Fast Aims To Keep Building Confidence After Goal-Scoring Postseason

"I know that I'm not the most skilled guy, but I'm just going to continue trying to go to the net and find those pucks. And if those pucks are there, hopefully, I can put them in."

By Walt Ruff

@WaltRuff Hurricanes.com

September 25, 2023

RALEIGH, NC. - Ask any player or coach in the Carolina Hurricanes locker room and "consistent" is the unanimous word chosen to describe Jesper Fast.

A hard-working, quiet, do-the-little-things-right player, "Quickie" returns to Raleigh for a fourth season as a member of the team after inking a new two-year deal this summer.

The contract, inked on July 1, came to fruition after both an outwardly expressed desire to be back with the franchise, as well as an impressive 2023 postseason for Fast. Leading the club with six goals during the run, the winger came in clutch with a pair of overtime winners, including the series-ender in Game 5 against the New Jersey Devils.

So, for a locker room that had adopted the mantra of being "1% better every day", what does that look like for #71?

"For me, it's trying to build confidence off of [last year's playoffs]. I felt good about the way I played, so hopefully I can build on it," Fast answered after a recent practice. "Hopefully, the bounces keep coming."

A new decal displaying "+1%" is on the floor of the hallway leading to the ice from the Canes locker room. It is designed to be the last thing they see before exiting the doors to the ice.

Epitomizing the hockey cliché of "goals all show up the same on the scoresheet", Fast will be the first to tell you that his goals are never the prettiest nor the flashiest. Does he care? Not in the slightest.

"I know that I'm not the most skilled guy, but I'm just going to continue trying to go to the net and find those pucks. And if those pucks are there, hopefully, I can put them in," the 31-year-old continued.

The coaching staff appears to see it the exact same way, suggesting that there are no major changes needed for the Swede achieve the same level of success as he did in the spring.

"He doesn't have to change. He's not going to be a guy that goes end-to-end with it, but he's always around the net and he's always trying to find those loose pucks," Assistant Coach Jeff Daniels, who runs the forwards for the team, said. "So, for him, again, it's not changing, it's just that you hope that confidence continues building for him."

Fast scored the overtime winner in Game 2 against the New York Islanders in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

"He got rewarded for his hard work," Brind'Amour praised of Fast's postseason. "He's always around it. Every game, he's there. You notice him and the way he plays."

Also acknowledging that wholesale changes aren't needed from the trusty forward, the head coach agreed that the mental aspect of the game may be the 1% betterment that he brings to the table for the team.

"We want all of our guys to build on their years from last year. We had a pretty good year," Brind'Amour continued. "We're not looking for huge steps from everyone. Maybe [those small steps] are the difference."

JESPER FAST SERIES WINNER IN OT 🚨 pic.twitter.com/pdi3Mkx1tq
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) May 12, 2023

"I always try to play the same way, but sometimes when you're feeling more confident you're holding onto the puck a little bit more. Maybe you're trying to make one more play," Fast proceeded when expressing how confidence enhances his game. "Sometimes you see plays differently. Sometimes it just makes things easier. When the bounces come, you can build confidence easier, and hopefully that's the case again this season."

At the end of the day, Fast's goal totals won't define the player that he is. His seemingly endless motor and knack for the defensive side of the game will always have the respect of his peers and coaches.

However, no one is going to be upset if he picks up where he left off in May.

"As a coach, he does all of the little things that might not get recognized on the stat sheet or in the highlights. You always appreciate the way he plays the game," Daniels closed with. "You like to see those guys rewarded like he was during the playoffs. He'll have confidence, and he should, from that."