Carolina Hurricanes: Top 10 Prospects Entering 2018

The Carolina Hurricanes have one of the best prospect pools in the NHL. They have more than 10 excellent prospects, which made whittling this list down hard.

The Carolina Hurricanes could probably have a top 15 prospects list instead of a top 10. They have one of the best prospect pools in the NHL, with more depth than any of the teams we’ve done so far.

Having that many excellent prospects meant that some of them did not make it, even though they may have been put on other teams’ lists. Those missing include Saku Maenalanen, Eetu Luostarinen, Julien Gauthier, Michael Fora, and Lenni Killinen.

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This means that the prospects who did make it are excellent. The ones at the top are elite level talents, ones who will help change the Carolina Hurricanes in due time. These prospects are ranked based on three factors: ceiling, NHL readiness, and the likelihood they play consistently (and contribute meaningfully) for the Carolina Hurricanes.

Let’s start with the goaltenders.

1. Alex Nedeljkovic [22 years old]

Stats: 49 gp, 2.55 GAA, .903 save percentage (8 pgp, 2.11 GAA, .919 save percentage). Charlotte Checkers, AHL.

Alex Nedeljkovic has some NHL experience when he stepped in last season for a game and posted a 1.000 save percentage. Since then, his experience has been contained within the AHL, where he’s been the starter and has supported the Charlotte Checkers. They got to the playoffs and then to the second round in part because of the work Nedeljkovic has put in.

He doesn’t strike me as a starter, at least not yet, but he’s 22. There’s time. He’s small, at six feet flat, and because of that leans on his athleticism to make saves, which isn’t necessarily a good thing for a modern NHL caliber goaltender. Only two goaltenders in the NHL now are freak athletes, Jonathan Quick and Marc-Andre Fleury, and they’re both still larger than Nedeljkovic. Still, that’s his weak spot, and he can do the other things he needs to do well.

Nedeljkovic will be back in his starting role for the Checkers next season, looking to build on a solid sophomore year (and first full one in the AHL). If he does what he needs to do and helps drive the Checkers even further into the playoffs, and either of Petr Mrazek or Scott Darling fades again this season, Nedeljkovic could step into the backup role in 2019-20.

2. Callum Booth [21 years old]

Stats: 28 gp, 2.41 GAA, .911 save percentage (2 pgp, 3.03 GAA, .887 save percentage). Florida Everblades, ECHL. 4 gp, 1.60 GAA, .941 save percentage. Charlotte Checkers, AHL

Callum Booth did really well in a brief taste of the AHL this season. A .941 save percentage is incredible at any level, and while it was only four games, it gives a promising look to his season. He didn’t do as well in the ECHL, getting just a .911 save percentage, but he helped drive the Everblades to the playoffs. It’s also not a bad place to start for a young goaltender, as Nedeljkovic started his professional career in the ECHL as well.

Booth will likely take the backup job in Charlotte next season, and get 25 or so games. That will be the real indicator of what he can do, and if both he and Nedeljkovic do well, they could be considered the Carolina Hurricanes’ future battery. With two goaltenders up top right now, there’s no rush for Booth.

10. Warren Foegele, LW [22] (3-67, 2014)

Stats: 73 gp, 28 g, 18 a, 46 p (8 pgp, 0 g, 3 a, 3 p). 3 PPA, 4 SHG (2 A), 9 GWG, 5 ENG, 160 SOG, .63 pts/g [1 PPA, 24 SOG, .38 pts/g]. Charlotte Checkers, AHL. 2 gp, 2 g, 1 a, 3 p. Carolina Hurricanes, NHL.

Warren Foegele has one of the weirder juniors to minors careers I’ve seen. He was drafted out of the Canadian high school system after committing to the University of New Hampshire, left that school after one (relatively unsuccessful) season, and went to the OHL.

If Foegele impresses in his sophomore AHL season, he looks to be an NHL factor and will jump up this list. He just needs to show the ability to hang in the same league more than 100 games.

From there he was traded because he was doing really well, and helped the Erie Otters in the playoffs, winning the championship and getting himself OHL Playoffs MVP in 16-17. That proved he was really good, so he entered the AHL at 22, and was one of the best players for the Charlotte Checkers. He was eighth in rookie scoring, second in rookie goal scoring, and 20th in rookie points per game (greater than 10 games played).

