Carolina Hurricanes: 5 top prospects to watch out for

3: Martin Necas – Charlotte Checkers, AHL

Martin Necas has had a disappointing year – not in terms of his play, but in terms of how the season unfolded. He started on the Carolina Hurricanes roster and was touted as a potential top six center, only to see bottom six minutes and be demoted after seven games where he scored just one goal and one assist. It was particularly harsh on the young Czech star, as the Canes were 4-2-1 in those seven games, but Rod Brind’Amour felt that Necas needed more seasoning before handling the rigors of the NHL.

He responded excellently, taking his assignment to Charlotte with grace and working his butt off under Head Coach Mike Vellucci. In 47 games in the AHL, Necas has an underwhelming 9 goals, but has added 25 assists for a total of 34 points. He’s a +13, and has featured on several highlight-reel goals.

In hindsight, sending Necas to Charlotte was the correct decision for both him and the Carolina Hurricanes – but he’ll be knocking on Rod Brind’Amour’s door all summer long to prove he’s ready for a full-time role in Raleigh next season.