Carolina Hurricanes: Top 5 Potential Hidden Gems in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft

This year’s draft is set to be weaker than normal, but there are some hidden gems scattered throughout each Round. Will the Carolina Hurricanes be able to find another Jaccob Slavin hidden in the later rounds of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft?

The 2019 NHL Entry Draft is just over a week away, and the Carolina Hurricanes have quite a few picks to make this year. After trading Jeff Skinner to the Buffalo Sabres last offseason, and the rights to incoming defenseman Adam Fox to the New York Rangers this offseason, the Hurricanes have found themselves the owners of no less than 10 draft picks for this year’s draft.

Five of these picks are made in the first three rounds; three of those five are made in the second round alone. While there is a significant drop-off in talent going from the Top 2 to the remainder of the Top 10, and even from the Top 10 to the rest of the draft pool, I’ve been keeping my eye on quite a few hidden gems that could prove to be valuable assets, especially if developed correctly.

Before we get into it, I’d like to highlight a few later-round draft picks that turned out to be absolute superstars in the NHL. The first I’ll mention is obviously Jaccob Slavin. Slavin was picked in the 4th Round, 120th overall by the Hurricanes in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. Slavin is now our best defenseman (in my opinion), and picking up a player of his caliber that late in any Draft is a steal.

The next name is a name that should be on the Stanley Cup but, quite sadly, is not. Henrik Lundqvist. King Henrik was drafted in the 7th Round, 220th overall by the New York Rangers in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. His reputation precedes himself; the man is an absolute legend. Talent can come from anywhere in any given draft, and sometimes, if you’re lucky, that talent can go on to become a franchise name on any given team. Let’s jump into it.