Carolina Hurricanes: 3 Checkers Not to Forget About

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.

Janne Kuokkanen

Here’s a Canes’ prospect that has always intrigued me. Every time I’ve seen Janne Kuokkanen play, I’ve liked what I’ve seen out of him. He’s got a playmaking knack, and he’s got good hockey IQ to compliment it. He, like Priskie, becomes an RFA in 2021-22.

Interestingly enough, Kuokkanen has yet to play a full AHL season. He’s been often injured. In fact, he missed the entirety of the Calder Cup championship run due to a season-ending surgery. Now, he’s back, he’s only missed one game this season, and is making his presence felt.

Kuokkanen is currently leading the Charlotte Checkers in total points with 28 (8 g 20 a). He is a +2 on the season and has accrued 16 PIMs. To date, his is shooting percentage is at 13.1% which is the best of his young career.

To be succinct, Kuokkanen’s potential ceiling seems to be as a middle-six playmaker. As mentioned in the above clip, he makes his teammates around him better. He’s got decent size at 6’1″ 190 lbs.

The pressing question is whether or not there’s a realistic path to a roster spot with the Carolina Hurricanes. This isn’t because of his skill set, but rather that the Canes don’t have an obvious lineup hole for him to fill. Maybe in a year or two, we’ll see Brock McGinn or Jordan Martinook make way for Kuokkanen. That might be getting too far ahead of ourselves, though. It will become clearer, but in the meantime, there’s one more Charlotte Checker to discuss.

Morgan Geekie

In my opinion, Morgan Geekie is a much better prospect than some realize. This kid has a lot going for him, yet I never see people talking about him. I considered him a dark horse to make the Canes’ roster out of training camp. He didn’t, clearly, but he’s improving every game.

Geekie was originally drafted as an overage player in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. The Carolina Hurricanes scooped him up in the 3rd round at 67th overall. I must say, for what he’s done so far, it’s looking like superb value through the 2021-22 season when he, too, will become an RFA.

He had himself a stellar junior career for the Tri-City Americans, in which he posted 201 points in 215 games played. In the 2017-2018 season, Geekie led all WHL skaters in playoff goals (17).

His transition to the AHL the following season was seamless, and he became a threat on the Calder Cup winning Checkers. He posted 46 points (19 g 27 a) in 73 games played as a Checkers’ rookie, and had a cool 20.4% shooting percentage. The real noise he made, however, came in the Calder Cup Playoffs. This was when I knew the Carolina Hurricanes had a good one.

Geekie posted 18 points (8 g 10 a), and shot at 25% in 19 playoff games as a rookie. His 8 goals and 18 points both paced all rookies in the Calder Cup playoffs. That’s really good.

As for this season, Geekie has taken a step back after exploding out of the gate. I’m not concerned, though. He earned an assist last night, and currently sits at 21 points (9 g 12 a) in 35 games played. Though, he has been taking more penalties. He had 22 PIMs all of last season. Not even at the halfway point of this season, he’s got 34 PIMs. This is something to watch.

The reason I like Geekie and think he might have a shot with the Carolina Hurricanes is that he’s a right-handed center. The Canes don’t have one of those, and it can give the lineup different looks. His shot stands out to me. His senses to be in the right place in the right time are demonstrated above. And finally, something I liked from training camp was how effectively he protected the puck using his frame. It’s the little things that go a long way. I think Geekie’s ceiling is a middle-6 center, but he’d ideally fit into an NHL third line.

That’s all I’ve got! Now you know that Geekie is low-key my current favorite prospect. Maybe you learned something about him, Priskie, or Kuokkanen that you didn’t already know. But, I hope your main takeaway is that the Carolina Hurricanes farm team has several levels of depth!

Question for CC Readers:  Who is your favorite Canes’ prospect that might not be in the spotlight?