RALEIGH, N.C. - Eric Tulsky, General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has activated defenseman Jaccob Slavin from injured reserve and assigned defenseman Joel Nystrom to the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League (AHL).
Slavin, 31, appeared in the first two games of the 2025-26 season before missing 29 games due to a lower-body injury. The Denver, Colorado native has posted 299 points (55g, 244a) in 747 career NHL games with Carolina. He is the Hurricanes franchise record holder among defensemen in points, assists and shorthanded points (18), and ranks tied for the lead in both shorthanded goals (4) and overtime goals (3). The Hurricanes’ alternate captain has added 40 points (9g, 31a) in 86 career playoff contests, and he holds franchise records for postseason games played, goals, assists and points among defensemen. A two-time winner of the NHL’s Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (2020-21, 2023-24), Slavin has registered the most takeaways (701), shorthanded points (tied, 18) and fifth-highest plus/minus (tied, +166) of any NHL blueliner since the start of the 2015-16 season, and his 701 career takeaways rank second overall in the league over that span. The 6’3” 207-pound blueliner was selected by Carolina in the fourth round, 120th overall, at the 2012 NHL Draft.
Nystrom, 23, made his NHL debut on Oct. 23 at Colorado, and has totaled five assists and a plus-3 rating in 24 games played for the Hurricanes this season. He recorded his first NHL point with an assist on Nov. 8 vs. Buffalo, and has also appeared in three AHL games this season with Chicago, registering one assist and a plus-2 rating. The Karlstad, Sweden, native is in his first full season in North America, after scoring 25 goals and earning 61 assists (86 points) in 221 Swedish Hockey League (SHL) games during five seasons with Färjestad BK. He ranked first among Färjestad defensemen during the 2024-25 season in assists (21), tied for first in points (27) and second in goals (6) in 51 games played. Nystrom (5’11”, 178 lbs.) was selected by Carolina in the seventh round, 219th overall, at the 2021 NHL Draft.
