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Carolina Hurricanes: Forecasting the Month of January

By Luke Schull

RALEIGH, NC - DECEMBER 31: Ryan Dzingel #18 of the Carolina Hurricanes scores an empty net goal and celebrates with teammates Lucas Wallmark #71 and Warren Foegele #13 during an NHL game against the Montreal Canadiens on December 31, 2019 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NC - DECEMBER 31: Ryan Dzingel #18 of the Carolina Hurricanes scores an empty net goal and celebrates with teammates Lucas Wallmark #71 and Warren Foegele #13 during an NHL game against the Montreal Canadiens on December 31, 2019 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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RALEIGH, NC – DECEMBER 31: Petr Mrazek #34 of the Carolina Hurricanes is named 3rd star of the game after a victory over the Montreal Canadiens during an NHL game on December 31, 2019 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NC – DECEMBER 31: Petr Mrazek #34 of the Carolina Hurricanes is named 3rd star of the game after a victory over the Montreal Canadiens during an NHL game on December 31, 2019 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Canes’ Spotlight Players

Lucas Wallmark – If you know me, you know that I’ve been on the Wallmark hype train since the beginning of last season. I was guessing him as the Hurricanes’ first goal scorer every game for the entire 2018-2019 season. Anyway, it’s awesome to see him heating up.

Wallmark is currently riding a 7-game point streak in which he has collected 9 points (4 g, 5 a). In his young NHL career he has proven to be an exceptional utility player. He’s an all-situations guy that you can count on. My favorite statistic of his is that he has a 50.4% CF% despite starting in the offensive zone only 43.6% of the time. Keep an eye on Wallmark in January. I think he’s got even more to give.

Petr Mrazek – Why should we keep an eye on Mrazek this month? As I mentioned on the previous page, there is a high concentration of home games this month. No one on this team feeds off the crowd quite like Mrazek. For this reason alone, I’m expecting a big month from him.

For a little while, Mrazek had fallen back to earth. However, he rebounded in a big way against Montreal on New Year’s Eve earning himself the third star of the game. His .903 sv% and his 2.67 gaa are pretty average at face value, but there is no reason to panic. I’m looking forward to the “Petr, Petr, Petr” chants this month.

Erik Haula – Haula is worth watching this month because it has become so clear how important he is to the Carolina Hurricanes. He’s got six points in his first five games back from injury. When he’s on the ice, the team is that much better. The key is for Haula to stay healthy. If that means taking an occasional game off or skipping practice, so be it.

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