Carolina Hurricanes forward William Carrier has the quintessential look of a hockey player.

Carrier has a rugged build. He has the big square jaw, one reminiscent of former Canes defenseman Sean Hill from years ago. He has the stubble of a beard, which only accentuates his look and his status as a veteran, no-nonsense, been-through-the-wars kind of player.

Carrier also has something few other Canes have: a Stanley Cup ring. He survived that playoff war playing with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023, and now joins Canes captain Jordan Staal and defenseman Dmitry Orlov as Cup winners.

Staal got his ring with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009 and Orlov with the Washington Capitals in 2018. Carrier has the newest of the bunch, but also believes he could get another one.

“You’ve just got to keep grinding,” he said in an N&O interview in the Canes’ locker room at the Lenovo Center. “This team … that’s why I picked Carolina. They’re right there. They’re not missing much.

“They’re exactly what I expected. These guys are fast, they’re skilled, they work their (butts) off. When you see these guy work, you understand why they win so much. Playing against them, especially coming into this building, you knew they’d be on your back and pressing hard. And that’s exactly the way I want to play.”

Carrier, 29, signed a six-year, $12 million deal with the Hurricanes in free agency, making a long-term commitment to a franchise that has won a Cup, that has been in the playoffs the past six years with Rod Brind’Amour as coach.

Carrier, initially drafted by the St. Louis Blues, was playing with the Buffalo Sabres when he was made available in the 2017 NHL expansion draft and taken by the Golden Knights. It was off to Las Vegas for the LaSalle, Quebec, native, and the Golden Knights reached the 2018 Stanley Cup Final in their first year of existence.

The Golden Knights were beaten by the Caps, but put it all together in 2023, dispatching the Florida Panthers in five games to win the Cup.

What separates teams that win the Cup from those that fall short?

“A little luck,” Carrier said this week. “There is a bit of puck luck involved, right? You get there and get to that Final and you need those bounces. You work hard to get those bounces, too, but you kind of need that.

“So a little luck, and then when you get to the Final, you’ve had a good stretch of playing well. The team has played well for 20 games. You’re healthy and no one is injured. You’re just on a good run, and it’s fun when every play means something, when every play is big.”

And then to win it and lift the Cup …

“It’s a great feeling and I enjoyed more the grind of getting there than in winning it,” Carrier said. “Every playoff game seems like three games, physically. Your family kind of gets pushed to the side, and all you’re doing is just focusing on that one thing.

“Once you win it, it’s like, ‘All right.’ You’re almost glad it’s over because you’ve been working your (butt) off for like 20 years to get there.”

Brind’Amour experienced that playoff strain as captain of the Hurricanes’ 2006 Cup champions, and now seeks to add another championship banner as head coach. The Hurricanes have won a lot of games and collected a lot of regular-season points the past six seasons. But the playoffs? The Canes have not advanced out of the Eastern Conference finals.

Bringing in a player such as Carrier, with his Cup-winning background, can only help, Brind’Amour said Thursday.

“He knows how to play,” Brind’Amour said. “When you’ve been through it, experience is everything. For me, it’s how he plays. That’s what you need on your team. Especially with what we’ve lost, he’s a good fit and that’s what we’ll see.”

For Carrier, the fit in preseason training camp has been on Staal’s line opposite winger Jordan Martinook. That’s the spot often filled the past few seasons by winger Jesper Fast, but the Swede will not play this season as he continues to recover from neck surgery.

Talk about a line with some heft, one that can jam and forecheck, that can play a heavy game. Carrier is listed at 6-2 and 220 pounds, Staal goes 6-4 and (at least) 220 and Martinook is 6-foot and 196 pounds.

In the Canes’ 8-2 preseason win over Florida last week at the Lenovo Center, Carrier had a goal and assist. His score came off a wraparound that had the puck glance off a Panthers skate – the goal not immediately detected – and he set up Staal for a goal with a quick centering pass through Martinook’s legs.

Carrier had seven hits in the game, befitting a player who has had 337 hits in 81 career playoff games. While not a big point producer -- he did have a career-high 16 goals in 56 games for Vegas in 2022-23 -- Carrier has plenty of thump in his game.

The Staal line was together again Friday as the Canes beat Tampa Bay 2-1 on Shayne Gostisbehere’s overtime goal at 1:57 of the OT. Jesperi Kotkaniemi had the Canes’ first goal and goalie Pyotr Kochetkov went the distance, facing Andrei Vasilevskiy in the first 32 minutes before Jonas Johansson took over in the Lightning net.

“I’ve never lacked size and speed,” Carrier said. “I’ve always played with guys who wanted to make plays and score, but also play defensively and be responsible defensively. That’s how I play.”

New role for Harrold

Peter Harrold has been named the Hurricanes’ Director of Player Development. The former NHL defenseman previously served as the Defenseman Development Coach, working with all defensemen in the Hurricanes system,

In his new role, Harrold will oversee the development of all players in the team’s pipeline. Harrold first joined the organization in a skills development role in the 2020-21 season.