Like Tom Petty once said, it\u2019s good to be king.<\/a><\/p>\n The Hurricanes finally broke through and won the Stanley Cup after seven years of promise. The team seemed to always be a top contender during the regular season, but could never deliver when it mattered most.<\/p>\n That finally changed this past June. It was a long time coming. Many of the team\u2019s most important players \u2013 namely Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, Seth Jarvis, Jackson Blake and Jaccob Slavin \u2013 were guys the team drafted themselves. <\/p>\n That\u2019s a strong core, and by adding through free agency and high-value trades (including the one that sent Scott Morrow to the New York Rangers to bring in K\u2019Andre Miller), the Hurricanes have built a team worth getting scared about. There isn\u2019t a single player making more than $9.75 million, either.<\/a><\/p>\n Through it all, the Hurricanes have continued to bet high on upside at the NHL Draft. This year, in particular, I really appreciated their selections of goaltenders Ryder Fetterolf and Zachary Jovanovski out of the OHL. Both might have their flaws but can be absolute game-stealers. The Hurricanes are also one of the best teams at finding talent out of Europe, for what it\u2019s worth.<\/p>\n Carolina should be a championship contender again this year. With a decent pipeline to boot, they should be able to sustain their success in the long run.<\/p>\n Biggest Strength<\/p>\n The Hurricanes have drafted plenty of skaters who are hard to play against. Felix Unger-S\u00f6rum is a human spark plug. Charles-Alexis Legault is absolutely huge. Dominik Badinka and William H\u00e5kansson will do whatever it takes to get in your way. And Ivan Ryabkin will send you through the glass while flashing a huge smile \u2013 he\u2019s a bit sinister that way. Not everyone is going to be a high-end producer, but the Hurricanes have managed to draft plenty of skaters who get in your face and bring energy to every shift.<\/p>\n Biggest Weakness<\/p>\n The Hurricanes lack a prospect with true high-end goal-scoring potential. I like Nadeau, but I think he\u2019ll be more of a setup guy in the NHL, with most of his goals probably coming on the man advantage. The rest of Carolina\u2019s forwards will likely fill roles throughout the lineup without being big-time scorers. And in all fairness, goal scorers are hard to find when you never draft early. As long as the veterans keep figuring out, they\u2019ll be fine.<\/p>\n Fast Facts:<\/p>\n NHL GM: Eric Tulsky TOP 10 PROSPECTS<\/p>\n Credit: (Steven Ellis\/The Nation Network)<\/p>\n Bradly Nadeau (Steven Ellis\/The Nation Network)<\/p>\n 1. Bradly Nadeau, LW\/RW, 21 (Chicago Wolves, AHL)<\/p>\n Acquired: Drafted 30th overall, first round in 2023<\/p>\n Nadeau was one of the better wingers in the AHL this past year, putting up more than 50 points for the second consecutive season. He\u2019s been productive at just about every level, and it\u2019s only a matter of time before he gets it all together in the NHL. Nadeau played 12 games in the NHL this past year, and if he\u2019s not a full-timer in 2026-27, I expect him to play around the same with the big club. There\u2019s no real reason to rush him to the NHL without a clear spot on a scoring line. I hope he\u2019ll get his chance in the near future, though.<\/p>\n 2. Felix Unger-S\u00f6rum, RW, 20 (Chicago Wolves, AHL)<\/p>\n Acquired: Drafted 62nd overall, second round in 2023<\/p>\n I\u2019m a big, big fan of Unger-S\u00f6rum, who had 66 points in his second year of AHL hockey. He also made his NHL debut, registering an assist against the New York Islanders<\/a>. Unger-S\u00f6rum can be a bit hot-and-cold, but when he\u2019s at his best, he\u2019s nearly unstoppable. I like his energy and playmaking acumen, and his shot has continued to improve in recent years, too. That\u2019s especially important because scouts have wondered whether his weaker shot would keep him from a scoring role in the NHL. I love him as a support forward and think he\u2019ll be a solid NHLer. I do wonder if he\u2019d be better used as trade bait so he can find a roster with an opening on the wing sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n 3. Charles-Alexis Legault, RHD, 22 (Chicago