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.
5. Spencer Knight
Spencer Knight is going to be a starting goalie. This is, so far, a given. Knight is projected to be drafted either late in the 1st Round, or early in the 2nd Round. He’ll be the highest projected pick in this list, mainly because of his early projection. While technically not a ‘hidden gem’, I’d be entirely remiss if I didn’t mention this future superstar.
Knight is a phenomenal goaltender who is as close to being NHL-ready as a young player can be. A year in the AHL might be necessary to accustom the young netminder to a faster, more physical style of play, but I have no doubt he will make an impact on whichever NHL roster he ends up on.
If he’s still available by the first of the Hurricanes 2nd Round picks, I’d strongly recommend that the Hurricanes pick him up. Callum Booth, Jeremy Helvig, and Alex Nedeljkovic are all developing nicely, but it never hurts to have an absolute stud of a goalie in your system.
His current stats are solid for someone his age; a .913% save percentage and a 2.39 goals-against average in 33 games played. Knight has been praised for his rebound control, as well as his communication and explosive lateral speed. The #1 Goalie prospect is sure to turn more than a few heads at the draft this year. Let’s hope Waddell’s is one of them.
4. Hugo Leufvenius
I know. The first word to pop up in your head was, ‘Who?’, right? (Spoiler: You’re gonna be thinking that a lot whilst reading this). Mine, too. Until I did a bit of research on this guy. Hugo Leufvenius is a versatile, Swedish-born, left-handed C/LW who can make plays like it’s nobody’s business. Leufvenius is projected to be picked close to 160th overall or so this year.
I’m not kidding, either. The young forward had 37 goals and 44 assists for a combined 81 points in 66 games played with the Sarnia Sting during the 2018-19 season. Now, before I conjure up nightmares of Nail Yakupov, there is a bit of a balm about Leufvenius that can soothe the Sting (see what I did there?) that Yakupov left on the NHL a few years ago.
Leufvenius scored 2 goals and 3 assists for a combined 5 points in 5 games played with the Sweden U20 team this past season as well. Leufvenius is smart, fast, and has hand-eye coordination for days. His passing is near unparalleled at the OHL level, and he knows how to score to boot. He may, after all, turn into another Yakupov. Yakupov’s numbers were better, and had far more hype surrounding him.
This prospect, however, has an entirely different aura about him. He wants to win. He shows more heart in his game than I had ever seen from Yakupov. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Leufvenius’ name on various scoresheets in the NHL by the time Seattle’s team begins contention in 2021-22.
3. Alex Beaucage
To start things off, Alex Beaucage is only 17 years old. Age doesn’t necessarily mean anything, but it could be a year or two before Beaucage is fully NHL-ready. That being said, he is already an offensive powerhouse in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
Beaucage is a right-handed winger who is comfortable playing both sides of the ice. Currently playing for the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, Beaucage scored 39 goals and 40 assists for a combined 79 points in 68 games played. In his entired QMJHL career, Beaucage has scored 52 goals and 64 assists for a combined 116 points in 124 games played. Very solid numbers, overall.
Alex is a very fast, intelligent skater. He has a tremendous ‘hockey IQ’, and seems to be at the right place at the right time to not only make plays, but to score goals. He’ll be a solid net-front presence on offense, and his play reminds me a bit of Jordan Martinook, but slightly more offensively gifted, and slightly less physical.
Beaucage, according to various sources, is currently projected to be drafted as early as 50th overall, as late as 138th overall, but in my opinion, will more likely land in the range of 102nd-110th overall pick. Not a bad place to be in at all, especially if you, as a general manager, have just loaded up on second-round prospect, and are looking for a solid, well-rounded winger to pick in the 3rd Round. Looking at you, Mr. Waddell.
2. Layton Ahac
Layton Ahac is the first defenseman on this list. Ahac is #2 on this list for many reasons, but the main one is that he reminds me of Jaccob Slavin. His play style is similar, albeit a bit more offensive-minded.
Ahac has committed to attend and play for Ohio State University for the 2019-20 season and beyond, and will only continue to develop in an upward trend. Ahac scored 4 goals and 28 assists for a combined 32 points with the Prince George Spruce Kings of the BCHL during the 2018-19 season.
The young blueliner is projected to be picked anywhere between 108th overall to 169th overall; my guess is closer to 115th-120th overall, but I digress. If Ahac plans on completing his college career, the earliest we could see him enter the league would be during the 2023-24 season. If Ahac continues to develop under Ohio State’s coaching staff, he’ll be a force to be reckoned with in the next few years.
1. Joseph Garreffa
Joseph Garreffa finishes up the list as the #1 potential Hidden Gem in this year’s Entry Draft, and for good reason. Garreffa, despite being the oldest member of this list at 20 years old, is ready to move to the next level of hockey.
Garreffa scored 32 goals and 55 assists for a total of 87 points in 68 games played with the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL. Garreffa is currently an Alternate Captain for Kitchener, which showcases his leadership ability early on. Garreffa has a huge upside to make an impact on the NHL level.
I’m not sure that I see Garreffa impacting the NHL right away, but (as with upcoming goalie and my #5 pick on this list, Spencer Knight), a year or so on an AHL team will season him right up. Garreffa is a strong, physical skater who isn’t afraid to take the puck to the ‘dirty areas’. Coming in at 5’7″ and 176lbs, he isn’t the biggest of skaters, but makes up for his lack of size with incredible speed and explosiveness.
Garreffa is currently projected to be picked roughly 135th-180th overall, and I don’t necessarily disagree with that ranking. The young winger could still turn out to be a standard, run-of-the-mill late round pick, but with the right development, anything could happen.
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So, there you have it. My Top 5 Potential Hidden Gems in this year’s Entry Draft. Again, this is all my own opinion, and is in no way meant to represent a Universal Objective Truth™. Either way, this year’s draft is going to be very interesting to watch. The Carolina Hurricanes have always drafted well in the later rounds. Hopefully Don Waddell can continue the trend.
Question for CC Readers: What prospects in this year’s Entry Draft are you most excited about?