Hurricanes’ Logan Stankoven Shares 5-Word Response to First Fight

It’s been less than a year since Logan Stankoven found himself at the center of one of the biggest trades in recent memory — the deal that sent Mikko Rantanen out of Carolina and reshaped the franchise’s future.

Late into last season, the Hurricanes moved on from a superstar who didn’t want to stay, shipping Rantanen to Colorado in exchange for Stankoven, a conditional 2026 first-round pick, a 2026 third, a 2027 third, and another conditional 2028 first.

At just 22 years old, Stankoven represented the future — a spark plug with scoring touch and infectious energy. He had five goals and four assists in his first 19 regular-season games with the Canes before adding five goals and three assists in 15 playoff contests. This year, he’s already showing signs of improvement, posting five goals and four assists in 16 games — and now, his first career NHL fight.

Stankoven Standing Up for His Teammate

The gloves came off late in the first period of a tense 1–0 game against the Washington Capitals. A scrum broke out after Nic Dowd crashed into goaltender Frederik Andersen. Amid the chaos, Capitals defenseman Martin Fehérváry — all 6-foot-2, 215 pounds of him — started shoving around Carolina forward Blake. That’s when the 5-foot-8, 165-pound Stankoven decided enough was enough.

Nic Dowd runs into Frederik Andersen, and chaos ensues, including Logan Stankoven dropping the gloves with Martin Fehervary. pic.twitter.com/IhiQHOokww
— Walt Ruff (@WaltRuff) November 12, 2025

He stepped in, dropped the gloves, and went toe-to-toe with a player nearly half a foot taller and 50 pounds heavier. The crowd roared loudly, and even though the rookie didn’t exactly dominate the bout, he held his own and more importantly, stood up for his team. Bonus aura points for getting cut and looking cool skating away from the fight with his face covered in blood.

After the game, Stankoven told the media it was his first real fight he'd ever had in his life. When asked about his first NHL fight, his answer was perfect in its simplicity and probably won him some new fans.

“Honestly, I really enjoyed it.”

We may see Logan Stankoven drop the gloves more often 😅 pic.twitter.com/cZfzDNj74i
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) November 12, 2025

A Spark Much Bigger Than His Size

It wasn’t the first time Stankoven mixed it up with Washington. His only other NHL game with at least five penalty minutes also came against the Capitals back in April, when he picked up a minor and a 10-minute misconduct. But this time, it felt different — a moment of arrival.

“When you see a teammate down like that, and they try and push us around, I’m not gonna stand for that,” Stankoven said after the 4-1 loss to the Capitals.

It’s the kind of response that makes coaches grin and teammates rally — and that’s exactly what happened. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour was quick to praise both Stankoven and Blake in his postgame presser, saying:

"He's not gonna back down, we know that. He's a tough kid. [him and Blake], those two guys, they were dragging us into this game, trying to get us going."

"He's not gonna back down, we know that. He's a tough kid. (Him and Jackson Blake), those two guys, they were dragging us into this game, trying to get us going."

Rod Brind'Amour on Logan Stankoven following tonight's game. pic.twitter.com/TaEIxPpbgi
— Walt Ruff (@WaltRuff) November 12, 2025

A rookie standing tall against a heavyweight — not because he had to, but because it was the right thing to do. In just five words, Logan Stankoven showed why Carolina believes he’s worth every pick they traded for him.

And while no one expects him to turn into a fighter, that moment showed he’s not afraid to step up. Will we see him drop the gloves more often going forward?

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