RALEIGH, N.C. — Canadian Thanksgiving happened more than five weeks ago, but its American counterpart is on Thursday. With more than a quarter of the NHL season in the books, here’s something each of the Hurricanes can be thankful for — besides Carolina’s spot at the top of the Eastern Conference — so far in the 2025-26 campaign.

Sebastian Aho: Home stand

Aho quickly admitted that Carolina’s early-season road trip was tougher than usual because it was the longest he had been away from his baby daughter. Now that the Hurricanes are back from a weeklong trip, he’ll be able to settle in for more than two weeks and seven games in Raleigh — both at Lenovo Center and at home.

Frederik Andersen: Good health

It hasn’t been the start to the season that Andersen would have envisioned. He’s 5-5-2 with a sub-.900 save percentage and, according to Hockey-Reference, only three quality starts. Andersen has, however, remained available to the team. He’s made double-digit starts in the season’s first two months for the first time since 2021-22, his first season in Raleigh. There’s time for him to get back to his normal self.

Jackson Blake: Doubters

Blake and Chicago’s Frank Nazar faced some blowback after signing big-ticket deals despite having just one NHL season of experience each — 53 games, in Nazar’s case. Whether that fueled Blake is for him to say, but his $45 million contract already looks like a bargain. He’s on pace for more than 20 goals and 55 points, and his new eight-year deal doesn’t even start until next season.

Brandon Bussi: Maple Leafs

The Hurricanes claiming Bussi was a backup option should Cayden Primeau get claimed on waivers on his way to AHL Chicago. But when Toronto nabbed Primeau and when Pyotr Kochetkov got injured, Bussi suddenly became essential. He’s seized his first NHL opportunity, going 5-1-0 with an .897 save percentage. And Carolina even got Primeau back and assigned him to the Wolves.

William Carrier: A perfect fit

Carrier missed nearly half of his first season in Raleigh with an injury and was knocked out of the lineup again early in this campaign before returning. When he’s in the lineup, he’s a perfect complement to Jordan Staal and Jordan Martinook on Carolina’s third line. None of those players will ever be mistaken for point-per-game scorers, but the “Southern Comfort Line” grinds opponents’ best players to dust night after night. Carrier is battering ram of the trio, leading the team in hits per 60 minutes (10.89).

Jalen Chatfield: Teammates

The Hurricanes have a bit more bite this season, but more importantly, Carolina’s players are standing up for each other. That’s never been more evident than when captain Jordan Staal dropped the gloves — for the first time in 8 1/2 years — to come to Chatfield’s defense after a hit by Minnesota’s Tyler Pitlick concussed the Hurricanes defenseman. Those moments go a long way in a locker room, especially when it comes from your gentle giant.

Nikolaj Ehlers: Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake

Ehlers struggled to click with Aho and Seth Jarvis early in the season — enter his current linemates, second-year jitterbugs Blake and Stankoven. The trio has quickly found chemistry, and Ehlers has looked every bit the $8.5 million player while skating with his two new linemates. After going without a point in his first five games in red and black, Ehlers had 14 points in his next 17.

Shayne Gostisbehere: Even-strength scoring

Despite a reputation as Carolina’s most offensive defenseman, Gostisbehere was last among the Hurricanes’ top six blueliners in five-on-five scoring last season, finishing with 13 of his 45 points at five-on-five in 70 games. Despite missing nine of the first 22 games this season, he leads Carolina’s defense with 14 points, and eight have already come at five-on-five — also the most on the blue line.

Taylor Hall: Points equaling wins

Hall is in a role that most former Hart Trophy winners and No. 1 draft picks don’t find themselves in, logging fourth-line minutes. He’s still finding ways to make a difference, and in the 10 games in which he recorded a point — he has five goals and 12 points through 22 games, in just over 14 minutes of ice time per night — the Hurricanes are 9-0-1.

Mark Jankowski: Shooting percentage

Jankowski stormed into Raleigh after last season’s trade deadline and couldn’t miss. He scored on six of his first eight shots on goal with the Hurricanes — including each of his first four — and finished the regular season with eight goals on 21 shots in 13 games with Carolina. He has only one goal in 13 games this season, but perhaps he just needs to fire away more — Jankowski has just seven shots on goal, meaning his career shooting percentage with the Hurricanes is still a gaudy 32.1 percent.

Seth Jarvis: Seven more lives

Perhaps Jarvis’ nickname should be “The Cat” because it feels like he has nine lives this season. The fifth-year winger is on the cusp of stardom and is making a case for Canada’s Olympic team, but he’s also had a bit of luck. He left the Oct. 31 game against the Islanders after blocking a shot, and despite a dim prognosis from coach Rod Brind’Amour after the game, he was on the ice two days later against Boston. Then he took a stick to the eye from teammate Andrei Svechnikov on Nov. 14, exiting the game, but again didn’t miss any more time.

Pyotr Kochetkov: Cracked door

If Kochetkov can stay out of the trainer’s room, the door is open for him to grab the No. 1 job in net. Andersen has gotten off to a mediocre start, and Kochetkov is just seconds shy of having two shutouts in four starts this season. Even after giving up a very late goal in a 3-1 win over Boston, the Russian netminder is 4-0-0 with a .926 save percentage and 1.70 goals-against average.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi: New role

Kotkaniemi’s days as the Hurricanes’ second-line center are over, but he’s been effective in his new role. Kotkaniemi is pivoting arguably the league’s best fourth line, with Eric Robinson and Hall, and he’s also taken on some penalty-killing minutes this season. He’s playing just over 10 minutes a night — not what you want out of a player with more than $20 million coming to him over the next four seasons — but he’s still sixth among Carolina forwards in points per 60 at five-on-five.

