New Carolina Hurricanes center Mark Jankowski got the call right away with his new team, drawing in as the fourth-line center for the Carolina Hurricanes against the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday.
And it didn’t take Jankowski long to make an impact, as he ripped home the game-opening goal top corner on Connor Hellebuyck in the first period at Lenovo Center.
But it didn’t stop there as Jankowski grabbed a second goal not long after, tucking home a loose puck after crashing the Winnipeg net.
The 6-foot-4 centerman is a veteran of nearly 400 NHL games, having played on four different NHL organizations before arriving in Carolina.
Jankowski brings both a blend of size and versatility to the lineup as the Canes prepare for the playoff push.
“You’ve gotta have depth at this time of year,” said Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour. “Big body and he’s been around. He gets what it’s all about and how to play. You can’t have enough of that. I think he’ll be a good addition.”
The Hurricanes acquired the 2012 first-round pick from the Nashville Predators for a 2026 fifth-round pick in one of the final moves of the deadline.
“It’s been crazy,” Jankowski said of the trade. “I got a call late, probably a couple hours after the deadline, honestly. Found out then and obviously had a few calls. The GM in Nashville called me to let me know and then Eric [Tulsky], here, called me right away. Got a lot of text messages and was just trying to figure out how to get here as fast as possible.”
It was quite the debut for the new guys as Mark Jankowski scored twice and Logan Stankoven grabbed the game winner to help lead the Canes to victory.
After the game, Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour along with Jankowski. Stankoven and Scott Morrow, who registered his first career NHL point, spoke with the media. Here’s what they had to say:
Jankowski already seems like a good fit for the team, with strong play driving on both sides of the puck as well as a 53% faceoff win percentage over the past three season.
“I’m a smart, two-way player,” Jankowski said. “Someone that can be relied upon in the D-zone and someone that the coach can have a lot of trust in while being able to chip in on offense as well. Really good on the PK, good on faceoffs and someone that the coach can trust in pretty much all situations.”
There’s also a lot of extra motivation for a player like Jankowski who goes from a non-contending team to all of a sudden, playing meaningful hockey again.
“Obviously we had a lot of expectations [in Nashville] and they weren’t met, so it was frustrating,” Jankowski said. “I think everyone there feels like they could have done more. But coming over here to a playoff team and a legit contender is super exciting. I obviously loved my time in Nashville, was there for three years and had a lot of great memories with a great group of guys there, but just being able to transition here to a contending team is really exciting.
“I know a lot of players who have played here in the past. Talked to them a lot and everyone says great things about the organization, the team, the people, the city, so I’m really looking forward to being a part of it and just trying to get accustomed to everything here.”
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