Carolina Hurricanes: 3 Checkers Not to Forget About

CLEVELAND, OH - NOVEMBER 03: Cleveland Monsters left wing Nathan Gerbe (90) and Charlotte Checkers defenceman Jake Bean (24) chase the puck during the second period of the American Hockey League game between the Charlotte Checkers and Cleveland Monsters on November 3, 2019, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, OH.(Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - NOVEMBER 03: Cleveland Monsters left wing Nathan Gerbe (90) and Charlotte Checkers defenceman Jake Bean (24) chase the puck during the second period of the American Hockey League game between the Charlotte Checkers and Cleveland Monsters on November 3, 2019, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, OH.(Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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CLEVELAND, OH – NOVEMBER 03: Cleveland Monsters left wing Nathan Gerbe (90) and Charlotte Checkers defenceman Jake Bean (24) chase the puck during the second period of the American Hockey League game between the Charlotte Checkers and Cleveland Monsters on November 3, 2019, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, OH.(Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH – NOVEMBER 03: Cleveland Monsters left wing Nathan Gerbe (90) and Charlotte Checkers defenceman Jake Bean (24) chase the puck during the second period of the American Hockey League game between the Charlotte Checkers and Cleveland Monsters on November 3, 2019, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, OH.(Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

In light of the Charlotte Checkers’ stellar play of late, it’s a good time for a reminder that the Carolina Hurricanes have prospects beyond Julien Gauthier, Alex Nedeljkovic, and Jake Bean.

The Carolina Hurricanes rebuilt the right way. Not many NHL teams can say that their farm system could realistically be separated into tier 1 and tier 2 prospects, and those tier 2’s still have legitimate shots at NHL-regular status.

The Charlotte Checkers have been buzzing of late, and they’re getting contributions on all fronts. The team was actually slow out of the gate, for they found themselves in last place in the Eastern Atlantic for a while.

It’s fair to say there was a slight Calder Cup hangover, but there was also major roster turnover and a head coaching change.

A handful of returning players such as Alex Nedeljkovic, Jake Bean, and Julien Gauthier are considered almost surefire NHL guys at this point. But, there are other Carolina Hurricanes’ prospects with legitimate shots too. This write up is for them. Let’s go.

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