Hurricanes hire former player as development coach

After confirming his retirement in June, former Hurricanes winger Jesper Fast is returning to the organization as a development coach, the team announced.

Fast’s career was truncated by a neck injury he suffered in Carolina’s final game of the 2023-24 regular season. He required surgery that sidelined him for the playoffs and kept him on injured reserve for the entirety of 2024-25 before his retirement announcement.

As such, 2025-26 will mark Fast’s sixth season affiliated with the organization in some capacity. The 33-year-old initially joined the Canes on a three-year, $6M contract in free agency in 2020. He then signed a two-year, $4.8M extension in 2023 that covered the end of his playing career.

The 6’1″ winger was one of the league’s best skaters when active, and he’ll look to bring that mentality to Carolina’s prospect pool in his new role. A sixth-round pick by the Rangers in 2010, he totaled 91 goals and 248 points in 703 career games while routinely serving as an adept penalty killer thanks to his great pace and above-average hockey sense.

Fast joins Daniel Bochner and Kevin McCarthy to round out the Canes’ group of development coaches. The trio serves under former NHL defenseman Peter Harrold, their director of player development.