Carolina Hurricanes: NHL Entry Draft Day Two Live Tracker

Its day two of the draft and the Carolina Hurricanes still have eleven more picks to make barring any more trades. Follow us here for live reactions and draft grades.

The Carolina Hurricanes are good at drafting. This is no secret. The last few years have seen their pipeline filled with excellent talent that sent the Charlotte Checkers all the way to the Calder Cup Finals to earn their first cup championship. But the real secret is how well they have drafted in rounds past the first.

While most teams don’t spend much time scouting players for the later rounds, the Carolina Hurricanes have made it their mission to find the diamonds in the rough. Several of their top star players have come in rounds 2-7. This includes Sebastian Aho and Jaccob Salvin. Who will the Canes draft in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft? Will they find more gems?

Yesterday they stole Ryan Suzuki at the 28th pick. The OHL player is a Barrie Colts star who was once a teammate to Andrei Svechnikov. While it will be a couple of years before he is NHL ready, he will definitely make an impact when he does make his NHL debut. He seems to already have his Storm Surge ready:

Yesterday was a success. Now we look forward to today where the Carolina Hurricanes have eleven more draft picks to make after trades. That includes two more in the second round. Stay tuned with us as the picks are made starting at 1PM ET.

Round Three

After a couple of trades in the second round, the Carolina Hurricanes started the third round with three picks; 73rd, 83rd, and 90th picks overall. Will they make any more trades and gain more than the record eleven picks they have (three already made). Nine picks left to go.

Pick 73:

Carolina gets another late pick Finn who may turn out to be a star down the line. Some mock drafts had him going as early as the first round. This is an excellent pick in the third round. A sniper with a heck of a shot, he is good at one thing, scoring goals. This is exactly what the Carolina Hurricanes need. He might spend another year in Finland before joining the Checkers, but he can use the development.

Grade: A+

Pick 83:

Another Finn but this time on defense. The first defender selected in the draft for the Carolina Hurricanes. With a pair of World Junior gold medals, this kid is another excellent addition to the prospect pool. Excellent puck and stick skills makes him a dangerous offensive defender that will one day QB a powerplay for Carolina. For now expect him to join the prospect pool as he grows into his body.

Grade: B

Pick 90:

First American selected by the Carolina Hurricanes and the second defender. Fensore might be the first pick by the Hurricanes that seems to be a reach. But the scouts have yet to fail us yet and the USA National Team Development Program has continued to churn out excellent players and Fensore is no exception. His defensive play has caught the eyes of many, including the Canes.

At 17 years of age, he is a long way from being NHL ready. Committed to BU the Carolina Hurricanes are saving him for a rainy day as the defensive prospect pool starts to dry up in a few years.

Grade: B-

Surprisingly the Carolina Hurricanes made no more trades in the third round, but did add three great players to their prospect pool. They now have six more picks left in the remaining four rounds of the draft. Things might be slowing down for the team now. Even if the remaining picks fall short of expectations, this has still been an excellent draft.

Rounds 4-5

The Carolina Hurricanes have three picks within these two rounds thanks to earlier trades. So far they have drafted six players, three forwards, two defenders, and a goalie. That is true balance right there. But now that there are still another five players to draft, we will see how the balance will be disturbed. Will they commit any more trades? Let’s find out.

Pick 99:

Another American defender committed to BU. Not much of a steal here, but just like with Fensore the Carolina Hurricanes are building a defensive base to refill the stock when the deep talent in Charlotte moves up or moves on. Smart moves by Waddell who seems to be placing his trust in his scouts who see Webber as another possible defensive depth piece in the making.

Grade: C+

Pick 121:

Another Finn. Carolina is about to employee the entire nation. But seriously, this is a steal at 121. Tieksola should have gone late in the second or early in the third. This kid is an excellent skater with a dynamic set of offensive skills. Good hockey sense too. Has the potential to become another Sebastian Aho. No joke. Still young, but when he gets to the NHL in a few years the chants of TUUUUKKKK should fill PNC Arena.

Grade: A+

Pick 152:

Second Russian drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes. Kirill Slepets is a bit older than other picks at this point at 20 years of age. Committed to the KHL for at least one more year, he is just another depth option that may or may not pan out. Not a bad player to use a fifth round pick on, but it’s still up in the air if he will be an impact player moving forward.

Grade: C+

Eight picks taken. Three more to go. The Carolina Hurricanes have already made several top tier draft picks. Rounds six and seven will see another three players get a Hurricanes Jersey before the night is done. The fourth and fifth rounds went without a trade involving the Hurricanes, so it seems that they will make their own three picks in the next two rounds.

Rounds 6-7

Almost done. This draft has surely taken its time. All the trades in the second round has sure pushed the timetable back. Since then the Carolina Hurricanes have picked up eight players. They will finish this entry draft with a pair of picks in the sixth round and a final pick in the seventh.

Pick 181:

Only the second American selected. A former Jr Buffalo Sabres player committed to Penn State, The Carolina Hurricanes have found another good player to stash for the future. Probably will be years before he makes his way to the NHL, but chances are that when he does get here, he will be ripe and ready to make an impact. Decent pick.

Grade: B

Pick 183

Another OHL player, this time from Sudbury. This is an excellent pick in the sixth round for a player that was supposed to go as high as the third round. While he will go back to the OHL until he is at least old enough to be eligible to join the Checkers, he will be one to keep your eyes out for when he finally signs his ELC.

Grade: A-

Pick 216

Don’t ignore the seventh round draft picks. Many current superstars have been picked up in the seventh round. While Rizzo is committed to the University of North Dakota NEXT year, the freshly turned 18 year old BCHL player is very likely to make an NHL roster in the future. He has been a solid forward there and his development has come along very smoothly. Good pick for the second to last choice in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.

Grade: B+

That is it for the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. The Carolina Hurricanes have made TWELVE incredible picks this year. Almost all of these kids won’t sniff the NHL for at least a year or so. For some it will be longer. But let’s keep our eyes on them as they continue to grow and develop. Almost every pick they have made has been a snag of a kid who should have left the board earlier. This was a good draft for the Storm Surging Team.

Final Grade: A-

Question for CC Readers: Which players drafted in this draft are you most excited to see become Carolina Hurricanes in the future?

This was a live article.