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Top-10 Prospects : Hurricanes (1-10) |
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The Canes don’t really have the best prospect pool in the world at the moment and the issue was exacerbated by the promotion of some of their young players, the loss of goaltender Frederick Andersen and some just being…well busts. Historically they have done well with their first round picks though overall the drafting record hasn’t been the prettiest.
As per usual this list doesn’t include players with 50+ NHL game experience or a player who played the vast majority of this shortened year and became a “legitimate NHLer.” So for this list Justin Faulk, Riley Nash, almost bust Zach Boychuk and Drayson Bowman are off.
1. Elias Lindholm : Centre, 5th Overall, 2013, 18 years old, 6’0 196lbs, Brynäs in the Elitserien
Mature is the best way to describe Lindholm. His 18 year old season in the Elitserien was one of the best ever for a junior player and was up there with Nicklas Backstrom following his 17 year old campaign in the SuperElit which was yet again one of the best for a 17 year old. He played wing on the top-line with his cousin Jarnkrok (Detroit prospect) finishing with 11 goals 30 points good for third on his squad. Even weirder was he finished first on his team in +/- and I use this because he’s an extremely advanced two-way player who was tasked as a shutdown centre in the U20’s. He does everything well aside from hitting and that was one of the big pluses yet also minuses on drafting him, aside from arguably near elite playmaking he doesn’t have an elite skill like say skating or shooting…he’s just a very well rounded player in all aspects. Despite being a winger last season, he’s expected to be a centre at the NHL level, though with the glut of centres in Carolina he will likely need to breakthrough as a winger to start. Speaking of that, he’s been extremely impressive for the Canes by all reports and they expect him to make the squad this season.
Potential : First Line Playmaker
2. Ryan Murphy : Defenseman, 12th Overall, 2011, 20 years old, 5’11 172lbs, Kitchener Rangers in the OHL
Small, highly skilled and dynamic, you either love him or you hate him…especially as a fan of the Canadian junior squad. He’s an explosive talent offensively with elite skating, a strong shot and excellent creativity in the offensive zone. He loves to rush the puck and is very aggressive in his pinches and deep runs. His defensive play is still spotty at best at times and you really have to take the good with the bad when analyzing his play. He’s also still on the small side and can be pushed around. He still has developing to do and like a lot of smaller defenders he needs to get everything right to be successful in the NHL. You won’t see him on the penalty kill or in the dying seconds of a 1 goal lead, but on the PP he is extremely dangerous and resourceful. A lot of upside, yet still some questions over his own end play. Next season he will either make the Canes or play in the AHL…hope AHL as they shouldn’t rush him.
Potential : Top-Four Offensive Defenseman
3. Viktor Rask : Centre, 42nd Overall, 2011, 20 years old, 6’2 196lbs, Calgary Hitmen in the WHL
Rask is a prime example of why Mock Drafts two years prior to one’s draft year is fairly pointless. The expected top-5 pick dropped like a stone throughout the year ending up in the Canes lap. He moved over to the WHL and had some success, though obviously he wasn’t as dominant as most expected the past two seasons. He protects the puck well and has some really nice hands; he’s very quick with them. He can make plays and score and he doesn’t mind going to the hard areas. His face-off skills have improved as has his defensive play, but those aren’t major strengths. The thing holding him back still is his skating ability which isn’t very strong. He falls down more than Matt Stajan and Mason Raymond combined. He’s an interesting player who does well on the PP. Next season he will play in the AHL fulltime.
Potential : Second/Third Line Centre
4. Gregory Hofmann : Centre, 103rd Overall, 2011, 20 years old, 6’0 184lbs, Davos in the NLA
Hofmann has steadily earned more and more ice time for Davos and last season played an integral role as their second line centre. So far this season he has 2 points in 3 games and is looking very good. He’s a shoot first centre with a lot of speed. He’s not really a creative scoring however and relies on his burst speed to get behind defenders. His defensive game is still a work in progress at this point, but like all Swiss forwards he plays a tireless and relentless forechecking game. His great shot and great speed make him a very underrated prospect. This season he is playing for Davos as their second line centre yet again. It isn’t clear when he will go to North America.
Potential : Second Line Centre
5. Phil Di Giuseppe : Centre, 38th Overall, 2012, 19 years old, 6’1 195lbs, University of Michigan in the NCAA
A 19 year old (20 in December) with two NCAA seasons under his belt is rather rare, but Di Giuseppe has had two very solid seasons including a very strong rookie campaign. He’s a fast skating offensive forward with really good hands and a host of interesting moves. Though he has struggled with consistency and showing his skills in a game by game basis, he’s still a raw player who needs a lot of developing time before he’s ready. His top speed is extremely fast and he gets to it with ease, only thing is he tends to slow down when players are around him or when he isn’t skating in a straight line…give him room though and he will burst by players and generate a lot of breakaways. He’s shown a knack for solid playmaking and his signature is his backhand passes. He still needs to work on his defensive game and really figure out his level of consistency to succeed at the next level. Next season is expected to be his final season in the NCAA.