Wolves, AHL)<\/p>\n Acquired: Drafted 139th overall, fifth round in 2023<\/p>\n Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n Charles-Alexis Legault (James Guillory-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n There\u2019s nothing flashy about Legault\u2019s game. But the 6-foot-4 defender keeps things simple and does an excellent job of getting himself into dangerous areas to kill players in the D zone. He makes it his mission to separate opponents from the puck in any way he possibly can, and it allowed him to adjust quite nicely to the NHL this past year. Carolina has a bit of a logjam on the point, so if Alexander Nikishin isn\u2019t moved out, it\u2019s going to be hard for Legault to crack the Hurricanes this year. I still think he has the makings of a play-killing, third-pairing defender, though.<\/p>\n 4. Dominik Badinka, RHD, 20 (Chicago Wolves, AHL)<\/p>\n Acquired: Drafted 34th overall, second round in 2024<\/p>\n Badinka made the jump over to the AHL this past year, where he put up 14 points in 68 games with the Wolves. Ice time was a bit hard to come by \u2013 he played around 14 minutes a night on a team boasting an impressive blueline. Still, scouts seem to really believe in him. Badinka has a good 6-foot-3 frame and solid hockey sense, and he doesn\u2019t crumble under pressure. His mobility is solid, he\u2019s elusive and makes smart decisions with the puck. I\u2019d like to see him reach another level offensively. Hopefully he\u2019ll see his ice time increase significantly in his sophomore campaign.<\/p>\n 5. William H\u00e5kansson, LHD, 18 (Lule\u00e5 HF, SHL)<\/p>\n Acquired: Drafted 51st overall, second round in 2026<\/p>\n H\u00e5kansson didn\u2019t get a ton of ice time at the World Juniors, but we saw exactly what he\u2019s capable of \u2013 raw defensive energy. There\u2019s absolutely no flash to his game. Instead, he uses his big 6-foot-4, 207-pound frame to flatten opponents while being a pain in the rear end defensively. He\u2019s quite mobile for his frame, too. H\u00e5kansson\u2019s lack of offensive awareness won\u2019t help his draft stock, but I absolutely could see him becoming a solid shutdown defender in the NHL. I like his frame, but if he could learn to use that more effectively and consistently, he\u2019d make it impossible to leave him off Carolina\u2019s roster in the long run.<\/p>\n 6. Semyon Frolov, G, 19 (MHK Spartak Moskva, MHL)<\/p>\n Acquired: Drafted 41st overall, second round in 2025<\/p>\n Credit: Semyon Frolov (Vladimir Bezzubov\/KHL)<\/p>\n Semyon Frolov (Vladimir Bezzubov\/KHL)<\/p>\n So many scouts love Frolov\u2019s game. He played only nine MHL regular-season games this past season but delivered some excellent performances with MHK Spartak Moskva. Frolov was one of the top goaltenders in the\u00a02025 NHL Draft<\/a>, and the Hurricanes clearly liked what they saw. The 6-foot-3 keeper has ideal size; he\u2019s athletic, and he tracks shots well, allowing him to come out on top in 2-on-0 situations quite often. He has all the makings of a solid, smart, calm goaltender who doesn\u2019t let many bad goals. I love the way he moves from post to post, too. Few goalies can steal games as regularly as Frolov does \u2013 we\u2019ll see if he continues to progress.<\/p>\n 7. Charlie Cerrato, C, 21, (Chicago Wolves, AHL)<\/p>\n Acquired: Drafted 49th overall, second round in 2025<\/p>\n Cerrato was a late-bloomer who, at one point, was demoted from the USA Hockey National Team Development Program\u2019s U-18 team to the U-17 squad. Since then, we\u2019ve seen him become one of the top players in college hockey. He would have easily surpassed the 40-point mark again this past year had he not gotten injured. Cerrato was known more for his two-way game at a younger age, and he\u2019s still doing special things in the defensive zone, but he\u2019s more dangerous as a passer than most ever expected. Just imagine if he started dominating as a shooter, as well. The Hurricanes love betting on upside, and Cerrato \u2013 a second-round pick last year \u2013 might be the real deal.