
Carolina Hurricanes #5: C/LW Sebastian Aho (Kärpät – Liiga)
Original Pick #5: D Noah Hanifin (Boston College – NCAA)
Sebastian Aho, same team, but drafted significantly higher than when he was taken #35 overall in the 2015 NHL Draft. This guy is an absolute stud, and simply watching him over All-Star weekend was enough to show that.
Drafted out of Finland’s top professional league, the Liiga, NHL teams were impressed with his stout 200-ft game accompanied by smooth skating and exceptional stick and shooting skills that used as he pleased. Considering that he scored 4 goals and helped 7 others in 27 games (as a 17-year old), it’s shocking that he slipped into the second round. That just goes to show how talented this draft class was.
After surpassing 413 career games in the NHL, Sebastian Aho has put up some astonishing numbers. In the regular season, Aho has combined 167 goals and 206 assists for a total of 373 points and has been averaging over a point per game since the 2018-19 season.
What’s even more telling to his prowess is 14 goals and 21 assists in 34 Stanley Cup playoff games. It’s one thing to average a point per game in the regular season, but to do it in the postseason as well, is something only future Hall of Famers can do.
Every time Aho lights the lamp, opposing teams can only hold their face in their palms as they rue the day they let him slip from their fingers. Sebastian Aho is the kind of player who will play exceptionally well anywhere in the league, whether it’s in Carolina or Arizona, Aho is a true All-Star in the NHL.