Carolina Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup a couple of weeks ago, but the impact is still very much felt in the world of hockey. In the very latest, NHL analyst and Canes’ reporter Walt Ruff remembered the name of one of their unsung heroes, goaltending coach Paul Schonfelder.

Ruff took to his official X account to share a post about Schonfelder managing to get the best out of the three goaltender choices at the Hurricanes in the 2025-26 season.

“Man, shout-out to #Canes Goalie Coach Paul Schonfelder. He's the one who makes the call in net, and managing the workload of three backstops is no easy task, but he pushed the right buttons all season long,” Ruff reported on June 23.

Notably, during the last season, Schonfelder had three goaltenders at his disposal, first choice Frederik Andersen, apart from his backups Brandon Bussi and Pyotr Kochetkov.

Firstly, he managed Andersen’s workload by giving 27-year-old American Bussi regular starts in his first season, not just in Carolina, but also in the NHL.

The 36-year-old Dane, who has been with the Canes since 2021, played just 38 games in two prior seasons, excluding the Stanley Cup Playoffs, due to major fitness issues.

In 2025-26, Andersen started 35 games in the regular season with a 16-14-5 record for a .874 save percentage and 3.05 goals-against average. For Bussi, the numbers were much better in 39 starts for a 31-6-2 record, including a .895 save percentage and 2.47 goals-against average.

Schonfelder also got good returns out of Kochetkov despite the Russian starting just eight games. The 26-year-old ended up with a 6-2-0 record, including .899 save percentage and 2.33 goals-against average.

The moment of truth came for Schonfelder when Andersen wasn’t at his best in goal in the Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights after making 16 straight playoff starts. He decided to give Bussi a chance to play in Game 3 as a replacement before the three starts in the Cup Final.

His decision was vindicated as Bussi allowed just five goals in those starts, compared to 12 goals Andersen conceded in the first three games. It helped Carolina win three on the spin comfortably, to secure the Stanley Cup title for the second time in their history.

Who exactly is Carolina Hurricanes’ goaltending coach Paul Schonfelder?

Paul Schonfelder is a Stoney Creek, Ontario, native with an extensive career as a goaltending coach, as per the details mentioned about him on the NHL website. He has been in his current role at the Carolina Hurricanes for six seasons since 2020, after spending two prior seasons as a goalie consultant in their minor-league affiliates.

Before that, Schonfelder was a goaltending coach at the Ottawa 67’s in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) for three seasons. He also worked with goaltenders in the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL) at places like St. Lawrence University, Ottawa University, and the Kanata Stallions.

Schonfelder helped the Hockey Canada team win gold at the 2017 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup after being a part of their U17 national team in 2015. He also made the splash across the Pacific to Japan, working with their men’s and women’s national teams.

His playing days in the goaltender role as a junior were with the Ottawa 67’s, where he won the Memorial Cup in 1999, among many other clubs.

The Canadian went pro with the Cape Fear Fire Antz in Fayetteville, North Carolina, in the 2002-03 season. After that, he also played for the Rockford IceHogs in the United Hockey League (UHL) and the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs in the Central Hockey League (CHL).

Will Paul Schonfelder continue to make a positive impact on the Carolina Hurricanes goaltenders in the coming seasons? Tell us your views in the comments.

Read more at NHL Fan Central!

Written by

Arjun Sharma

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore