From rangy defenders to high-motor forwards and athletic netminders, Darren Yorke details Carolina’s latest six-man haul in the 2026 draft.
The Carolina Hurricanes entered the 2026 NHL Draft holding just four picks, but walked away making six selections through seven rounds.
The team drafted one defenseman, three forwards and two goaltenders over the weekend.
As is tradition, Hurricanes AGM Darren Yorke, who heads up the amateur scouting side of things, gave a rundown of the team's draft list:
On William Hakansson: "William Hakansson is a player we've known very well playing in the international events and in Sweden. He's a big, rangy defenseman that skates well, has nastiness. I think you guys all know how we play and what we want out of our defensemen. To be able to hold tight gaps and be able to play fast defensively and he fits that style of play perfectly."
On Wiggo Sorensson: "Wiggo Sorensson is probably a name that not too many people are familiar with given the league that he plays, but we kind of look at it very similarly to guys coming out of high school hockey and getting the opportunity to play for the US Development Program. He got to play for the national teams and every single tournament, he started earning more ice time and when you're able to go from a lesser league and go up to the top leagues and just be able to adapt, that's saying something and I think that goes to his hockey sense, his ability to play hard, his ability to play fast and he was a centerman that was snapping pucks back against the best of the best in the April tournament. So this is a player that has an all around game that suits what we're looking for when we're trying to draft forwards."
On Zach Lansard: "Zach Lansard is another similar type of mold in terms of that gritty, competitive that also comes with a high skill level. A kid that kept on getting better and better every single year and throughout the year this year, the ability to hold onto pucks and defend guys and get them on his back hip while also being able to see the open man."
On Mikey Berchild: "Mikey Berchild played for the National Development Program. I keep repeating myself in terms of the style of players, but smart, competitive, drives the net, likes the little under the stick move as he's driving, so he's able to read the spacing, he's not afraid despite being a little bit on the shorter side of things. But he just plays hard and plays smart."
On Ryder Fetterolf: "Comes into the OHL as a rookie, wins Rookie of the Year by backstopping Ottawa deep into the playoffs. Just had probably one of... I think it was the third best years in the last 10 years in terms of rookie save percentage. He just stops the puck. It doesn't matter that he's a little bit on the shorter end. The ability to read the game, his side-to-side movements. Just had an unbelievable season."
On Zach Jovanovski: "Another one of our goalie coach's targets for us. Playing in Guelph, had the opportunity to backstop Guelph this year in the Memorial Cup. Powerful, side-to-side movement, really athletic. A little different in terms of the type of goalie because he's 6-foot-4, but somebody that our goalie coaches really loved the power, balance and movement of."
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