The Carolina Hurricanes, with the 28th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, have selected Ryan Suzuki. The Canadian-born center has quite a lot to bring to the table. Here is a quick profile of the newest member of the Carolina Hurricanes.
Ryan Suzuki is a massive pickup. I cannot understate this. Ryan. Suzuki. Is. A. Massive. Pickup. The 18 year-old center was initially projected to be drafted anywhere between 15th and 26th overall, by various sources that have been keeping an eye on the draft-eligible prospects around the world.
Had you told me early in the day on Friday that the Carolina Hurricanes would be selecting Ryan Suzuki mere hours later in the 1st Round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, I would have laughed in your face. Suzuki was never supposed to fall that far. But, as the hockey gods would have it, he did. And the Hurricanes are that much better for it.
Suzuki is a former teammate of last year’s 1st Round, 2nd overall draft pick Andrei Svechnikov; the two played together on the Barrie Colts, and struck up a friendship there that I’m sure will prove to be a vast advantage in team chemistry and morale between the two in Raleigh when the time comes for Suzuki to prove his worth in the NHL.
“But Matt,” you ask, “when will his time come?”
The answer is complicated. Sooner than you’d think, but a bit longer than most of us would like. Suzuki is nowhere near NHL-ready at this point. This is not always a bad thing, as most skaters take a few months to become accustomed to the system that they get drafted into.
That being said, I can see Suzuki remaining with the Barrie Colts for the 2019-20 season, seeing as how he would either have to sever ties with them this summer in order to play at the next level. That next level is not where you’d think.
Unfortunately, due to an agreement between the AHL and the CHL, Suzuki would either spend next season in Barrie or in Raleigh; he’d be ineligible to play in Charlotte until 2020-21 at the earliest. (This rule states a signed player aged 18 or 19 who was claimed from a CHL team and is not retained by the NHL team he gets drafted to, must be assigned to the CHL team that he last played for or owes a contractual obligation to.)
All things considered, Suzuki has a bit of a road ahead of him until he’s ready to make an impact on an NHL roster. The potential impact this young center could have on the NHL, and the Carolina Hurricanes in particular, is worth the wait. I’ll have a more updated profile ready after prospects development camp wraps up later on this summer.
Ryan Suzuki is a playmaker, first and foremost. He scored 25 goals and 50 assists, for a combined 75 points in 65 games played with the Barrie Colts in the 2018-19 season. He also notched 1 goal and 7 assists for a combined 8 points in 5 games played with the U18 Canada team during the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
Ryan Suzuki makes no mistake as he extends Team Canada's lead at the #HlinkaGretzkyCup. pic.twitter.com/jUg0NriQ5x
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) August 7, 2018
It is worth mentioning that Suzuki is the recipient of high praise from various pundits and scouts. According to Elite Prospects:
"Suzuki is a good skater, excellent passer and is very good at putting himself in scoring positions, where he rarely fails to capitalize. He does not play overly physical, but is very good at avoiding contact while doing so. He has excellent hands and all around vision. On the downside, his effort-level has been questioned. (Tyler Parchem, EP 2019)"
Suzuki has been touted as a deceptive, smooth skater who can create high-danger scoring chances with ease; he also possesses an elite ‘hockey IQ’, and can see the ice and teammates at a much more advanced level than his peers.
https://twitter.com/tsn_sports/status/1028480919894745089?lang=en
There are slight downsides, as mentioned by Elite Prospects, but the coaching staff in the Carolina Hurricanes organization should have no problem ousting these worries over the course of his development.
Ryan Suzuki is a massive pickup. Like I said before, I cannot understate this. If you aren’t as excited as I am about his arrival, you will be as soon as you see him take the ice. If you’re looking for a comparable player to Suzuki on the Hurricanes’ roster, look no further than Teuvo Teravainen. If Suzuki is developed correctly, and if he buys-in to the Hurricanes’ mentality and culture, he will be a bona fide superstar when the time comes.
Question for CC Readers: After this HUGE pickup in Round 1, who are you looking forward to seeing drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in Rounds 2-7?