Charles Alexis Legault: Long career ahead

Legault’s scary injury — he suffered sliced tendons in his right hand after inadvertently punching a skate during a Nov. 9 scrum in Toronto — was an unfortunate roadblock in the rookie’s career. The 22-year-old had filled in admirably as the Hurricanes suffered injury after injury on defense, only to require surgery that will keep him out of the lineup for three to four months. The good news is that Legault, if he recovers fully, looks like another late-round find for Carolina.

Jordan Martinook: Yin-yang

If Staal is the Hurricanes’ yin as its stoic leader, Martinook is the yang. Both have a bottomless work ethic that sets the tone for Carolina’s style, but Martinook’s never-ending energy — on the ice, in practice and in the locker room — makes him the team’s glue guy. His partnership with Staal is a driving force behind the team’s success.

K’Andre Miller: The right fit

Miller was practically run out of New York, blamed for the Rangers’ issues that went well beyond him. He’s already found a comfortable home in Raleigh. He has some of the best underlying numbers in hockey — he’s second among defensemen (behind Gostisbehere) in the NHL in Corsi For percentage (63.24 percent) and ranks 32nd in the league in points per 60 in all situations among defensemen — and should only get better as he continues to adapt to his new team.

Alexander Nikishin: Language barrier

Brind’Amour has often said Nikishin’s limited grasp of English is his biggest hurdle in filling his immense potential, but it might also be a gift. If Nikishin had read the social-media discourse about him, he’d probably be as frazzled as the Hurricanes’ fan base every time his ice time dips a few minutes, he sits out one game or goes another night without being on the power play. Instead, Nikishin is usually all smiles on the ice and in the locker room.

Joel Nystrom: Injuries

Injuries are a bad thing for any team, but Carolina’s have at least been good for Nystrom. Most seventh-round picks don’t get a peek at the NHL in their first season, and Nystrom also had just seven AHL games under his belt since coming over from Sweden. The Hurricanes’ parade to the infirmary gave Nystrom an opportunity, and he’s grabbed it. He looks poised, and the 23-year-old also has all the makings of a great fit for Carolina in the future — and, as it turns out, even the present.

Mike Reilly: Summer decision

Reilly was sidelined for a large chunk of last season after it was discovered he needed a heart procedure, which was done last November. That, and lineup decisions, limited him to 18 games. He signed with the Hurricanes in the offseason to be the team’s No. 7 defender and has already played 19 games this season due to Carolina’s rash of injuries on the blue line. He’s shown he can contribute in all situations, which makes him valuable to the Hurricanes as they get healthy. It should also help him moving forward.

Eric Robinson: Hot hand

Robinson missed six games this season with an injury, but he’s been able to convert his chances when in the lineup. After setting career highs in goals (14), assists (18) and points (32) last season, he re-signed with Carolina and has scored five times in 16 games this year. That has him on pace for more than 20 goals, though he’s unlikely to continue scoring on a quarter of his shots. Still, he’s provided valuable depth scoring as part of the Hurricanes’ menacing fourth line.

Jaccob Slavin: Olympics

Slavin’s return from injury has been shrouded in a bit of mystery. He was wearing a knee sleeve in the offseason and then barely participated in training camp. He was shut down after the second game of the season and hasn’t rejoined the team in practice yet. The Olympics, in February, give him a goal to work toward. Slavin did skate ahead of practice on Tuesday, but Carolina — and Team USA — will want him at full strength whenever he does return.

Jordan Staal: Fall feast

Staal is having his most productive scoring start in years, posting seven goals in his first 21 games. Carolina’s captain hasn’t scored that much in October and November since 2017-18, and the injury to Florida’s Aleksander Barkov could open the door for a higher-scoring Staal to finally claim a long-deserved Selke Trophy. The Hurricanes will need to tighten up defensively and on the penalty kill for him to do it, but a 20-goal season would go a long way toward Staal making an even stronger case.

Logan Stankoven: Belief

Stankoven has been doubted plenty in his career — that’s how it goes when you’re the smallest player on the ice every night. Not only have Brind’Amour and the Hurricanes raved about the 22-year-old’s constant motor, but they also showed their belief in him by giving him a shot at center. It wasn’t that long ago that Brind’Amour thought Aho might not be big enough to play in the middle, so it must be a confidence boost for Stankoven that one of the best centers of a past era thinks he can handle the position — height be damned.

Andrei Svechnikov: Closed eyes

It’s been a wild ride for Svechnikov this season. From his season-starting eight-game point drought, which pushed him to the fourth line, to a report that he wouldn’t be opposed to a trade, the eight-year pro (can you believe that?) has dealt with plenty through 22 games. He said Tuesday he has a practical way of dealing with the noise: “You just close your eyes and play hockey.” Back on the top line, Svechnikov has turned around his season. And while he blocks out anything around him, he’s also always willing to talk about his play — good or bad.

Sean Walker: Tire tread

Walker has handled an average of 23:23 of ice time per game this season as Carolina’s workhorse among a bruised and battered blue line. That would be a lot to ask most 31-year-olds to do for the first time, but Walker doesn’t have the wear and tear of most defensemen his age. While the Ryan Lindgrens and Ryan Graveses of the world — both younger than Walker — look worn out in the eighth season of their careers, Walker appears to be just getting warmed up in year 8.