Foegele was also better than a point-per-game in two NHL games this season. He’s likely much better than tenth on this list, and he would be very high on many other lists. But with his weird bouncing around, consistency may be an issue. If Foegele impresses in his sophomore AHL season, he looks to be an NHL factor and will jump up this list. He just needs to show the ability to hang in the same league more than 100 games.

9. Morgan Geekie, C [20] (3-67, 2017)

Stats: 68 gp, 30 g, 54 a, 84 p (14 pgp, 17 g, 10 a, 27 p). 8 PPG (25 A), 6 GWG, 246 SOG, 52.3 FO%, 1.24 pts/g [5 PPG (5 A), 4 GWG, 64 SOG, 55.6 FO%, 1.93 pts/g]. Tri-City Americans, WHL

Morgan Geekie was fine in the regular season. He tied for 21st in the WHL in assists, 46th in goals, 24th in overall scoring, and was 27th in points per game. 84 points in 68 games certainly isn’t bad, and while he wasn’t on the same level as the previous season (90 points in 72 games) he also wasn’t as healthy and might not have had the same shooting percentage.

Still, because of that lesser regular season and health concerns, it’s unknown what Geekie can be at the professional level. This will be an important year for him.

It’s in the playoffs where Geekie truly showed his potential and was NHL-level impressive. First in playoff goal scoring, sixth in playoff points per game, tied for sixth in playoff scoring. He stepped his game up in impactful ways and made sure the Tri-City Americans got as far as they possibly could. In 14 games, Geekie came up with four game-winning goals. If the Tri-City Americans had done better against the Everett Silvertips, perhaps Geekie gets the postseason award.

Those playoffs, being the last thing Geekie did in the juniors, is an important step to the professional level. He stepped his game up in nearly every way and impacted the playoff run of the Americans more than any other player. Still, because of that lesser regular season and health concerns, it’s unknown what Geekie can be at the professional level. This will be an important year for him.

8. Aleksi Saarela, C [21 years old]

Stats: 69 gp, 25 g, 18 a, 43 p (8 pgp, 2 g, 1 a, 3 p).11 PPG (5 A), 1 SHA, 2 GWG, 1 ENG, 147 SOG, .62 pts/g [27 SOG, .38 pts/g]. Charlotte Checkers, AHL

Saarela is a really good goal scorer, hitting 25 in 69 games with the Checkers and having 6 in 9 games the season before. Even in the Liiga, Saarela hit 15 goals in 49 games and 20 in 51. He’s going to be even better this season in all likelihood, and with a relatively low shot generation rate, he could be at a 30 goal level (should he stay in the AHL).

He’s going to be in a good role eventually, it’s just not now, and he likely ends up as a third-line goal scorer.

With a crowded roster for the Carolina Hurricanes, however, he’s unlikely to get to the NHL level soon. Especially with the fact that Saarela likely slots in the NHL as a wing instead of a center and the Hurricanes have… 80 wings. The Carolina Hurricanes still have Jeff Skinner, they have Justin Williams, Teuvo Teravainen, Sebastian Aho, and Micheal Ferland to round out their top six. They now have Andrei Svechnikov and Valentin Zykov to slot in. They also have Brock McGinn and Phillip Di Giuseppe.

Saarela has a higher ceiling as a goal scorer than Ferland, Zykov, McGinn, and Di Giuseppe, but the question becomes, can he play a bottom-six role (right now). There’s still time for him to round out his game in the AHL, now having proven himself over a full season, and the Hurricanes will lose wings in that time. He’s going to be in a good role eventually, it’s just not now, and he likely ends up as a third-line goal scorer.

7. Janne Kuokkanen, C/W [20 years old]

Stats: 60 gp, 11 g, 29 a, 40 p (8 pgp, 3 g, 1 a, 4 p). 12 PPA, 1 GWG, 1 ENG, 103 SOG, .67 pts/g [2 PPG, 1 GWG, 1 ENG, 20 SOG, .50 pts/g]. Charlotte Checkers, AHL. 4 gp, 0 g, 0 a, 0 p. Carolina Hurricanes, NHL

Janne Kuokkanen has a higher ceiling than Saarela or anybody on this list so far, and likely ends up as a top-six winger. Hitting a .67 point-per-game pace as a 20-year-old rookie is impressive, and while he wasn’t the goal scorer he needs to be at the NHL level, his ability to make plays was impressive.

