With the No. x overall pick, the Carolina Hurricanes select... Noel Nordh, Brynäs IF (SHL)
Why pick him? The Hurricanes will actually be a little higher up in the draft order in the third round, so there may still be some hidden gems in this round. Nordh is large, Swedish winger who creates space for those around him. While not the strongest skater or most standout offensive player, he projects to have a fairly decent floor and can help provide a little more stability to a prospect group with so many boom-or-bust players.
Who are the other options? At this point in the draft, there's really no telling who will slide down the board and who will still be available. Some options I've seen mocked up in these later rounds for Carolina include Kalan Lind, a potential first-round talent that saw his stock fall after an injury, Maxim Strbak, a physical, puck-moving defenseman, or Rasmus Kumpulainen, a large-framed Finnish center who looks to play a smart, two-way game.
*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.