Carolina Hurricanes: Catching up with the 2019 draft picks

Second Round Picks

The Carolina Hurricanes needed to draft a goalie in 2019. They got a pretty darn fascinating one in Pyotr Kochetkov in the second round. Kochetkov had an outstanding draft season, even for an over-ager.

Now, Kotchetkov didn’t have the best 2019-20 season. He split time between the KHL, VHL, and MHL. Kochetkov didn’t have success with SKA St. Petersburg, but he was a bit better with Vityaz Podolsk, posting a .917% save percentage in 8 games.

Even with his less than stellar campaign, I’m still high on Kochetkov. He has elite athleticism and he’s more technically sound than he was last season. If I’m the Hurricanes, I’d seriously consider bringing him over to North America because I don’t think Russia’s the best place for him right now. He needs games and he’s not getting them there.

Jamieson Rees was a toolsy player when he was drafted. His physical attributes were impressive across the board, he just couldn’t turn those gifts into results. Well, guess what happened? Rees turned the corner and got impressive results. In 39 games with the Sarnia Sting, he picked up 61 points.

I still see him as more of a top-nine forward than a top-six forward, but I think he could be a complementary second-line wing if he continues to gain confidence offensively. Rees has the potential to be a very solid two-way forward.

The Hurricanes took a bold chance on him. I didn’t think he was worth drafting in the top 50. But so far, Rees is proving me wrong.