal by Necas, who was kind of falling as he tried to hammer a one-timer. It might actually make the goal a little more impressive, but there are others on the list that are better.
Phil di Giuseppe: While I called it the "less flashy" goal against the Stars, there isn't too much flash from di Giuseppe here. It's a nice pass to the slot from Hanifin, and he had plenty of room to shoot it in a wild one against Dallas.
20-16
Jake Bean: It's another long-distance goal, but there is a little more finesse with this one from Bean. Along with an excellent screen from Necas on the power play, the shot was a silent wrister that Sergei Bobrovsky had no chance of stopping.
Steven Lorentz: During the same road trip as Bean, Lorentz got his first against Nashville. The entire line did a great job of causing havoc in front of Juuse Saros before the puck popped out for him to lift over his glove.
Vasily Ponomarev: The Canes were well on their way to victory over the Capitals in Ponomarev's debut, and he capped an incredible third period with his first goal. He created his goal with a play in the neutral zone before hammering a one-timer from the dot in transition.
Lucas Wallmark: This first goal is just as much about the work Sebastian Aho and Noah Hanifin did to set it up. Aho made a defender fall, and Hanifin put it perfectly on Wallmark's tape for a tap-in at the top of the crease, creating a beautiful moment.
Valentin Zykov: When we talk about hard-working goals, this is a perfect example of it. Making his NHL debut, Zykov fights off both Ryan McDonagh and Mika Zibanejad in front of the net to slide a rebound past Antti Raanta.
15-11
Justin Robidas: On the opposite side of some of the other goals on the list, the Canes were getting blown out by the Bruins in Boston. The silver lining was a great individual play from Robidas, knocking a rebound out of mid-air before settling it and snapping it in one motion. The Canes avoided the shutout, and Robidas got his big moment.
Haydn Fleury: It was destined to happen at some point, but it really felt like he was never going to score his first NHL goal. It was a clapper from inside the blue line that seemed stoppable, but it took him 96 games to finally break through. Even John Forslund's call of "Haydn Fleury! Finally!" made this moment feel like a bigger one than others on the list.
Patrick Brown: It's fine to admit that some goals are more about the pass than the eventual goal. This play has more to do with Jeff Skinner fooling the defense than Brown beating Henrik Lundqvist. Instead of a simple dump-in, Skinner hammered a pass off the corner boards. Brown won a race to the puck as it bounced into the slot and scored.
Bradly Nadeau: There was an avalanche of good luck to get this moment for Nadeau. The Islanders turned the puck over along the boards, giving him time and space in the left dot to snap it. Under normal circumstances, this should be lower. However, when you watch how quickly he gets it off his stick, you understand how easy Nadeau made it look. I just hate that it was an ESPN+ game.
Saku Maenalanen: We'll see some pretty goals on this list, and this is certainly up there as one of the most skilled. After the Canes won a battle in the corner, Maenalanen does a good job of knocking the puck out of the air with his glove and batting the bouncing puck after it lands. It's another of those sneaky good goals that you might've forgotten about.
10. Morgan Geekie
For those who were around for Morgan Geekie's debut, you'd have sworn he was the second coming of Wayne Gretzky with what he did against the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings. His first goal of the game was a smooth one. He starts by winning the draw before getting in position to redirect Jake Gardiner's pass from atop the crease.
It was the first of two goals he scored in that game while adding an assist. Then, he scored another goal in Detroit two days later. With the pandemic shutting the world down after the Detroit game, we'll never know how long that streak could've gone. He deserves every bit of the success he has seen in Boston, even if he's on a team that we're bred to not like.
9. Brock McGinn
There aren't scriptwriters in the NHL. If there were, even they probably couldn't have written a better script for Brock McGinn's first NHL goal. Playing in his first NHL game in Detroit and on his first NHL shift, McGinn wasted little time scoring for the first time. Kris Versteeg makes a good play in the neutral zone to create the turnover before McGinn finishes it.
It's not the most beautiful goal that has ever been scored. In fact, the only issue I really have with it is that McGinn doesn't bury the first chance he has. Jimmy Howard kicks out the initial shot, but McGinn didn't give up on the play. He stuck with it, scoring from a tougher angle to ensure he ended his first shift the right way.
8. Alexander Nikishin
This placement is almost all about the anticipation of this moment after years of biding our time. As fans, we were borderline impatient at times as the clock counted down before Alexander Nikishin could finally sign his NHL deal. All of it culminated in a goal and a moment that felt just as big for us as it did for the guys on the ice.
The play itself was sneaky good, too. You can see the wheels turning in Nikishin's head as the play develops. He makes a smart decision to jump into the play, finding a soft spot in the Ducks' defense. Aho puts it perfectly in his wheelhouse for him to hammer home. If there was ever a way for him to get his first goal, I'm glad it was a legit play and not a fluky bounce.
