Cardiac Cane
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Carolina Hurricanes: 3 Checkers Not to Forget About

By Luke Schull

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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HERSHEY, PA – FEBRUARY 09: Charlotte Checkers center Janne Kuokkanen (23) stickhandles in on Hershey Bears goalie Vitek Vanecek (30) as the final shooter in the shootout of the Charlotte Checkers vs. Hershey Bears AHL game February 9, 2019 at the Giant Center in Hershey, PA. (Photo by Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
HERSHEY, PA – FEBRUARY 09: Charlotte Checkers center Janne Kuokkanen (23) stickhandles in on Hershey Bears goalie Vitek Vanecek (30) as the final shooter in the shootout of the Charlotte Checkers vs. Hershey Bears AHL game February 9, 2019 at the Giant Center in Hershey, PA. (Photo by Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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.

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