We all know about the Carolina Hurricanes young players that have stood out this season like Pesce, Slavin, Hanifin, and DiGiuseppe. But what about the other great prospects that we’ve heard so much about, like Alex Nedeljkovic?
The Hurricanes General Manager Ron Francis has done a good job of amassing an arsenal of prospects in the past couple of years. Some of those youngsters have been performing very well and making a name for themselves at the lower levels. Alex Nedeljkovic is a perfect example of that.
Alex Nedeljkovic – 37th Overall 2014 Draft – Goaltender, Niagara Ice Dogs (OHL)
Many hockey fans may remember Nedeljkovic from his play as the starting goalie for Team U.S.A. in the World Junior Championship. He turned out to be one of the top goalies in the competition, posting a 1.66 GAA with a .9427 Sv%. This was good enough to make him the second best goalie in the tournament and helped the American team win the bronze medal over Sweden.
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Alex has been playing with the Niagara Ice Dogs in the Ontario Hockey League this year, where he posted a regular season record of a 2.91 GAA and a .907 Sv%. Those numbers placed him 11th best in the league, and good enough to earn the Ice Dogs a birth into the OHL playoffs.
His performance in the playoffs has improved over his showing in the regular season, currently sitting fourth best in the playoffs with a .915 Sv% and a 2.47 GAA. His next match up against the Barrie Colts will be a big one for Nedeljkovic because the Colts were the second best scoring team in the league during the regular season.
Carolina Hurricanes
What is unique about the Canadian Hockey league is that if the Ice Dogs are able to progress pass the OHL playoffs they will move to the Memorial Cup Playoff tournament where they will face the winners of the Western Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and the host Red Deer Rebels (home of Carolina Hurricanes prospect Haydn Fleury). This will give him the chance to play against the top players of the junior level.
It will be interesting to see what Nedeljkovic does in the coming weeks considering the current goaltender situation in Carolina. He missed last year’s development camp, but this year he will be a large presence. Because of his age Nedeljkovic will be turning pro next year regardless of his performance so the question is will he play with the Hurricanes, Checkers or Everblades.
Even if he starts at one of the lower levels he is more likely to be called up to the big club because of his age and experience. If he is able to put on a good performance in camp he could see some early action in the NHL preseason so Coach Peters can assess his abilities at the top level of the game.
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Regardless of his immediate readiness, he is an important part of the Carolina Hurricanes organization as the most capable goalie prospect. I would love to see him get a real chance to prove his worth in camp and preseason next season.
The next Carolina Hurricanes Prospect Profile is going to be Haydn Fleury. Make sure to make Cardiac Cane your first stop for the latest news and opinions.