The Carolina Hurricanes' 2024-25 season came to a close earlier this week as the team lost in five games to the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final.
On Friday, select players met with the media in Raleigh for their end-of-season interviews.
Here's the interviews from three of the team's rookies: Alexander Nikishin, Scott Morrow and Logan Stankoven.
Alexander Nikishin (via Andrei Svechnikov)
On what the experience of being in the NHL has been like so far: He said that he got a big experience. He's going to know now what to expect next season. He's very happy he came and played right now in the playoffs.
On what he feels like he does well already at the NHL level and what he feels he needs to work on: He said that he doesn't want to mention the things skill wise because he saw the guys how they played, how they've been professionals and he said he just wants to try and catch them and try to be better than those guys.
On what his plans for the summer are: He said that he thinks he's going to go home very soon. He's going to come back a couple weeks before training camp starts. Being here will help him.
On what he's learned about the area and the organization so far: He said that we were here and that we helped him out a lot. He got to know about the city and area really quickly because we helped him a lot. That was it to be honest.
On what it was like making his NHL debut against Alexander Ovechkin: He said that was an amazing experience and he didn't really understand in the moment what was happening.
On being asked for one comment in English: Have a good summer.
While Svechnikov's translation may not be the perfect reproduction of Nikishin's words and thoughts, here's a translation from user @Uggg_uggg on X that appears to make Nikishin's comments much more clear.
'A Tremendous Experience': Alexander Nikishin 2024-25 Exit Interview
The Carolina Hurricanes' 2024-25 season <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/shortUrl/CJgdN4l">came to a close earlier this week</a> as the team lost in five games to the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final.
Scott Morrow
On how difficult it was getting thrown right into the series with Florida: It was really hard, fast hockey. I mean, they're three time finalists in a row for a reason. Really good team and it was a fast, physical series. I don't know how I'd quantify how hard it was, but it was certainly a lot of fun and I'm glad I got that opportunity.
On what he learned from experiencing playoff hockey at that level: Just how simple their team played is why they had success. All their defensemen were big and could skate and our defensemen who played well that I could look up to against that and against their forecheck. Moving their feet and played physical and I think those are the two biggest things I need to work on. Being a little more physical and getting a little faster.
On what he wants to focus on in the offseason: Just first and foremost, working on my skating and then trying to get a little bit stronger so I can be more physical, especially in the defensive zone. I mean, I still feel like, physically, I have a lot of room to grow and in terms of my body, I'm still a young kid. I think there's definitely more I can add as far as just off the ice and in the weight room So that will be a lot of my focus.
On what were his biggest lessons from his first professional season: First of all, it was long. Twice as many games as I've ever played in college. I got called up at the right time where you're kind of hitting that late year and that gave me a lot of energy getting to come here. That was obviously very exciting, but just finding a way to maintain peak condition throughout such a long season where you're playing so many games, I think is definitely a challenge for everybody. It's something that I've never really had to deal with on this level. You're playing every other day and you have to find time to maintain what you've built all offseason and in the weight room. So that's something that I think is definitely a challenge, especially when I'm not just trying to maintain, but get stronger and quicker and all that because I still have room to grow. So that was probably the lesson that stands out the most. And then just how pro hockey and college hockey are such different styles. So just adapting. Every single game in college is very structured and physical and here, there's so many skilled players that you're defending and you have to read and react more than I thought I did in college. So jut working on that and learning how to do that was something I felt grew over the course of the season.
'I Have A Lot Of Room To Grow': Scott Morrow 2024-25 Exit Interview
The Carolina Hurricanes' 2024-25 season <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/shortUrl/CJgdN4l">came to a close earlier this week</a> as the team lost in five games to the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final.
Logan Stankoven
On what he's learned about the organization: First class, for sure. I've enjoyed every minute of being here and the people within the organization and my teammates. I think I've been able to create a really good bond with everyone here. I love the city and just kind of the vibes around it. Looking forward to hopefully spending a lot more time here.
On how long it took for him to adjust and feel like he was at home: I'd say about a couple weeks. Once you get settled in and become comfortable with the guys around you and your surroundings and how to get to the rink and whatnot, you settle in. I've loved every minute of it, which I've said before. I'm excited for what's to come.
On what the summer will look like for him: A lot of hard work, that's for sure. For me, over the next couple of weeks, it's just going to be taking a step back, relax a bit, kind of recover and then from there, it's back in the gym and getting back on the ice again. Definitely going to look to get a bit stronger and faster of course. I think the game's getting a bit faster each year, so for me being a smaller guy, I think that's huge. Just keep working on the fundamentals and my craft. I think working on my shot is huge. A little bit of lower-body strength and whatnot. That'll be huge this summer. As much as it's tough losing now, once you sit back and look at the summer, I'm excited for the work to be put in and I'm already looking forward to next season and the future.
On his fit: A lot of guys have said this, but being an opposing player, it's tough to come in here and play. The aggressiveness and the fans and how loud it gets in here, I enjoyed it as a player, but I think as a team, it's tough when the Canes get rolling. There's so much momentum in this building when they get going. To be on the team now, you really feel it and it's good to be on the positive side of it. It's a great place to be.
'I'm Excited For What's To Come': Logan Stankoven 2024-25 Exit Interview
The Carolina Hurricanes' 2024-25 season <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/shortUrl/CJgdN4l">came to a close earlier this week</a> as the team lost in five games to the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final.
2024-25 Exit Interviews
Jordan Staal
Sebastian Aho
Jaccob Slavin
Jordan Martinook
Jalen Chatfield
Sean Walker
Jesperi Kotkaniemi
Frederik Andersen
Seth Jarvis
Andrei Svechnikov
Alexander Nikishin
Scott Morrow
Logan Stankoven
Eric Robinson
Dmitry Orlov
Brent Burns
Rod Brind'Amour and Eric Tulsky
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