The Carolina Hurricanes may be a perennial contender, but their prospect pool has tons of depth from swinging on potential and players who fall down the draft boards.
The Carolina Hurricanes may be a perennial contender, but their prospect pool has tons of depth from swinging on potential and players who fall down the draft boards.
The Carolina Hurricanes are next up in this NHL prospect pool overview series.
Tony Ferrari examines the strengths, weaknesses, top players and positional depth in the Hurricanes' prospect pool, including their newest draft picks and the candidates to jump to the NHL next season. A player who no longer holds rookie eligibility in the NHL is considered graduated and no longer considered a prospect for the purposes of these exercises, except in very specific cases.
First Thoughts
The Carolina Hurricanes have long been a team that's drafted well and built a solid prospect pool despite being a perennial contender. When draft grades come out every year, the Hurricanes routinely get high marks because of the value and swings on talent they take.
Alexander Nikishin, Carolina's top prospect in Future Watch 2024, has been a force of nature in the KHL. He's been the KHL’s top-scoring defenseman in back-to-back years, scoring the lights out and defending at a high level.
The 2020 third-round pick has become one of the best prospects in hockey, and the Hurricanes can’t wait for Nikishin to come over. He is the kind of two-way presence they covet on their blueline. He could step into a prominent role immediately, but his contract still has one more year on it.
Bradly Nadeau came out of the BCHL and was an immediate impact player for the University of Maine, scoring 46 points in 37 games as a freshman. He finished his year by signing his entry-level contract and joining the Hurricanes for the final days of the regular season, getting into one game.
Nadeau brings the Hurricanes the one-shot scoring prowess they need. His offensive game should mesh well with the skilled players in Carolina, but he must earn the trust of coach Rod Brind’Amour.
The Canes haven’t been afraid of drafting high-end, skilled Russian players, such as Gleb Trikozov and Timur Mukhanov. They love going after players with a high-end motor and blend skating and skill to get past their opponents.
Trikozov is more of the traditional slick Russian playmaker who can elevate those around him with his passing. Mukhanov looks to hunt down pucks and create something for his team.
Felix Unger Sorum was a second-round pick in the 2023 draft, and the Swedish playmaker has done nothing but impress since. In last year’s training camp, just a couple of months after being drafted, Unger Sorum pushed for a roster spot and had the coaching staff legitimately think about giving a nine-game tryout while they dealt with injuries. He is a competitive forward who has some slick passing ability. Unger Sorum really grew into his Swedish League role last season, and he was very good at the World Junior Championship and the men’s Worlds as well.
Jackson Blake is expected to be one of the young players pushing for an NHL roster spot in training camp. Blake is an NHL-level passer who could be an asset on the power play immediately. He joined the Hurricanes to end last season after two years with the University of North Dakota, playing in one game.
Jayden Perron was drafted last year, and although he recorded 18 points in 39 games in his first year with the University of North Dakota, he still has a ton of potential as a playmaking winger. He is a deceptive passer and skilled puckhandler who's taking some time to adjust to college.
The Hurricanes love a defender who can read the play and thwart problems as they develop. Ronan Seeley has shown the ability to do just that. He is a defensive blueliner who has become a capable passer, particularly on the breakout. He won’t be a statistical star, but he can be a steady presence on the back end.
Scott Morrow jumped to the pro ranks at the end of last season. The defenseman with plenty of upside is a great skater who defends with his feet and jumps into the rush when the opportunity presents itself. Morrow also has the playmaking touch needed to be an effective player at the next level in the offensive zone.
U-23 Players Likely to Be on the NHL Roster
Scott Morrow (D), Bradly Nadeau (LW)
2024 NHL Draft Class
Round 2, 34th overall - Dominik Badinka, RD, Malmo (Swe.)
Round 2, 50th overall - Nikita Artamonov, LW, Nizhny Novgorod (KHL)
Round 3, 69th overall - Noel Fransen, LD, Farjestad Jr. (Swe.)
Round 4, 124th overall - Alexander Siryatsky, LD, Magnitogorsk Jr. (Rus.)
Round 5, 133rd overall - Oskar Vuollet, LW, Skelleftea Jr. (Swe.)
Round 5, 156th overall - Justin Poirier, RW, Baie Comeau (QMJHL)
Round 6, 168th overall - Timur Kol, LD, Omsk Jr. (Rus.)
Round 6, 184th overall - Roman Shokhrin, LD, Loko-76 Yaroslavl Jr. (Rus.)
Round 6, 188th overall - Fyodor Avramov, LW, Stupino Jr. (Rus.)
Round 7, 220th overall - Andrey Krutov, Nizhny Novgorod Jr. (Rus.)
The Carolina Hurricanes are the kings of trading back or sending a pick this year out to snag a selection for next year. They made three draft pick trades over the course of the 2024 NHL draft and still managed to come away with a very solid haul.
