"Brett took another big step forward last season," said Francis. "He plays a smart defensive game and has good ability to move the puck and contribute offensively. We plan for him to be a part of the Hurricanes' defensive corps for a long time."
Pesce, 22, completed his second full professional season in 2016-17, playing in all 82 of the Hurricanes' games. The Tarrytown, NY, native set NHL career highs with 18 assists and 20 points, and, along with his defensive partner Jaccob Slavin, posted a team single-season best plus-23 plus/minus rating. Pesce and Slavin finished the 2016-17 season ranked tied for 10th among all NHL skaters in plus/minus.
Originally drafted by the Hurricanes in the third round, 66th overall, in the 2013 NHL Draft, Pesce has scored six goals and earned 30 assists (36 points) in 151 career NHL regular-season games with Carolina. He made his NHL debut with the Hurricanes on Oct. 24, 2015, after playing just three American Hockey League (AHL) games with Carolina's affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers, to start 2015-16. Pesce (6'3", 200 lbs.) turned professional after three seasons at the University of New Hampshire, where he was teammates and roommates with newly-acquired Hurricanes defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk.