Potential : Second/Third Line Playmaker
6. Zac Dalpe : Right Wing, 45th Overall, 2008, 23 years old, 6’1 207lbs, Charlotte Checkers in the AHL
Three years of solid play in the AHL and Dalpe is on the cusp of being a fulltime NHLer. In what role is the question. He’s a guy built for a top-6, but it isn’t clear whether he is talented enough to break into the Canes group. He has great speed and a great shot and generates his chances off the rush. He was switched to wing because of his lack of real defensive awareness in the hopes that with less responsibility he would thrive. Without a whole lot of creativity he does really rely on the shot and speed to get him into scoring opportunities. Some people have major expectations for Dalpe and think he could be the real deal, though the real deal in this case might be a third line complimentary guy that brings some speed, a great shot and some energy…like a Tyler Kennedy. Next season the hope is that he makes the Canes fulltime at last…clock is ticking though.
Potential : Third Line Complimentary Winger
7. Danny Biega : Defenseman, 67th Overall, 2010, 21 years old, 6’0 209lbs, Harvard University in the NCAA
After two amazing seasons in a row for Harvard Biega took a major step back in his offensive production in his final season where he wore the C. The entire team was pretty bad at scoring in general however so it isn’t entirely his fault. He’s a very mobile defender who rushes the puck well and likes to charge the play up the ice. He’s known for being reckless in the offensive zone and tries to do a lot with the puck. He creates a lot of scoring chances…unfortunately at both ends of the ice as he’s prone to moments of brilliance and insanely mind boggling plays. He doesn’t have the best decision making is what I am getting at here. His offensive upside and PP quarterbacking skills are excellent, but his work in his own zone and the improvement in that area will determine whether or not he will play in the NHL. Next season he will play his first pro season in the AHL.
Potential : Bottom-Pairing Defenseman with PP time
8. Brett Pesce : Defenseman, 66th Overall, 2013, 18 years old, 6’3 173lbs, University of New Hampshire in the NCAA
Pesce is a rather typical defensive defenseman. He reads the play well, has a bit of physicality to his game and is satisfactorily mobile. He doesn’t take a lot of stupid penalties and doesn’t go for the big reward plays, he’s just a quiet guy who if you’re hearing his name a lot he’s having a bad game. Don’t expect really any offensive production out of him, he doesn’t have much in the way of passing or shooting that one good glom onto in hope of development. There is a lot to hope for though in the sense that he is still extremely thin and his physical game can only improve with more size and muscle. It’s really early right now so my projection is very timid. Next season he suits up again for New Hampshire.
Potential : Five-Six Shutdown Defenseman
9. Brock McGinn : Left Wing, 47th Overall, 2012, 19 years old, 5’11 175lbs, Guelph Storm in the OHL
Another McGinn brother…and perhaps the least of them. Like his brothers Jamie (Colorado) and Tye (Philadelphia) he’s a high energy forward that brings a lot of grit and a lot of heart that has a great shot but not a whole lot of offensive upside. He has a laser beam of a shot and really likes to get to the front of the net and fight through traffic. He’s a very physical player and despite the modest size loves to level players at full speed and really be a pest to play against. He has the intangibles teams are looking for, he’s tough to play against, he’ll grind and wear players down or just go through them…but his offensive upside is severely limited at the moment. Next season he will play for Guelph again in his final season and hope to improve on his 28 goals that wee second on the Storm.
Potential : Third Line Grinder
10. Michal Jordan : Defenseman, 105th Overall, 2008, 23 years old, 6’1 187lbs, Charlotte Checkers in the AHL
Three years of decent development from the best named Czech in the game and Jordan is very close to being NHL ready. He plays a calm two-way game and has shown flashes of good offensive instincts including a pretty good shot. He’s unfortunately a very slow skater and when he’s not careful he can be passed with ease by quick skaters. That can make him hesitant at times. Skating is the limiting factor and will ultimately make or break him as a future NHL defenseman. He’s a guy who loves to battle and compete on the boards and is very good with his stick. Next season he will either make the Canes or be one of their first call-ups from the AHL.
Potential : Five-Six Two-Way Defenseman
Notables :
Daniel Altshuller (Altshuller is a very raw goalie who started the majority of the games for the Oshawa Generals, he's got good size and athleticism though doesn't really play a polished style, his defense wasn't great on the Generals and they were really a hard team to gauge as they were very inconsistent throughout, could be a guy to watch)
Keegan Lowe (Physical defender who...well he's often hated because he makes terrible decisions with and without the puck, you can't call him a defensive defender because he has issues in his own end, nor can you call him an offensive defender despite his major spike in goals and points as he lacks creativity and requires players to feed him the puck...Kevin Lowe's son certainly is no Kevin Lowe)
Collin Olson (Big goalie who last year won the U18 Gold with the USA winning Best Goaltender after finishing with a fantastic .80GAA and .966sv%, only played in 9 games this season in the NCAA and the big issue is that outside of that amazing tournament he hasn't really shone anything remotely like that level of play and has been by and large pedestrian...might just have been a lucky 5 games)
Thanks for reading. Next and last coming up is the Blues.
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