Carolina kicked things off by trading back from the end of the first round to acquire the 34th- and 50th-overall picks. They later moved their own second, 60th overall, for an early third- and fifth-round pick. Their final pick trade swapped this year's third-round pick for the Chicago Blackhawks' third-rounder next year.
Snagging Dominik Badinka with their first selection, the Hurricanes grabbed an incredibly mobile defender with size and excellent play-reading ability. The Czech blueliner played in Sweden this season and seemed to excel in the high-paced league. Badinka may not be the most offensively inclined player, but he isn’t the typical defensive rearguard with no offensive ability. Badinka can be a factor in transition, make plays at the offensive blueline and play well in his own end. He might have been the most underrated blueliner in the class.
Nikita Artamonov was an interesting player all season long. He put up 23 points in 54 games in the KHL, played with pace and always tried to generate offense. The relentless winger loves to try different things, creatively looking to find teammates through traffic in high-danger scoring areas. He can be a little hectic, but there is so much to work with and the potential to play up and down a lineup.
In the third round, the Canes took offensive defenseman Noel Fransen. He moves well in all three zones, walks the blueline and threads pucks to teammates all over the offensive zone. Fransen must continue to improve defensively, but he is a very capable transitional player who can carry the puck until a passing option opens up.
The fourth and fifth rounds saw Carolina take three players with clear flaws but intriguing upside. They selected lanky defender Alexander Siryatsky, who showed some excellent habits at both ends of the ice but lacks the physical strength needed to play with men at the moment. Next up was Oskar Vuollet, a winger who is a sneaky off-puck attacker and has an excellent shot. He can disappear at times, but he’s an entertaining player when he’s in form.
The Hurricanes finished the fifth round with Justin Poirier, the QMJHL sniper who potted 51 goals in 2023-24. He has plenty to work on outside of being a lethal shooter, but he’s a great bet at this stage of the draft.
Carolina’s final four picks of the draft, all in the sixth and seventh rounds, were all Russians, taking advantage of the hesitancy of other teams. Timur Kol is a mobile defender who uses his skating to defend while also having the size to pin and punish opponents along the boards. He is one of the youngest players in the draft and has plenty to build on. They also selected Roman Shokhrin, a physical defender who absolutely blows through opponents. He is a little rough around the edges, but with some patience, there might be something there.
The final two selections went to Russian forwards Fyodor Avramov and Andrey Krutov. A big winger, Avramov has some nice puckhandling ability and a physical edge that could make him an interesting combination of size and skill. It was a little surprising he lasted as long as he did in the draft. Krutov, meanwhile, is a gifted dangler. He’s a solid shooter and can make some impressive passes from time to time, but he must figure out how to put it all together.
Strengths
What's most impressive about Carolina's prospect pool is the sheer amount of depth that's come from the team swinging on upside.
The Hurricanes draft players from Europe routinely, select Russians who fall out of their true talent range and take players who are available further down the board than expected. This strategy has given them a prospect pool that people all over hockey should appreciate. Nikishin, Artamonov and Mukhanov, among others, are all solid prospects who fell to the Hurricanes. The team does need to start seeing some results from its plethora of talent, but having the talent is a nice start.
Weaknesses
The Hurricanes need some true center depth in their prospect pool.
Ryan Suzuki and Justin Robidas are Carolina's two best prospects down the middle, but both are likely better as wingers at the next level.
Suzuki has been a solid player in the AHL, with 30 points in 51 games in 2023-24, but he hasn’t forced his way into the NHL. Robidas turned 21 this past season and spent the year in the ECHL, where he had 27 points in 32 games.
The Hurricanes could use a bona fide center in their pipeline, but they’ll likely need to wait until next year’s draft to get one.
Next Men Up: Scott Morrow, D, and Bradly Nadeau, F
The hyper-mobile Morrow got a taste of NHL action at the tail end of last season, and he looked solid in those two outings. His skating is the foundation on which his game is built, which should fit right in with the Canes and their style of play.
Nadeau had an impressive freshman season at the University of Maine before signing his entry-level contract. He may need some AHL time, but there may be openings in the forward corps he will compete for in training camp. Nadeau is an intelligent forward with a wicked shot that could help Carolina.
Prospect Depth Chart Notables
LW: Bradly Nadeau, Nikita Artamonov, Gleb Trikozov, Timur Mukhanov, Alexander Perevalov
C: Ryan Suzuki, Justin Robidas
RW: Felix Unger Sorum, Jackson Blake, Justin Poirier, Jayden Perron, Alexander Rykov, Noel Gunler
LD: Alexander Nikishin, Ronan Seeley, Noel Fransen, Alexander Siryatsky, Timur Kol, Domenick Fensore, Simon Forsmark, Vladimir Grudinin
RD: Scott Morrow, Dominik Badinka, Aleksi Heimosalmi, Bryce Montgomery
G: Nikita Quapp, Jakub Vondras, Ruslan Khazheyev
For a deeper dive into the prospect pool with player rankings, check out the Future Watch and upcoming Yearbook print editions in The Hockey News.