THN Mock Draft: No. 30 Pick

With the No. 30 overall pick, the Carolina Hurricanes select... Tom Willander, Rögle BK (SHL)

Why pick him? Willander has perhaps one of the highest floors out of any other defensive prospect in the draft. He has decent size, skates well, defends well, moves the puck well and he has even started to produce offensively too. The Swedish defenseman put up four goals and 25 points in 39 games with Rögle BK's junior squad, but it was with Sweden's world U-18 team where he had three goals and eight points in seven games, where he really started to impress scouts. He's committed to Boston University for the upcoming season, so he'll be able to put on size in the weight room and get accustomed to the North American ice and style of play.

Scouts say: "I really like him. Offensive upside, creativity, power-play skills. I really like he's going the college route. He has a few years to grow into his body and build up his strength. Long term, he'll be a good one." - Scout 1

"He's a good skater, good defender, good puck-mover. He does everything well, and he plays hard. The game comes easy for him. He's very solid all-around, and he seems well-trained. He doesn't get a lot of hype, but he's had a solid year." - Scout 2

Who are the other options? The Hurricanes are pretty much set at defense, with ample high-upside prospects such as Alex Nikishin, Scott Morrow, Aleksi Heimosalmi and Anttoni Honka just to name a few, so it would make a lot more sense for Carolina to target a forward, especially since they don't have any projected high-end talent at that position. At forward there could be a few good options for the Hurricanes as this is a very talented draft. Gavin Brindley, the University of Michigan forward, has great speed and skills and is a tenacious, hard-working skater, Bradly Nadeau, who was regarded as the best player in Junior A, Ethan Gauthier, who's a hardnosed, go-to-the-net type of player, Charlie Stramel, a physical, forechecker, but his stock dropped after a tough freshman year at Wisconsin, and Kasper Halttunen, Finland's large-framed and high-scoring, U-18 captain.

What else is on the agenda? Outside of pick No. 30, Carolina holds eight additional picks: Numbers 62, 71, 126, 139, 158, 163, 190 and 222. The Hurricanes are reportedly still hammering away on an extension for Brett Pesce, but if a deal can't be reached, the draft may be a good time to move him. The Hurricanes also still need to sign at least one if not two goaltenders and fill out the remainder of their roster.

*All picks and quotes are from The Hockey News' Top 100 2023 Draft Prospects rankings which is featured in their 2023 Draft Preview issue, available here. Also be sure to check out the all the THN team sites to view the other top picks too.