NHL ETAs for the 2019 Carolina Hurricanes Draft Class
By Alex Ohari
Third Round
Pick Analysis. Tappara / Liiga. Patrik Puistola. 73. 109. Prospect Profile. LW/RW. player
Puistola is a guy that many scouts and fans had going to the Hurricanes at 28th overall, so to get him at 73 is, obviously, pretty good. A pure sniper, unfortunately he’s been solely a 4th liner on his Tappara team in Liiga, as the coach doesn’t trust younger players. He has just 1 assist in 15 games.
But in the Mestis league (Finnish AHL) he has 4 points in 4 games, and he’s got 6 goals in 6 games with the Finland U20 team, and is very likely to play a good role for them at the World Juniors next month. Let’s just hope he gets a better role with Tappara.
NHL ETA: 3-4 years
player. 109. Prospect Profile. D. JYP / Liiga. Anttooni Honka. 83. Pick Analysis
Here’s a player that really divided scouts, but his talent is totally undeniable. A bonafide Liiga player since 17 years old, Honka has already matched his point total from last season in just 19 games. His 8 points lead his team over there amongst defenseman, which is a fantastic feat for a kid who was 18 when the season started.
He’ll likely continue to blossom in Liiga, and also play with fellow countryman Puistola for Finland at the upcoming World Juniors next month. With his size and sense (5’9, 170lbs) he’ll always be limited defensively, but has the potential to be a real gamebreaker offensively for Carolina in the future.
NHL ETA: 3-5 years
Pick Analysis. D. player. 109. Prospect Profile. Boston Univ. / NCAA. Domenick Fensore. 90
I could copy and paste that last sentence from the Honka above and put in here, except I’m not even sure if Fensore will play defense in the NHL. At 5’7, 151lbs currently, it’s hard to envision that he will. But this kid is an absolutely explosive skater, and really has good vision breaking out from the D zone.
He’s at Boston University now, where as a rookie he’s got 3 assists in 9 games. He’ll likely spend 3-4 years there, hopefully bulking up and learning to use his size as an advantage(?) defensively, assuming that’s possible. Regardless, he’s a really fun prospect, and one I would advise keeping a close eye on.