Carolina Hurricanes Prospect Nicolas Roy is Coming to Town
A good look at Carolina Hurricanes Prospect Nicolas Roy
Since the trade deadline has come and gone and the Carolina Hurricanes have cleaned house again, I wonder about next season. Many of my CardiacCane.com amigos have kept you up on Carolina’s prospects. This week I am doing my part and taking a look at my favorite up and comer, Nicolas Roy.
In the Beginning
Although I took notice of Roy once the Hurricanes drafted him. It wasn’t until the Red Wings Traverse City Tourney I really took notice. If you didn’t watch any of the games it was nice. No announcers until the championship game or if the Red Wings were playing. I digress.
Related Story: A Quick History of Carolina's Finnish Heroes
During that tournament, the most impressive line for me was Julien Gauthier and Nicolas Roy. Not sure if you remember but this Carolina team dominated the tourney and easily won the Championship against the host team the Detroit Red Wings.
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Eyes On Isles
Personal Analysis
From that moment on I knew I couldn’t wait until the World Junior Championships (WJC) to see this kid again. Once the tourney started I watched every Canadian game played to watch the linemates of Gauthier & Roy. I was not disappointed, both of our future players led Canada to the Championship game. Sorry Canada but we have to win once in a while.
Nicolas Roy stats for that tourney were very good 7gm, 3g 1a, 4pts. Gauthier ended with 7gm, 5g 2a, 7pts. Special note: Jake Bean was actually one of the defensemen partnering this line.
Gauthier is a pure scorer but the leader of the line was Nicolas Roy. His hockey sense was key to develop the play and execute. In blue collar terms, the kid can muscle into the zone and find the open man.
The Scouting Report
Will that translate to the NHL? There is a good possibility it will. I found these scouting reports that seem to reflect my opinion that Roy’s skills will.
“An aggressive power center who has the ability to dominate on the forecheck. The first thing you will notice about Nicolas Roy is that he is a full-framed figure who powers through his strides and finishes his checks. Subsequently, you will notice his nose for the net; he cannot be knocked off stride easily and has a good set of hands around the net. All-in-all, a big-bodied, imposing presence on the ice who threatens the opposition with his deadly medley of size and skill.” (Curtis Joe, EP 2015)
and this is from Kevin LeBlanc at Dobber Prospects
“As one of Carolina’s highest-upside prospects, Roy has not missed a beat since returning from the World Juniors. He has 18 points in his last eight games, including seven in two games since the calendar turned to February. His scoring pace for Chicoutimi is slightly up for a year ago moving from 1.42 points-per-game in 2015-16 to 1.55 so far this season. Hockey fans everywhere were able to see Roy’s all-around game at the WJC’s as he was one of Canada’s most consistent forwards at the tournament.” (Kevin LeBlanc, Feb 2017)
In both of the junior tourneys, Roy showed me that this kid can play tough nose hockey plus have great awareness of everything around him. Imagine a Brock McGinn with Sebastian Aho type scoring. This kid has that type of talent.
In the End
This is why I am so excited about Roy:
- That Nicolas Roy is already 6’4” tall & 205lbs.
- There is already chemistry between him and a prolific scorer Julien Gauthier.
- Roy signed his ELC contract and will play in NC this fall.
- There is a good chance we will see him next season in a Carolina Hurricanes Jersey.
Next: The Underappreciated Players of This Season
As a Caniac, the last couple of years have been tough. But seeing Roy wearing a Carolina Hurricanes jersey plus the addition of his WJC linemates, Gauthier and Bean joining him makes all of our pain more bearable.