Carolina Hurricanes: 5 top prospects to watch out for

The Carolina Hurricanes have a great future under Tom Dundon’s ownership – today, we look at the five top prospects in the Canes system.

While it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement the Carolina Hurricanes are providing for their fans down the stretch, Caniacs shouldn’t forget about the abundance of young talent within the organization.

The Canes’ AHL feeder team, the Charlotte Checkers, are top of the AHL having dominated the regular season, and the Canes have made good use of the Checkers’ stacked roster this season. Players who have played for both teams this season include Saku Maenalanen, Greg McKegg, Martin Necas, Janne Kuokkaken, Clark Bishop, Nicolas Roy, Jake Bean, Trevor Carrick, Haydn Fleury and Alex Nedeljkovic – and more could be added to that list by the time the season is over.

However, the Carolina Hurricanes don’t just have top prospects in the AHL – they have stars in major junior hockey and the NCAA as well. The future of this team hasn’t been this promising for many years.

So without further ado, let’s take a look at the top five prospects currently playing within Carolina Hurricanes system!

5: Luke Henman – Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, QMJHL

Luke Henman was drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the fourth round (96th overall) at the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, using the pick the Canes acquired in the Marcus Kruger/Jordan Martinook trade. He’s a 6ft, c.150lb left-shooting center who is more a playmaker than a finisher.

His rookie season in the QMJHL saw Henman play second fiddle (or perhaps third fiddle?) to Alex Barre-Boulet and Alexandre Alain; in 61 regular season games, Henman posted 9 goals and 38 assists for a total of 47 points. Not bad for a first-year, third line center. The playoffs saw him really come alive however, posting 6-8-14 in just 20 games as his Blainville-Boisbriand Armada team lost 4-2 in the President’s Cup Finals to the Acadie–Bathurst Titan, who then went on to win the Memorial Cup. His stat line in that series was 2-1-3 in 6GP, with 2 hits and a 43% success rate on face-offs.

For a first-ever playoff series, he did exceptionally well; he’s come back this season to a much weaker Armada team and held his production steady in 60GP, improving to 12 goals but seeing a slight dip in assists with 32. While the Armada have made the playoffs in the Q, 16/18 teams do in the Q, so his 15th-ranked Armada will need all the help they can get from Henman if they’re to upset the bigger seeds. That same Titan team is dead last in the Q – the fact Henman has kept the Armada in with a chance is impressive.

Henman will likely spend another year in the Q before making the transition to a year or two with the Charlotte Checkers. Regardless of his gradual development, Henman figures to be a solid NHL player in the future and the fact that he has kept his production in line with last year, despite seeing most of his team’s talented players depart, really stands out. He’s a character guy, and someone who would surely benefit from spending time with the organization over the summer.

4: Jake Bean – Charlotte Checkers, AHL

Jake Bean has already been called up a couple of times by the Carolina Hurricanes this season. He has featured in two games, but was unable to make his mark as his ice time was limited to less than nine minutes each time. One shot, one block and 2 PIMS is all his stat line has to show – but make no mistake, Jake Bean is going to be a fabulous NHL defenseman:

His play with the Charlotte Checkers has been very encouraging this season. In 57 games under Head Coach Mike Vellucci, Bean has posted 11-24-35 and is continuing to improve his game as the season progresses. He leads the Checkers’ blueline in scoring, and is fourth on the team overall. He’s since been overtaken by Mitch Reinke of the San Jose Barracuda, but this really shows how Bean’s season has progressed:

All signs point to a very good NHL defenseman, and Carolina Hurricanes fans should be salivating at the prospect of seeing Jake Bean feature more prominently with the Canes in the very near future.

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.

2: Stelio Mattheos – Brandon Wheat Kings, WHL

I’m going to put this out there right now – I am a big fan of Stelio Mattheos. He is the kind of player I absolutely love: scores goals, plays hard, loves a tussle, and has a great name. I firmly believe he can make the Carolina Hurricanes out of camp this fall, and that he can become an instant fan favorite with Caniacs everywhere.

Mattheos really does score. He’s matched his rookie totals from 2017/18 in ten less games this season: 40-50-90 in 58GP, compared to 43-47-90 in 68 GP last year. He was better than a point-per-game in the playoffs last season, and is serving as the captain of the Brandon Wheat Kings this season. He’s 21 points clear of the team’s next-best scorer, center Luka Burzan, and is sixth overall in WHL scoring. Not bad for the 3rd-round, 73rd-overall pick of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.

Who amongst Canes fans wouldn’t love to see an all-scoring, all-passing, all-hitting, all-scrapping bundle of energy set loose at PNC Arena every game? Stelio Mattheos has all the tools in his arsenal needed to become a top NHL forward – let’s hope GM Don Waddell secures his services in the very near future.