7. Derek Ryan
Not every journey to the NHL is the same. Some make the rosters right after being drafted at 18 or 19 years old. Others take a few more seasons in juniors or the AHL to develop before they become impact players. In Derek Ryan's case, it's when you're 29 years old after going on an incredible journey. On this day in New Jersey, his number was finally called.
Down a goal and on the power play in the second period, the Devils' penalty kill gave him a little too much space. He slowly backed Andy Greene down as he walked into the right dot before snapping it home for his first goal against Cory Schneider with a quick shot through the screen. There wasn't a thing on this planet that was wiping the giant smile off his face after the goal.
6. Jack Drury
In the context of when it happened, Jack Drury's goal only gets better. The Hurricanes were battling a COVID-19 outbreak in the locker room, keeping several players out of the game. For this game against Detroit and the next one against Los Angeles, the Canes were playing without a full roster, dressing just 16 skaters.
Tied 2-2 at the end of the first period, Jesperi Kotkaniemi made a smart play to allow Drury to enter the zone. His first shot was stopped, but Drury pounced on the rebound to beat Alex Nedeljkovic. He'd go on to score again against the Kings two days later. Considering the Canes were fighting battles on and off the ice, this was a really cool moment to take our minds off it.
5. Warren Foegele
In just about as individual an effort as you'll see from a player, Warren Foegele spared no expense in making a few Ottawa Senators look really bad on his first goal in his NHL debut. In a scoreless game late in the first period, Foegele spun off a potential hit from Ben Harpur along the boards, sending him to the ice as he moved toward the net.
Ottawa goalie Craig Anderson didn't give Foegele much daylight as he hugged the post. That didn't seem to bother Foegele. He found the tiniest sliver of space under his glove to pot his first. Foegele's reaction to the goal was also pretty cool, as was the reaction of his family. Foegele added an assist in a 4-1 win over Ottawa, their second in three days against the Senators.
4. Sebastian Aho
As he closes in on 300 goals for his career, you have to go way back to remember the very first. It was a slow build for Sebastian Aho. He'd done a decent job of producing in his first 13 games, contributing six assists. In his 14th game, a home tilt against the Washington Capitals, the Caniacs got a full glimpse at what he would become.
Aho helps to create the play, getting the puck to Teuvo Teravainen. He passed it to Jordan Staal, whose chance was kicked out. Swooping around the net, Aho was in the right spot to put the rebound home. It was the first of two goals and three points in the game for him as the Canes bested the Capitals in Raleigh. It was a hard-working goal, something we've grown to appreciate from Aho.
3. Seth Jarvis
Looking back at it, it's hard to believe that the Hurricanes waited to put Seth Jarvis in the lineup. After sitting for the first seven games of the 2021-22 season, Jarvis finally made his NHL debut against Arizona and proceeded to help set up the game-winning goal on the power play. In his second game, Jarvis took it a step further.
With the Canes down 3-1 in the second period, Jarvis got loose on a breakaway and scored in a way that just feels right in hindsight. Going toe-to-toe with Marc-Andre Fleury, Jarvis lost the puck as he tried to go to his backhand. It worked out well for him. The puck's momentum continued through Fleury's pads, kickstarting a comeback that ended with a 4-3 Carolina victory.
2. Jackson Blake
I believe there is something inherently satisfying about deflection goals, and this goal is no exception. In their second game last season, the Canes were trying to erase their poor showing from Opening Night. Naturally, it's the rookie in his third NHL game that helped push them to victory, scoring his first goal at the perfect time.
Jackson Blake makes a not-so-subtle motion with his stick to Dmitry Orlov to signal that he'll be available. Orlov flings it to the net, and Blake gets the slightest amount of wood on it to chip it over Jacob Markstrom's glove. It's reminiscent of Aho's series-ending goal against Nashville. You can only really tell that he touched it from the right angle, serving as the game-winner against the Devils.
1. Andrei Svechnikov
Almost everything about this moment was memorable. The opponent. The time in the game. The game itself. It was perfect. In just his third NHL game, Andrei Svechnikov broke through for the first time. The game that night against the Rangers was wild. It had been back and forth the entire time, sitting at 5-5 midway through the third period.
Having assisted on the tying goal already, Svechnikov slid through the defense at the top of the crease to make his stick available. There, he redirected Justin Faulk's shot past Alexandar Georgiev to score his first goal. It was how casual he made it look that stands out the most. The goal served as the game-winner in an 8-5 victory for the Canes, the first home win of Rod Brind'Amour's tenure.