Justin Faulk

Justin Michael Faulk (born March 20, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman and alternate captain for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL).

He previously played for the Carolina Hurricanes for the first eight years of his career.

Faulk was born on March 20, 1992, in South St. Paul, Minnesota to parents Gail and Dale.

Faulk learned how to ice skate at three years old and began playing organized ice hockey at the age of six.

His father died when he was seven years old and he was subsequently raised by his mother alongside his brother David.

Following his father's death, Faulk described his mother as the biggest influence on his career.

Growing up in Minnesota, Faulk played prep ice hockey for South St. Paul High School before joining the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (USNTDP) for two seasons.

During the 2007–08 season, Faulk recorded six goals and 15 assists to earn honorable mention all-conference honors.

He was selected by the Hurricanes in the 2nd round (37th overall) of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

Before turning professional, Faulk played for the University of Minnesota Duluth where he set a new school record for most goals by a rookie defenceman and helped them capture the national championship.

As a sophomore, he committed to play Division 1 hockey for the University of Minnesota Duluth for the 2010–11 season.

Faulk had previously considered playing in the United States Hockey League but felt that the USNTDP would be better for his development.

Faulk spent the 2010–11 season playing for the University of Minnesota Duluth, helping them capture the national championship.

During this season, Faulk set a new school record for most points in a single season by a freshman defenseman.

Immediately following the signing, Faulk was assigned to the Hurricanes American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers, for the remainder of the 2010–11 season.

He made his professional debut in Game 4 of their first-round Calder Cup series against the Hershey Bears.

He skated in 13 Calder Cup playoff games, posting two assists.

On April 15, 2011, Faulk concluded his collegiate career by signing a three-year entry-level contract with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Prior to the start of the 2011–12 season, Faulk participated in the Hurricanes' prospect tournament and training camp.

During the Hurricanes' exhibition games, Faulk saw time on the teams' power play and logged over 20 minutes of ice time.

After impressing the coaching staff during training camp, Faulk was named to the Hurricanes' opening night roster.

He made his debut on October 7 where he skated just under 20 minutes and accumulated four penalty minutes in the 5–1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

He played in two more games for the Hurricanes, averaging 18:59 of ice time per game, before being re-assigned to the Charlotte Checkers on October 19.

Faulk played in 12 games for the Checkers, tallying four goals and two assists, before returning to the NHL level on November 17.

His four goals and six points were tied for first among Checkers defensemen.

He immediately made an impact in the lineup and played just over 22 minutes in his first game back, including three minutes on the power play and 1:32 on the penalty kill.

Upon rejoining the team, he developed chemistry with his defensive partner Jay Harrison and became a prominent point-man on the power play.

Faulk scored his first career NHL goal on December 9, 2011, in a 4–2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.

Although he was invited to represent Team USA at the 2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, the Hurricanes refused to release him.

At the time, Faulk had accumulated one goal and three assists through 18 games.

His defensive abilities were recognized in January as he was the lone Hurricane player selected to play in the 2012 NHL All-Star Game's YoungStar showcase.

Following the All-Star Game, Faulk began to pick up in production and tallied two goals and two assists over six games.

Through 44 games, he had accumulated six goals, nine assists, 72 shots on goal, and nine power-play points.

By early April, he led all rookie defensemen with eight goals and 23 minutes of ice time.

As the Hurricanes failed to qualify for the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Faulk finished his rookie season with eight goals and 14 assists for 22 points through 66 games.

He also led all Hurricanes skaters in average ice time per game and first among NHL rookie defensemen in power-play goals.

As a result of his successful rookie season, Faulk was named to the 2012 NHL All-Rookie Team.

After spending the majority of the previous season at the NHL level, Faulk split his time during the 2012–13 season between the Checkers and Hurricanes due to the 2012–13 NHL lockout.

His record was later beaten by Scott Perunovich in 2018.

Faulk was then named to the All-WCHA Third Team and All-WCHA Rookie Team.