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Since Don Waddell took over as general manager, the Carolina Hurricanes have done a good job building their prospect pool.
Despite cementing themselves as a contending team, the Hurricanes have been stingy in trading away draft picks, allowing them to maintain a healthy pool of young talent within the organization. Of course, the best chance to see a lot of these prospects in action each year for North American hockey fans is at the World Juniors.
With the tournament kicking off today, the Hurricanes are represented by four players. Jackson Blake is suiting up for the United States, while a pair of 2021 second-round picks in Aleksi Heimosalmi and Ville Koivunen will be back with Finland, and Nikita Quapp returns for Germany. Below, we take a quick look at each player.
JACKSON BLAKE - UNITED STATES
Blake was selected in the 4th round of the 2021 NHL Draft and has put up great numbers since. In his first post-draft year in 2021-22, Blake scored 27 goals and 77 points in 61 games with the USHL’s Chicago Steel, scoring at a similar rate to 2023 top prospect Adam Fantilli (though Blake is a year older). Then this season, Blake has posted above point-per-game numbers with the University of North Dakota, to lead the team with 21 points in 19 games.
Cracking a talent United States roster isn’t easy and Blake is going to be a really interesting name to watch at the tournament.
ALEKSI HEIMOSALMI - FINLAND
Heimosalmi, a right-handed defenseman selected 44th overall in 2021, kicked off his tournament this morning against Switzerland. He’s coming off a Silver Medal from Finland's overtime loss to Canada in the Gold Medal game in this summer’s tournament. Only two defensemen had more points than Heimosalmi last tournament, after he managed seven points in seven games.
The defender is already putting up big numbers while playing in Finland’s top professional league, with 12 points in 25 games. In his final year of eligibility for the tournament, we can expect him to be counted on for a large role with Finland. Given he’s already under contract with the Hurricanes, it’s only a matter of time until he ends up in North America, but this will be the best opportunity to see him until then.
VILLE KOIVUNEN - FINLAND
Like Heimosalmi, Koivunen was also part of Finland’s Silver-medal winning team this summer. The forward didn’t manage a point with the team in six games in the previous tournament, and he has seen his production take a bit of a step back this season in Finland’s top league.
That said, he too has already signed his entry-level deal and carries a lot of upside. At the tournament, Koivunen is playing on Finland’s top line with 2022 first-round pick Brad Lambert, along with team captain Oliver Kapanen.
NIKITA QUAPP - GERMANY
Quapp was selected by the Hurricanes in the sixth round of the 2021 NHL Draft. The netminder hasn’t posted the greatest numbers in Germany’s top league over the last couple years, but he was also part of the World Juniors team this summer, playing two games with an .893 save percentage.
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Carolina Hurricanes Blogger • 
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