The Carolina Hurricanes hold the 13th and 21st overall picks in the draft. We are breaking down the prospects the Hurricanes have a chance at.
The Carolina Hurricanes missed out on the playoffs again this year, but the good news is the team holds two first round picks, and seven picks in the first three rounds. Last year saw the draft successes of Noah Hanifin and Sebastian Aho, but what will this year hold.
Logan Brown, C – Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
Height/Weight: 6’6/220 lbs
Shoots: Left
Date of Birth: March, 5th 1998 (Age 18)
Place of Birth: Raleigh, NC, USA
Final NHL Scouting Report: 7th among North American Skaters
Logan Brown is the son of former Carolina Hurricane Jeff Brown, who played with the organization from 1995-1998. Logan played youth hockey in St. Louis and Indiana before playing with the US NTDP. Brown eventually decided to play Major Junior Hockey in the Ontario Hockey League.
Brown came into the OHL with high hopes. He was originally selected sixth overall by the Niagara Ice Dogs, and was traded to the Windsor Spitfires for six draft picks. Brown has not disappointed in his OHL career.
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In his first year Brown scored 43 points (17g,26a) in 56 total games played, but improved in his second year and scored 74 points (21g, 53a) in 59 games. His most recent season brought a large improvement in his draft stock. At the midway point of the season he was the 14th best North American skater, and after the season he has risen to 7th.
His size makes him a huge asset as a centerman. He is a dominant presence in front of the net and is able to body opposing players off the puck in the defensive zone.
Though Brown is large, he has great skating abilities. His work ethic and hockey pedigree have helped him continue to improve skating which is a typical weakness for bigger players.
This combination has allowed him to find open areas in the offensive zone and tends to draw multiple defenders. Once he draws defenders to him he is able to find open teammates to finish plays.
His great vision helps him see open players on the ice passing lanes to set them up to score. His release is also pretty quick meaning that once he sees the space he is able to get the puck there quick before lanes close.
Brown holds dual Canadian and American citizenship and has played for both teams in tournaments. Most recently he was part of the USA WJC team that won bronze. In the competition he scored 12 points (3g,9a) in 7 games played.
His ease of playing in the World Juniors means that he is closer to being NHL ready than other prospects in the draft. His size makes him able to compete much easier at the NHL level, but he will have to think much quicker and keep up with players who he won’t be able to out skate easily.
What Does it mean for the Carolina Hurricanes?
Brown could go as high as the fifth pick, but could also fall to the Carolina Hurricanes at 13 if everything goes correctly. There has been some speculation that the Carolina Hurricanes could try to trade up to acquire a player like Brown or Tkachuk during the first round on Friday.
Brown is much more the type of player that Ron Francis wants to add to the team. When he took over he said that he wanted big players who can skate, and that’s exactly what Brown is. Centers are also valuable because many times they can be moved away from their natural positions to the wing if need be.
The Carolina Hurricanes are also looking to add more top six forwards this year. Even if Brown doesn’t make the team this year, it would be likely that he would come out of the OHL after the 2016-2017 season and be added to the NHL roster for 2017-2018.
As a large playmaking center he would fit in perfectly with the smaller wings like Sebastian Aho or Jeff Skinner. He would be able to knock opposing players off the puck and draw defensemen in clearing up space for the smaller guys to go to work.
Next: A Look Back at the Carolina Hurricanes 2015 Draft
Logan Brown has ties to the area from his family and as his birthplace. Even though he didn’t play junior hockey in Raleigh, it would still be great for the organization to draft him.
If Francis and the Carolina Hurricanes make a bold move to trade up in the draft there would be a large chance it would be for Logan Brown. Francis wouldn’t have to sell the farm because he would only need to trade up a few spots and still has a second first rounder, and multiple picks in both the second and third rounds.