NHL ETAs for the 2019 Carolina Hurricanes Draft Class
By Alex Ohari
Rounds Four and Five
99. 109. Prospect Profile. D. Penticton Vees / BCHL. Cade Webber. Pick Analysis. player
I don’t know a whole lot about Webber, ht it’s pretty obvious to see why Carolina drafted him. As a 18 year old, this kid is 6’7, 210lbs – an absolute tower on defense. He’s playing with the Penticton Vees of the BCHL, where he’s got 2 goals and 5 points in 23 games. The Hurricanes aren’t expecting him to be a offensive threat though, he was drafted for his ability as a shut-down defender.
Scouts were divided on him (maybe because he was drafted out of Prep school), but Webber’s size and wingspan will make him a popular player amongst Canes supporters. Everyone is intriguied by big dudes, and Webber fits the bill. He’s a long-term project though, 4-5 years at least.
NHL ETA: 5+ years
RW. Tuukka Tieksola. Pick Analysis. Kärpät / Liiga. 121. player. 109. Prospect Profile
My favourite pick from the 2019 draft, Tieksola looks to be a hidden gem. He’s got 26 points (11G, 15A) in 18 games in the Finnish junior league – a league which he is way too good for. A quick Twitter search of his name and you’ll find videos of him routinely skating circles around the other team (I’m not joking). This kid is a stud. He’s also played 3 games with Karpat, but is victim of a very deep team.
The hope here is that Tieksola will be traded or loaned out to another team in Liiga where he’ll get playing time. Karpat is stacked, and Tieksola is way too good for the league he’s playing in. He’s a small kid (5’9, 154lbs) but has the speed and skill to be an effective player in the NHL one day. He was only overlooked in the draft because of his size, and watching his game reminds me a lot of Elias Lindholm.
NHL ETA: 2-4 years
Pick Analysis. RW. Buran Voronezh / VHL. Prospect Profile. 152. player. 109. Kirill Slepets
Kirill Slepets was an overlooked player, being undrafted twice before the Hurricanes pounced on him in 2019. He’s got a lot of speed and skill (like a LOT). His stride and breakaway speed is incredible. He’s currently in the VHL in Russia (basically the Russian AHL) and leads his team with 15 points (8 goals, 7 assists) in 21 games.
Slepets is a guy whom divided scouts for a long while. He’s undersized (listed at 5’10, 154lbs) and the fact he’s never played in North America raises doubt about his future. Russian players that don’t play amateur hockey in NA usually have no patience for the AHL, so it’ll be interesting to see if Slepets ever comes overseas. His raw ability is very intriguing though.