The Carolina Hurricanes have a knack for finding value late in the NHL draft.

They are often unafraid to chase high-end skill or to draft a prospect outside North America. They typically value Russian players, although they didn't draft a single Russian this year, opting instead for Swedes with their first couple of picks. Their pipeline has helped them win a Stanley Cup, and they are looking to keep that momentum going.

It's time to look further into the Hurricanes' future talent in our NHL prospect pool overview series.

In our annual series, Tony Ferrari's digging into each NHL team's top prospects, the strengths and weaknesses of its pipeline, an overview of its latest draft class and positional depth chart, and who could be next in line for an NHL chance.

Aside from some exceptions, a player who no longer holds NHL rookie eligibility is considered graduated and no longer a prospect for the purposes of these exercises.

It's hard to criticize what Carolina's been doing.

They've drafted and developed players, used some prospects to trade for NHL-ready talent and won the Stanley Cup their way. They've been on an impressive run, finally finding a way to get over the hump with their style of hockey.

The Hurricanes can continue to do things their way with their prospect pool.

One player needing a bounce-back season is Russian winger Nikita Artamonov. He had a fantastic season in 2024-25, putting up 22 goals and 39 points in the KHL. Last season, he couldn't seem to catch a break. He bounced between a couple of teams in the KHL and the second-tier VHL, not finding a groove with either. Artamonov has a relentless motor and a wicked snapshot. If last year is a one-off like many hope, he could be a middle-six energy player with some scoring upside.

After two really solid years in the NCAA, the Hurricanes signed Charlie Cerrato to his entry-level contract, and he got into one playoff game in the AHL. He was undrafted twice before Carolina came calling in his third year of eligibility. He's been one of the top-scoring forwards in college while also showcasing one of the best two-way games in the NCAA. He's a smart player who loves to attack off the rush with speed. He's excellent at connecting plays in motion, which should translate seamlessly to the pro game.

Once considered one of the top prospects in the world, Ivan Ryabkin had a disastrous draft year and fell to Carolina in the second round in 2025. He started and finished this past season in the AHL, with a dominant stint in the QMJHL in between. The big, mean power forward has some really nice scoring touch. If he finds a way back to the level of play he had a couple of years ago, he could be a high-end prospect again. There were glimpses of it last year.

Felix Unger Sorum was one of the AHL's top scorers while maintaining a high motor and high-end compete in all three zones. Unger Sorum completes a line, bringing the skills that help fill the gaps for the stars.

The Canes' top prospect is Bradly Nadeau, a high-paced sniper who's put up two solid AHL seasons, with 56 points in 52 games in 2025-26. His 15 career NHL games haven't led to much yet, but his shot could bring more juice to Carolina's attack. He has the potential to be a really fun player in Carolina next year.

On the back end, the Hurricanes' best prospects are the swings they've taken on European talent.

Vladimir Grudinin, 22, has been developing into a really solid two-way defender. His mobility is elite, and he's reading the game at a high level. There are still concerns about his size and his ability to translate to the NHL, but he's certainly an intriguing prospect.

Kurban Limatov is a big, mobile defender who was impressive in the Russian junior league, with 30 points in 46 games. The 6-foot-3 blueliner has a mean streak at times and plays aggressive hockey at both ends of the ice. There is quite a bit that he needs to refine in his game, but he's an interesting package to work with.

The Canes added one of the premier defensive presences in the 2024 draft class outside the first round by selecting Dominik Badinka. His anticipation, play recognition and skating allow him to get ahead of attackers and break up attacks. He's not flashy, but he's effective. It wouldn't surprise me to see him play a handful of NHL games this upcoming season.

Jackson Blake (RW), Bradly Nadeau (LW/C), Felix Unger Sorum (LW/RW)

Round 2, 51st overall - William Hakansson, D, Lulea (Swe.)

Round 2, 61st overall - Wiggo Sorensson, C, Boro/Vetlanda (Swe.4)

Round 3, 68th overall - Zachary Lansard, RW, Regina (WHL)

Round 4, 105th overall - Michael Berchild, LW, U.S. NTDP (USHL)

Round 4, 125th overall - Ryder Fetterolf, G, Ottawa (OHL)

Round 6, 165th overall - Zachary Jovanovski, G, Guelph (OHL)

This was a classic Hurricanes draft, especially under GM Eric Tulsky.

They traded down from the 31st overall pick and did so a few more times after that. They ended up with six picks in total, and they did an excellent job of finding some solid value throughout.

