The 2025 second-round pick held his own against an NHL-heavy Florida lineup, showcasing the two-way intelligence and puck-possession skills that position him as a future organizational piece.
The Carolina Hurricanes don't have a ton of center depth in the pipeline, but the team is hopeful that they have a potentially big piece of the future in one of their prospects in particular.
Charlie Cerrato, the team's 2025 second-round pick, has been a riser for a few years now coming off back-to-back point-per-game seasons in the NCAA.
"Strong on faceoffs, strong two-way game, smart defensively, has a lot of skill and plays exactly like how we want to play," said Canes associate general manager Darren Yorke when he was drafted. "This is a guy that would fit right into our system.
Cerrato has been around the organization ever since capping off his two-year career at Penn State earlier this year, but this year is his first NHL training camp.
"Really excited, honestly," Cerrato said. "It's been good. Just being healthy and feeling good has been great. Learning the systems has been... there's a lot of mess ups, but that's what training camp is about. It's about learning and getting better and so I'm looking forward to going out there and working hard."
The young center has primarily spent his post collegiate time with the Chicago Wolves, but he only ever appeared in one AHL game, so for all intents and purposes, this year will be his first as a professional hockey player.
"I think the month I spent in Chicago was awesome," Cerrato said. "Just getting comfortable with a lot of the staff and a lot of the players."
And so Sunday night's preseason opener was his first real taste of the pros and you probably couldn't have picked a tougher opponent.
"It's gonna take him some time to learn just exactly how things roll, especially at this level," said Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour before Sunday's game. "This is going to be a big test for a guy like that, but the good news on that is that there's nowhere to hide. No matter who you're playing against, you're going to be playing against top NHL players. It's a great introduction into the league. A game that really doesn't matter how it shakes out, which I think is the best way to approach it. He has nothing to lose."
Facing off against what will essentially be the Florida Panthers' opening night lineup, Cerrato centered the Hurricanes' top line, playing 15:47 in the 6-3 loss.
Cerrato had a primary assist, a hit, a block and went 37.5% in the faceoff dot.
While none of that really jumps off the page, it's not a bad showing for a kid playing against an all NHL lineup.
And looking at some of the underlying numbers, Cerrato held his own pretty well on both sides of the ice.
The 21-year-old centerman had a 50% Corsi For, meaning the team generated just as many 5v5 shots for as against when he was on the ice, and his 54.84% xGF% means his looks his looks were more dangerous than his opponents.
And while his 5v5 faceoff numbers weren't great, he went three-for-three on power play draws, with one leading to a quick goal.
"Once you get out there, you kind of put the game face on and you just compete," Cerrato said. "So you're not too worried about who's lining up across from you. But stepping out there for warmups was a little shocking, but really cool. This is what it's all about. I was looking forward to going out there and proving it against guys that were Stanley Cup champs and really good players in the league."
His line, centering Bradly Nadeau and Felix Unger Sorum, Carolina's top two forward prospects, was the Hurricanes' most dangerous and if all three wind up in the AHL this season, they should make for a dynamic trio.
"Two amazing players and they make my job really easy," Cerrato said.
Cerrato's first professional season is going to take place with the Chicago Wolves and the team is already planning on making him a big piece of the equation.
"It'll really be important for us to give two centermen, in particular Ivan Ryabkin and Charlie Cerrato, some big time looks," said Wolves coach Spiros Anastas. "It's going to be baptism by fire for those guys."
And Cerrato is ready for it.
"Just the small details I realized are so important when you get to the next level, Cerrato said. "That's the difference in making it to the NHL. So I think just focusing on that the last couple years of my development has been huge and going into my first training camp and first year of pros, that's going to be my approach too."
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