RALEIGH, N.C. - The National Hockey League announced today that Carolina Hurricanes forward Martin Necas has been named the league’s First Star for the month of November. It marks just the sixth time in franchise history that a member of the team has earned the league’s player of the month honor.
Necas, 25, notched 22 points (7g, 15a) and seven multi-point efforts in 15 games during the month of November to lead all NHL skaters in points for the month. He has registered 37 points (12g, 25a) in 24 games this season to rank second among all league skaters in points and rank fourth in assists. Necas also leads the league in power-play points (17) and is tied for the league lead in four-point games with two (MR: 2g, 2a on Nov. 17 vs. STL). The Czech winger has recorded 12 games with two or more points in 2024-25, tied for the second-most in the NHL behind Kirill Kaprizov (13). With two assists in his 22nd game of the season on Nov. 27 vs. the Rangers, he became the fastest Hurricanes skater to 37 points in franchise history, (previously Eric Staal: 26 GP in 2005-06). The 6’3”, 195-pound forward notched a career-high 13-game point streak (10g,17a) from Oct. 22-Nov. 17. Earlier this season, he was also named the NHL’s “Second Star” of the week ending November 3rd. This marks the first time that Necas has been named the NHL’s First Star of the Month.
A native of Nove Mesto na Morave, Czechia, Necas recorded 53 points (24g, 29a) in 77 NHL games with Carolina in 2023-24, finishing fourth on the team in goals and power-play goals (8), tied for third in points and third in even-strength goals (16). He also added nine points (4g, 5a) in 11 contests during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with all four goals coming at even strength. Necas has registered 280 points (109g, 171a) in 386 games over parts of eight NHL seasons, and he has tallied 30 points (11g, 19a) in 59 career postseason contests.
This marks the fifth time a Carolina Hurricanes player has been named the league’s player of the month, and the third instance since 2006-07 (Anton Khudobin, January 2014 and Cam Ward, March 2009). Goaltender Arturs Irbe was the NHL’s Player of the Month in October 1998 and center Eric Staal was named the league’s offensive player of the month in October 2005. Only one member of the Hartford Whalers was ever named the NHL’s Player of the Month – Mike Rogers in December 1980.
