RALEIGH, N.C. — The morning before he made the most important hockey play of his life, the shortest skater in the Stanley Cup Final stood as tall as he could in front of his tidy stall and made a proclamation.
“No disrespect to any other teams, but it’s big-boy hockey out there,” Logan Stankoven said, without a whiff of irony.
The man who might still need to get on his tippytoes to ride the scary roller coasters must’ve forgotten to slip off his skates the day the NHL measured him at five feet, eight inches.
“They’re a big team,” he continued. “There’s not a lot of time and space out there to make plays. I think they do a good job at blocking shots and fronting plays, so we have to find ways to get to the net.”
Credit the "Little Engine that Could" for both dialling into the importance of busting through the Vegas Golden Knights’ fortress and for revving up Game 2’s remarkable third-period rally that has this series squared.
Vegas, as Taylor Hall accurately explained, is heavier than any of the three Eastern Conference foes Carolina ran out of the bracket. And the Knights had the Hurricanes and their faithful locked down by a 2-0 deficit and into a 50-minute sleeper hold Thursday before the 23-year-old try-hard singlehandedly sparked a comeback that prolonged, if not saved, the Canes’ season.
Outmuscling Rasmus Andersson, a defenceman to whom he gives up nearly 40 pounds, behind the net, dogging the puck, and greasing a backhand through Carter Hart, Stankoven breathed life into the barn, the series.
“We needed someone to step up and get us going, and he had a great individual effort on that,” Mark Jankowski said. “Not the biggest guy. But he has the biggest heart.”
Rod Brind’Amour tapped his four times postgame when asked how a player of Stankoven’s stature continually Davids the Goliaths.
“Can’t measure that stuff,” the proud coach said. “He just keeps doing it night in, night out. Determination, all that stuff. It’s pretty amazing.”
The second-line centre’s team-leading 10 goals this postseason are only trumped in the franchise record book by the 12 Brind’Amour scored en route to hoisting Carolina’s lone Stanley Cup in 2006.
“I had to play against him when he was in Dallas, right?” teammate William Carrier said. “He’s feisty out there. He’s maybe not the biggest guy, but I would hate to play against him.
“And that’s a playoff goal right there. ... It was exactly what we needed.”
Stankoven’s three game-winners and 50 shots in these playoffs lead all skaters. The man packs a lot into his compact frame and 17 minutes of ice time.
“It’s what you dream of as a kid. One day it's to win the Cup, but you want to be a difference maker in the NHL. I know I’m not a finished product. I still have work to put in,” Stankoven said.
“I still have so much to learn, but I’m really happy with how I played the second half of the season and into the playoffs.”
Considering the grind to get here, to spend the bulk of his rookie year developing in the American League, to drive himself into a 20-goal NHLer this season, Stankoven says he refuses to take this opportunity for granted.
Stankoven’s points per game routinely ramp up come playoff time, and he flashes a grin when it’s suggested that he shines brightest under the glare. He craves the clutch.
“Honestly, since the series against Philadelphia, I’ve had some tough sleeps. You just start thinking. Just overthinking things, I guess. Part of it’s just being excited, too. I feel like I'm a guy that brings a lot of energy, so sometimes it’s hard falling asleep,” Stankoven said.
“Obviously, picture yourself hoisting the Cup.”
Three more wins, and it’ll be a family photograph unlike any other.
Mother Deana, who cuts hair out of the family home; father Wes, who works for BC Hydro; and younger sister Macie, who would tag along for Logan’s 5 a.m. minor hockey practices, have all taken vacation time. They’ve flown south and will follow Stankoven throughout the ride.
“They’re pretty nervous,” Stankoven said. “Growing up, my mom would always be pretty dialled in. I think my dad’s a little bit more relaxed, and then my sister’s just very supportive.”
Stankoven will repay all their support.
The eighth-highest-salaried Cane is certainly outperforming his paycheques. Shortly after getting traded from Dallas as part of the 2025 deadline’s Mikko Rantanen blockbuster, Stankoven signed a max-term deal that should keep him in Raleigh through 2033-34.
On one hand, his $6 million AAV will look like more of a bargain as the cap soars. On the other, would you dare turn down $48 million guaranteed?
“It’s what every kid dreams of, being able to play in the NHL for years to come. And I just thought it was a no-brainer for me to sign long-term. I do know that the cap’s going to be going up, but I couldn’t be happier to sign here long term,” Stankoven said.
“It gives me and my family some security, and I want to be able to take care of them.”
Pretty prudent reasoning from such a young athlete.
That’s because, as Seth Jarvis said, Stankoven is “a 45-year-old man in a 23-year-old body.”
The boys good-naturedly poke fun at Stankoven’s mature, detail-oriented approach. The centreman takes the teasing in stride, but order calms his mind.
“It’s just the mentality I bring. I feel like I’m a pretty organized guy. I kind of have my schedules that I stick to. I have always been like that,” Stankoven said. “Maybe it’s just part of the way I was brought up. I like to have stuff organized.”
He keeps his apartment in tight order and his locker spotless, making sure not to leave any mess for the Canes trainers.
“I don't know if it's OCD or what,” Stankoven said. “It’s just something I’ve had for a while —to be organized, ready to go, and then go out there and do my thing.”
Which is scavenging pucks, refusing to back down from a big opponent or bigger moment, and capitalizing on his hard-earned chances.
Rantanen didn’t love Brind’Amour’s pressurized system as much as Stankoven, who describes all that skating and checking as “a fun brand of hockey,” even if the coach’s fitness standard is “a little bit tougher” than the one he was held to by the Stars.
When his son got traded, Wes Stankoven told The Dallas Morning News the family was “devastated.” They swore he’d be wearing green for life.
“Everything kind of happens for a reason,” Logan says now. “Dallas got their guy. But I’ve been super happy just to come in here. I felt just the way I play and my motor, I’ve been able to fit in well here, and coaching staff has been really supportive with me, and all my teammates are awesome.”
Funny how things turn out.
Stankoven has only become a brighter star since Dallas cut him loose. The kid with the “Stanky” nickname is smelling like roses, and big-boy hockey could not be a better fit for an undersized guy.