Their first selection came at 51st overall, where they took 6-foot-5 Swedish blueliner William Hakansson. He's a true stay-at-home blueliner who plays a steady game, using his skating to close in before using his frame to punish. He's not a dynamic puck-mover, but he has made smart, simple passes up ice on the breakout. Hakansson could easily eat minutes on the second or third defense pair.

Wiggo Sorensson was one of the most intriguing picks of the draft. An underscouted and largely unknown prospect, Sorensson was rarely ranked publicly for much of the year. He played in Sweden's fourth-tier league so he could stay closer to home and learn to manage his diabetes, which meant that for much of the year, he wasn't on people's radars. In the mid-season, three public outlets ranked him, with the highest being mine. After his strong performance at the World Men's Under-18s, he was ranked in the 60-to-80 range on most lists.

Sorensson is an intriguing talent who plays with speed and skill, building his game around a center-focused approach to offense. The Swede looks to create advantages with his skating before picking corners with his shot. Sorensson is a bit raw, but his upside is as intriguing as that of any player selected after the first round.

Zachary Lansard has a relentless work rate and insists on attacking the inside. His puck skill is lacking at times, but he seems to understand how to play smart, effective hockey. He plays Canes hockey: intense, fast and disciplined.

In the fourth round, the Canes took a swing on skill by drafting Mikey Berchild. He was one of the catalysts for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program, using his shiftiness and puckhandling to generate offensive chances. His playmaking and overall pace are high-end tools, but scouts are concerned that his 5-foot-10 frame won't allow him to play his game at the next level. He's a classic Canes-type pick.

Ryder Fetterolf was outstanding for the Ottawa 67's this past year. The OHL rookie was simply fantastic, winning CHL goaltender of the year honors with a .923 save percentage and 29-9-3 record. Size is the main issue for the mobile, athletic netminder, but he's fluid and tracks the puck well. Fetterolf is a very nice swing on skill in the crease.

The Hurricanes doubled down in net with their last pick in the draft, selecting Zachary Jovanovski. The 6-foot-3 goalie from the Guelph Storm didn't have the same kind of numbers as Fetterolf, but he's nearly as athletic, which allows him to take advantage of his size. Jovanovski displays flashes of explosiveness laterally and battles in net.

The Canes have done an excellent job of taking swings all over the board, from silky smooth wingers to puck-moving defenders.

They also diversified their prospect pool stylistically, drafting defensive stoppers with tools that need refining and two-way forwards who play with a ton of energy.

They haven't been drafting very high, only picking once in the first round since 2020. Part of that is trading back, and part of it is trading their pick for NHL help.

With all that said, the strength of the Canes' pipeline is that they have taken enough intriguing swings on talent to have quite a bit of depth overall.

The Hurricanes have depth but not star power. Their lack of high draft picks is the reason.

There are plenty of players in the system who could be NHLers, but finding the players who will undoubtedly find roles in their lineup is more difficult. The Canes have a few players with safe floors like Nadeau or Unger Sorum, but they don't have true stars among that group.

In the 2024 draft, the Hurricanes took Noel Fransen in the third round. He started as a somewhat undersized, offensive blueliner who played a very junior brand of hockey.

Fransen has since filled out a bit physically while leaning into his offensive skill set. He's also learned how to leverage his mobility when defending.

He's likely to play at least one more season in Sweden, but we could see him in the AHL as soon as the end of 2026-27.

The Hurricanes will need some young, hungry depth to help defend their Stanley Cup title. Adding Nadeau to the lineup might be the most interesting way to do exactly that.

His shot is ready to shine at the NHL level, and his speed is an asset that should play into the Canes' style.

Nadeau has been given small tastes of NHL action, but he hasn't yet found a full-time role. This season might be his opportunity to do so.

LW: Nikita Artamonov, Charlie Cerrato, Viggo Nordlund, Michael Berchild, Oskar Vuolett, Alexander Rykov, Andrey Krutov, Alexander Perevalov

C: Bradly Nadeau, Wiggo Sorensson, Ivan Ryabkin

RW: Felix Unger Sorum, Timur Mukhanov, Justin Robidas, Gleb Trikozov, Filip Ekberg, Justin Poirier, Jayden Perron, Fyodor Avramov

LD: William Hakansson, Kurban Limatov, Noel Fransen, Vladimir Grudinin, Timur Kol, Alexander Siryatsky

RD: Dominik Badinka, Aleksi Heimosalmi, Roman Bausov

G: Semyon Frolov, Ruslan Khazheyev, Ryder Fetterolf, Zach Jovanovski

For a deeper dive into the prospect pool with player rankings, check out the Yearbook and Future Watch editions of The Hockey News in print.

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