<\/p>\n 8. Nikita Artamonov, LW, 20 (Severstal Cherepovets, KHL)<\/p>\n Acquired: Drafted 50th overall, second round in 2024<\/p>\n Watching players develop in the KHL can be so frustrating. Artamonov thrust himself high onto this board a year ago<\/a> after an impressive 39-point season with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod. But after struggling to earn ice time and registering one assist in 16 games, he was loaned out to Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk, where he had just nine points in 37 games. Now he\u2019s off to Severstal Cherepovets, and we\u2019ll see if Artamonov can find his scoring touch again. He\u2019s a good skater with high-end top speed and good edgework, allowing him to make things happen in space. Artamonov\u2019s puck skills and hockey sense are both solid for this group, allowing him to beat bigger, more experienced defenders with his quick hands and creativity. The good news? He\u2019s still quite young.<\/p>\n 9. Ivan Ryabkin, C\/LW, 19 (Chicago Wolves, AHL)<\/p>\n Acquired: Drafted 62nd overall, second round in 2025<\/p>\n Credit: Steven Ellis<\/p>\n Ivan Ryabkin (Steven Ellis\/The Nation Network)<\/p>\n After spending the first half of the season in the AHL, Ryabkin joined the QMJHL\u2019s Charlottetown Islanders for the second half and had a whopping 42 points in 20 games. He also continued to show his shift-disturbing nature by throwing himself at anyone who got even remotely close to him. Ryabkin is fascinating because while he used to dominate his age group with pure skill, he has really figured out how to harness his physicality along the way. That should open some doors for him in a bottom-six energy role, but I do ultimately think he\u2019ll have no problem adjusting to full-time AHL duty this coming year. He has played for six teams over the past two years, so staying in one spot for an entire campaign should do wonders for his development.<\/p>\n 10. Wiggo S\u00f6rensson, C, 18 (Boro\/Vetlanda HC, HockeyTv\u00e5an)<\/p>\n Acquired: Drafted 61st overall, second round in 2026<\/p>\n This is probably higher than most would put S\u00f6rensson, but I\u2019m a true believer, and he\u2019s exactly the type of high-upswing pick I love out of the Hurricanes. He primarily played in Hockeytv\u00e5an, the fourth league in Sweden, to stay closer to home. That\u2019s an unusual path for a prospect, especially one who has proven he can dominate shifts against his own age group. I really like him, though. S\u00f6rensson does a good job of picking up rebounds, and he also has a strong wrist shot. He has had a good year with Sweden\u2019s U-18 team, but the U-18s were easily his best hockey of the year. With no Viggo Bjorck, the Swedes needed more from their centers, and S\u00f6rensson was impactful with and without the puck. S\u00f6rensson has played essentially every level of junior hockey possible this season, and scouts have really started to come around on him in recent months. S\u00f6rensson is very deceptive with the puck, both when it comes to getting a pass off and in tight, allowing him to deke goalies with ease. If he indeed comes to North America at some point, I think he\u2019ll turn some heads.<\/p>\n Other Prospects<\/a>: Justin Robidas, C (23), Gleb Trikozov, LW (21), Viktor Neuchev, LW (22), Michael Berchild, LW (18), Viggo Nordlund, LW (19), Fyodor Avramov, LW (20), Andrey Krutov, LW (20), Oskar Vuollet, LW (20), Timur Mukhanov, LW (21), Alexander Perevalov, LW (22), Zachary Lansard, RW (17), Filip Ekberg, RW (19), Michael Emerson, RW (22), Jayden Perron, RW (21), Alexander Rykov, RW (20), Stanislav Yarovoi, RW (22), Noel Fransen, LHD (20), Ronan Seeley, LHD (23), Kurban Limatov, LHD (19), Timur Kol, LHD (19), Roman Shokhrin, LHD (20), Alexander Siryatsky, LHD (19), Vladimir Grudinin, LHD (22), Alexander Pelevin, LHD (22), Bryce Montgomery, RHD (23), Aleksi Heimosalmi, RHD (23), Kyle Masters, RHD (23), Roman Bausov, RHD (19), Ruslan Khazheev, G (21), Ryder Fetterolf, G (18), Zachary Jovanovski, G (18), Yegor Velmakin, G (23), Yegor Naumov, G (23) <\/p>\n PRESENTED BY THE DAILY FACEOFF NEWSLETTER<\/p>\n
Dir. Amateur Scouting:\u00a0N\/A
Dir. of Player Development:\u00a0Peter Harrold
AHL\u00a0Affiliate:\u00a0Chicago Wolves
ECHL Affiliate:\u00a0Greensboro Gargoyles
Recent Graduates: Alexander Nikishin, RHD<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1783965971_114_image.webp\"\/)
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