With a natural scorer like Andrei Svechnikov in their top six, the Carolina Hurricanes will need someone like Kuokkanen who can set him up (without breaking up Teravainen and Aho, as well).

With a natural scorer like Andrei Svechnikov in their top six, the Carolina Hurricanes will need someone like Kuokkanen who can set him up.

He is excellent on the power play as well, though he didn’t score on the man advantage until the playoffs. 12 assists from a playmaking wing are excellent, and it helps the goal scorers that the Charlotte Checkers had to score. Kuokkanen earned himself four games in the NHL, but just never did anything with them. He’ll grow into it.

Kuokkanen also needs to take more shots (he had just 1.72 shots per game) and with graduating players on the Checkers this past season, he will likely get the chance. He showed in the playoffs a better ability to shoot and score, and his shots per game rate jumped to 2.5.

Still, tying for 15th in rookie scoring and getting eighth in assists shows where Kuokkanen was and where he can go.

6. Stelio Mattheos, RW [19 years old]

Stats: 68 gp, 43 g, 47 a, 90 p (11 pgp, 6 g, 6 a, 12 p). 16 PPG (20 A), 4 SHG (1 A), 10 GWG, 223 SOG, 54.6 FO%, 1.32 pts/g [3 PPA, 1 GWG, 42 SOG, 62.9 FO%, 1.09 pts/g]. Brandon Wheat Kings, WHL.

Stelio Mattheos has quickly surpassed his original third-round pick expectations and has entered into elite prospect territory. That’s why he’s on this list, that’s why he’s just barely outside the top five. He’s done really well for himself since being drafted, and he brings a lot of good things with him. He’s solid defensively, he’s a good skater, he does everything really well (but nothing at an elite level).

His ceiling is an excellent two-way middle six forward, and his floor isn’t much lower than that.

Mattheos was tied for 16th in scoring, 13th in goal scoring, and 18th in points per game in the regular season in the WHL. In the postseason, Mattheos fell, tied for 39th in playoff scoring, 38th in points per game, and 21st in goal scoring. Mattheos was still better than a point per game, however, and earned a good look down the road. He’s a power-play threat, someone who can get chances at the other end while shorthanded, and came in clutch with 10 game-winning goals.

He will likely be in the WHL again next season, looking to up his playoff performance and get into the top 10 in each of the important categories. There’s not much else to work on in terms of his game, but he’s a few years away from the NHL. He’ll likely get a year in the AHL to see how he transitions his game to the professional level, and if that turns out well, he could be NHL bound. His ceiling is an excellent two-way middle six forward, and his floor isn’t much lower than that.

5. Valentin Zykov, LW/RW [23 years old]

Stats: 63 gp, 33 g, 21 a, 54 p (8 pgp, 4 g, 2 a, 6 p). 17 PPG (14 A), 7 GWG, 112 SOG, .86 pts/g [3 PPG, 26 SOG, .75 pts/g]. Charlotte Checkers, AHL.10 gp, 3 g, 4 a, 7 p. Carolina Hurricanes, NHL

Zykov was the best goal scorer in the AHL last season, ending first in goals and first in power-play goals. He didn’t do nearly as well in terms of assists and fell to 20th (tied) in points, but the goal scoring shows more potential. Zykov also did incredibly well in his first taste of NHL action, seven points in ten games, and got almost as many assists as he had at even strength for the Checkers.

He also had an insane shooting percentage (29.5%), fifth highest among players with more than 10 games played. That shooting percentage is likely to settle down (though, again, Zykov had no problem scoring in the NHL), but at the same time, Zykov didn’t have a great shooting rate (1.78 shots per game). If he’s able to get more shots on goal in future years, there’s no reason his abundance of goals isn’t repeatable.

Zykov was also solid in the playoffs, having one of the best points-per-game rates on the Charlotte Checkers team. He looks like a solid addition to the Carolina Hurricanes roster, and will likely play more games in the NHL than AHL this next season. He’s a middle-six scorer, which is likely where he tops out, but he did excellently while averaging 13 minutes a night, he’ll do even better with more time.

