Surry County is not known as Hockey Country, but that hasn’t kept a Dobson native from playing a key role with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Mallory Wilmoth found herself right in the thick of things when the Hurricanes recently won the Stanley Cup as the 2026 champions of the National Hockey League.

Wilmoth, who is team operations assistant with the NHL franchise based in Raleigh, participated in some key events after the Hurricanes’ victory over the Vegas Golden Knights to capture the title.

This included getting to hoist the Stanley Cup on the ice after the victory ending the championship series four games to two, with her father also doing so during a party following that contest.

Mallory Wilmoth additionally held up the trophy at the end of a celebration parade when Hurricanes notables were making speeches.

Those are privileges generally reserved for individuals deemed to have played a key role in a club’s success.

“This team is a family, and I couldn’t be more grateful to be a part of it,” Wilmoth commented afterward.

“Unforgettable season, incredible support, eternally thankful,” she added.

Athletic success locally

The Dobson native graduated from Surry Central High School about 10 years ago, playing both basketball and tennis for the Golden Eagles.

Wilmoth was named to the 2015 Midwestern 2-A all-region tennis team during her high school career.

Her father, Keith Wilmoth, owned Chappell Insurance in Dobson for many years, while her mother, Emily Wilmoth, taught in Surry County Schools her entire career.

Mallory received a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2020 and a master’s degree in sports management from Florida State University in 2022.

The Surry Central grad then served as the Seminoles’ director of recruitment for women’s basketball.

Earlier while in Chapel Hill, she spent two years as a student manager for the UNC men’s basketball team.

Wilmoth joined the Carolina Hurricanes as team operations assistant in February 2024.

That position involves overseeing equipment transfers for home and road games, organizing player appearances and providing support to the Hurricanes’ Hockey Operations Department.

Travel coordination, scheduling, managing player tickets and coordinating player and staff family groups are among other duties with which the Dobson native is involved.