Hamilton, 26, has registered 36 points (13g, 23a) through 39 games this season. Among NHL defensemen, he ranks tied for second in goals, tied for third in points, seventh in assists and first in shots on goal (148). The 6'6", 227-pound blueliner is tied for the NHL lead among all skaters in plus/minus rating (+29) and leads all Hurricanes skaters in average time on ice (23:31). Hamilton's 36 points through 39 games mark the most points by a defenseman through the first 39 games of a season in team history (since relocation). He has recorded a pair of six-game point streaks this season (10/16-11/1 and 11/7-11/19), which mark the two longest point streaks of his NHL career, and he earned his 200th career NHL assist on 12/21 vs. Florida.

Since the beginning of the 2018-19 season, Hamilton has tallied 75 points (31g, 44a) in 121 games with the Hurricanes. He has scored more goals than any other defenseman in the NHL during that span, and his average of 0.26 goals per game with Carolina is the highest mark by a defenseman in franchise history. Hamilton has registered 295 points (95g, 200a) in 544 career NHL games with Boston, Calgary and Carolina. He is one of two NHL defensemen, along with Nashville's Roman Josi, who have scored at least 10 goals in each of the last six NHL seasons. Hamilton has recorded at least one shot on goal in 286 consecutive games played, which is the longest active streak in the NHL. He has also posted 18 points (5g, 13a) in 38 career Stanley Cup Playoff games, including seven points (3g, 4a) in 15 games during Carolina's run to the 2019 Eastern Conference Final.

The Toronto, Ont., native was drafted by the Bruins in the first round, ninth overall, of the 2011 NHL Draft. Traded from Boston to Calgary on June 26, 2015, Hamilton was acquired by the Hurricanes from the Flames along with Micheal Ferland and Adam Fox in exchange for Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm on June 23, 2018. He represented Canada at the 2012 and 2013 IIHF World Junior Championships, winning bronze and leading tournament defensemen in points (6) in 2012. Hamilton posted 187 points (40g, 147a) in 213 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) games with Niagara from 2009-13. He was named the Canadian Hockey League's Defenseman of the Year in 2011-12 after leading all OHL defensemen in assists (55) and points (72).