3. Jake Bean, D [20 years old]

Stats: 25 gp, 5 g, 22 a, 27 p. Calgary Hitmen, WHL. 32 gp, 7 g, 14 a, 21 p (14 pgp, 1 g, 17 a, 18 p). 15 scoring, T-15 goal scoring, T-16 assists, 14th points per game; 4th in playoff scoring, 2nd playoff assists, 5th playoffs pts/g (2nd >7). Tri-City Americans, WHL

Two years after his draft, Jake Bean will finally get an extended look at the professional level this season. Prior to this, he had only played one playoff game in the AHL, that coming in the 2018 playoffs.

Now, he’ll be expected to transition his excellent game effectively and prepare for a long-term role for the Carolina Hurricanes. He’s likely the furthest away from being an NHL regular of anyone in the top five, but as a defenseman, that’s fine. Especially with how crowded the Carolina Hurricanes’ blue line has gotten.

Bean has not played a full season since 2015-16, playing just 43 games last season and 57 this season. That’s a concern, but it’s something he should be able to work out in the AHL with access to a better medical staff. His injuries are perhaps why he suffered in terms of output in the WHL, coming in 15th (amongst defensemen) in scoring, tied for 15th in goal scoring and 16th in assists, and was 14th in points per game.

Maybe more games means better standing. In the playoffs, Bean showed what he truly can do, fourth in scoring, second in assists, and fifth (second amongst defensemen with more than one series) in points per game. That’s the defenseman the Carolina Hurricanes drafted 13th overall in 2016.

2. Martin Necas, C [19] (1-12, 2017)

Stats: 24 gp, 9 g, 8 a, 17 p (14 pgp, 4 g, 5 a, 9 p). HC Kometa Brno, Czech League. 1 gp, 0 g, 0 a, 0 p. Carolina Hurricanes, NHL

Not nearly enough has been made of the fact that Martin Necas‘ name is an anagram for the Canes. Perhaps he was always destined for a role with the Carolina Hurricanes. He did well enough in the Czech League, even in a shortened season, to prove that.

Knowing his likely long-term partner in crime is in place now should also help Necas hit his potential. He and Svechnikov will complement the Teuvo/Aho combination well, and let a center like Mattheos or Wallmark take on the centering role on that line.

Necas was less impressive in the regular season in the Czech League, though he was one of the youngest players in the top 50 in the categories he excelled in. He was tied for 28th in points per game in the regular season. He was tied for 45th in points per game in the playoffs and was also tied for 10th in goals, 12th in assists, and 8th in points in the postseason.

His one game with the Carolina Hurricanes was less impressive, as he didn’t get a point despite an entirely offensive workload (100% offensive zone start rate), and his possession metrics suffered. He’ll likely need an adjustment period this year, going to the AHL or taking a backseat on the Hurricanes’ roster while he adjusts to North American ice. His ceiling is very high and he will be a member of the Carolina Hurricanes, the reason he falls is that he’s not got enough NHL readiness.

1. Andrei Svechnikov, RW [18] (1-2, 2018)

Stats: 44 gp, 40 g, 32 a, 72 p (8 pgp, 5 g, 6 a, 11 p). 9 PPG (12 A), 2 SHG (2 A), 6 GWG, 174 SOG, 1.64 pts/g [1 PPG (3 A), 1 SHG, 24 SOG, 1.38 pts/g]. Barrie Colts, OHL

Andrei Svechnikov has everything, which is why he was drafted second overall in a very good draft. His ceiling is elite – first line right wing, a potential contender for Rocket Richard trophies – and he’s NHL ready. He’ll be on the Carolina Hurricanes in a top-six role this year. Again, Svechnikov is the complete package, and he’d top most teams’ prospect lists.

Svechnikov was 25th in scoring in the OHL (first amongst rookies), tied for eighth in goal scoring (first amongst rookies), tied for 67th in assists, and was fifth in points per game. That’s the real indicator – fifth in points per game, first in goals per game. Svechnikov is a scorer, that’s what he does. It’s simple, it’s effective, and he does it consistently. He was tied for 13th in playoff points per game and 45th in scoring.

That’s not to say Svechnikov is not good defensively. Two shorthanded goals indicate that he can be trusted on every unit, and he’s built like a tank, which means he can win battles along the boards and make a hit to stop opposing momentum.

Svechnikov feels like if Evgeni Malkin was told – hey, instead of center, why don’t you play as Sidney Crosby‘s right wing. The dominating presence Malkin would have, with less responsibility to play a 200-foot game, would be insane. That’s Svechnikov. He’s my favorite for the Calder.