Step aside Jarvis. Meet Seth Arfis, the Hurricanes’ Stanley Pup competitor
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Seth Arfis, a 4-month-old shepherd mix, represented the Hurricanes in the Stanley Pup.
- The Stanley Pup special had 32 adoptable dogs score by bringing toys into either goal.
- Seth Arfis is nicknamed after Hurricanes right wing Seth Jarvis.
As the Carolina Hurricanes geared up for a critical Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final this week, a fluffier starting forward donned a Canes uniform in a line-up of canine competitors.
Jensen, aka Seth Arfis — a 4-month-old shepherd mix nicknamed after Hurricanes right wing Seth Jarvis — went tail to tail with 32 other pooches in the 2026 Stanley Pup, an annual competition with dogs representing the teams of the NHL to promote animal adoption.
With a Hurricanes bandana tied around his neck, Seth Arfis joined the Metropolitan Division in locking paws with the pooches of the Atlantic Division in an Eastern Conference Final face-off.
The pack darted across a play-pen-like ice rink littered with dog toys. Any dog to bring a toy into either goal won a point for its team.
Unlike professional hockey, the rules were few: no “ruff-housing” and no peeing in the rink.
In the pre-recorded program that aired Monday and Tuesday night on TruTV, HBO Max, NHL YouTube and NHLN — and will air again Wednesday — Jensen left it all on the rink, even earning a shout-out from his namesake.
“Arfie, my puppy protégé — you’re the goodest Good Ol’ Canadian Boy, and all of us in the best friend group are cheering for you,” Jarvis said during the program, referencing his friend group that’s garnered its own fanbase. “Everyone watching at home, go meet your new best friend at your local shelter today.”
Following in the Hurricanes’ footsteps, Seth Arfis and his teammates crowned themselves the Eastern Conference Champions in Game 1 of the Stanley Pup, nipping the Atlantic Division 5-4 to move on to the Stanley Pup Final opposite the Pacific Division.
“This puppy brought his best to the ice to best represent the Hurricanes,” said Sara Smith, the senior director of marketing and communications for Brandywine Valley SPCA, which sponsored the event and provided the adoptable puppy players.
Jensen came to Brandywine in April from a shelter in southern Texas that had become overcrowded, along with his two brothers and one sister: Julius, Jovie and Joanna.
The set of the Stanley Pup special was essentially a crash course in puppy socialization, Smith said, with long hours, a torrent of toys, bright lights, outfits and lots of other dogs. But Jensen excelled in being with the other animals, Smith said, a reflection of his playful personality.
“He was definitely one of our cool, calm and collected puppies,” she said.
As the Pup Cup was pre-taped, Jensen has since been adopted by a family in Pennsylvania who met the puppy at a Brandywine adoption event in Washington, D.C.
But for viewers whose hearts were stolen by Seth Arfis, Smith said Brandywine Valley SPCA has many other dogs looking for homes, including some of the celebrity animals given special roles in the program, with locations spanning across D.C., Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
“Hopefully folks will come to our locations, and while the player that they particularly fell in love with [may not be] available, we have plenty of other puppies, kittens, dogs and cats that we would love to see find homes,” she said.
But for any superstitious Hurricanes fans holding their breath for the outcome of the Stanley Cup Final, it may be best to skip the end of the Stanley Pup face-off.
The Metropolitan Division — including Carolina’s Seth Arfis — fell to the Pacific Division 6-5.
And it was all thanks to a game-winning goal from the Vegas Golden Knight’s Jack Eichowl.
