Carolina Hurricanes: Who to take in the NHL Draft 1st Round?
Now that the Cup has been lifted one more time, this time for the first time in St. Louis, we are truly in offseason mode. Free agency begins in a couple of weeks, the Draft begins this Friday, and we have already seen a handful of trades and signings.
For the first time in a decade, the Carolina Hurricanes are not a lottery team (They traded the 2012 first round pick to the Penguins, so they didn’t draft in the top 14, but they were a lottery team). As as been well documented, the Hurricanes made the playoffs for the first time since 2009 and went pretty far. You all know this already, obviously, but the run to the Eastern Conference Finals gives the Hurricanes their first bad drafting position in a while.
Last year, the Canes drafted Andrei Svechnikov with the second overall pick. This time, they’ll draft someone you probably haven’t heard of with the 28th overall pick. Quite the difference.
This article will break down some possibilities for that 28th overall pick on Friday night, but I want to get some things out of the way first.
We almost assuredly won’t draft a defenseman or a goalie. Goalies rarely get drafted high anyway and I don’t think the Canes are that interested in drafting a goalie as Ned is considered the future (and Don Waddell said he wants to re-sign Petr and Curtis anyway), and we really don’t need any defensemen. Our defense is uncomfortably deep and owner, Tom Dundon, has already stated his intention to go in with an offensive mindset. So this conversation will be limited to forwards.
Additionally, it is difficult to decide who the team should pick when you don’t know who will be available when they are picking. So naturally, this members of the following list could all be gone by the time Pick 28 rolls around but we’ll see.
Egor Afanasyev – 18 – LW – Russia
I really like this guy a lot, and he has been projected as a high second round guy so he will probably be available at Pick 28.
Apart from being from Russia, he has a similar background to Svech. Originally from Russia, he has spent most of his amateur career in North America. If you watched any Hurricanes games this season on FS Carolinas, you know how much Tripp Tracy loves to talk about Svech’s Russian nationality with his North American influence. I think that really is a big part of what makes Svech Svech.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Hurricanes saw a little bit of Svech in Yegor. He is also a little over 6-3 and weighs over 200 pounds, so he’s a big dude. As discussed below, the Canes may be needing some bulk in the lineup if Ferland decides to walk.
Egor definitely plays more of a power forward game than the other guys on this list, but as I’m writing that, I like it more and more. The only true power forward on the team, other than Ferland, is Jordan Staal (in my opinion, you might disagree), and Egor could really add to that. It could really change the make up of the lineup. If the Hurricanes are worried about getting pushed around on the ice (perhaps after the Boston series), a guy like Egor makes a lot of sense.
Bobby Brink – 17 – RW – USA
A lot of mock drafts have brink coming off the board before the Hurricanes pick, but if a couple of defenseman go a little early, the Hurricanes could have a chance to draft him.
One of the youngest players in the draft, Brink played last season in the USHL for Sioux City. The USHL is generally known to be less competitive than its Canadian counterparts (OHL, WHL, QMJHL), but Jack Hughes, the potential first overall pick, played in the USHL season so I’m not too concerned about that.
What I am concerned about is his size. At only 5-8, he’s relatively short, which probably helps he speed up and down the ice. The size argument is used in basically every sport against guys on the shorter size and guys that actually have the talent to make it will make it independent of their size. That being said, it makes things a whole lot easier, the taller you are.
Brink showcased his talent in the USHL this season despite his size and because of his speed. He absolutely has top six potential and will certainly be on the Hurricanes mind as the first round rolls on.
Connor McMichael – 18 – C – Canada
Connor played very well for London in the OHL this season and is one of the fastest players in the draft. He’s a young guy, only 18 years old, so he may be spending a season or two in the AHL before he cracks an NHL roster, but the upside is obvious. He excelled in the ultra talented OHL this past season in which he went up against a ton of future NHLers.
He also plays a game similar to that of other Hurricanes forwards. He plays at a very high pace and has a quick release. That is almost exactly what the Hurricanes seem to ask of their forwards. Though acquisitions like Micheal Ferland might say otherwise. And now that it is likely that Ferland will walk in free agency, perhaps the Hurricanes will want to bulk up rather than add more and more speed.
McMichael is also a center, which increases his draftability as the Canes are in need of some center depth. Centers are often able to play wing as well as center and usually have a better command defensively than wingers. A minor but valid point.
Patrik Puistola – 18 – RW – Finland
Puistola was hovering around late first/early second, but he has dramatically fallen in the past week or so and I’m not sure why. Presumably, this means he will be available at 28, and I really like him, but it may be too much of a reach.
Best thing about him? You guessed it, he’s from Finland. The Hurricanes have had serious success with Finnish forwards that I don’t have to tell you about. The Finns on the Canes have had great chemistry and of course, being Finnish isn’t dispositive of this fact (Aho and Teuvo are just really good, independent of their nationality), but growing up in the same geographic region thousands of miles away in a similar system is not something to quickly dismissed.
Hockeywise, he’s been great in U18 tournaments for Finland. He plays a similar game to Aho, though on the wing (but we’ve seen Aho play on the wing a lot). He’s only 18, so he’s on the young-side, and the Hurricanes’ prospect pool is notably full, so perhaps they don’t want to have someone spend too much time down in the minors.
However, he absolutely has high end talent, so he may be fast tracked to the NHL if he does well in Charlotte. Still, he’s only 6-1, 175, certainly not Svech’s size, and will probably spend some time in the system before making the NHL.
Honestly, I would be happy with any of these guys. However, I am leaning toward Puistola or Afanasyev. The Hurricanes have had great success with European forwards, so why mess with that? Hockey wise, I think both fit in with the Hurricanes very well. After researching for this article I was pretty set on Puistola, but writing it has convinced me otherwise.
Plus, Puistola might be available in the second round now that he’s fallen off a bit. Regardless, assuming all these guys are on the board when Pick 28 rolls around, I am taking Afansyev. The combination of his size and skill, along with his Russian background with North American influence, I think he will be a perfect fit for the Hurricanes, and quickly.
Question for CC Readers: Who should the Canes Draft at 28th?