Carolina Hurricanes: Defensive prospects at the All Star Break
Hurricanes have had a log jam on the blueline for years, it seems like there’s respite coming on the horizon with some of the pending UFA’s, here are the blueline reinforcements.
It seems that since the dawn of time itself, the Carolina Hurricanes have been blessed with a great blue line and a lot of backend talent. From guys like Glen Wesley and Frantisek Kaberle through the era of guys like Tim Gleason to the modern days of Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce and Dougie Hamilton. Carolina seemingly always have a good back end.
This is certainly the case right now, but with both Trevor van Riemsdyk and Joel Edmundson being pending unrestricted free agents for the coming summer, there’s some respite for a log-jammed defence core. More of an opportunity for someone like Haydn Fleury is in order if TVR and Edmundson don’t come back next year.
Someone like Jake Gardiner may get an extended run in the top 4 alongside Pesce, with Hamilton and Slavin remaining the premier pairing. Maybe that helps Gardiner get a fresh start after a slow start to this season, as he’s shown his quality since that slow start. Maybe a redo helps rebuild his confidence and rebuilds the confidence the fans can have in him.
There will be chances for some of the guys down in Charlotte. Guys like Jake Bean and Chase Priskie may get a shot next year in the NHL. The 3rd pairing will be completely custom made. This means you can throw a young guy and a vet on that 3rd pairing or two kids, or sign two vets for it. It’s a good luxury to have.
If you elect to go with kids, there’s a lot of guys in Charlotte who could come up and succeed, the previously mentioned Jake Bean or Chase Priskie. Maybe someone like Roland McKeown finally gets his NHL shot. Or, there might be an inhouse option that you may have forgotten exists. Let’s take a look at three of our better defender prospects from outside the Charlotte Checkers.
Luke Martin
Luke Martin is one of the guys that comes to mind for me as someone who could quickly establish himself in the Carolina Hurricanes organisation. The St Louis native is currently playing in the NCAA with Michigan university, but why should you care about someone that’s still in college?
Martin is listed as 6’2, 201. That is a BIG man. He’s not known for scoring points galore. He’s only tallied 24 points over the last 4 years at Michigan. What you may look towards is his plus/minus. I will be the first to tell you the flaws of this stat, but being a plus player across 4 years in the NCAA means you’re doing something right.
Martin was a Canes draft pick in 2017, taken 52 overall in the 2nd round. What makes Martin important is that Martin is one of the players drafted from the picks Carolina got back from the New York Rangers in the Eric Staal trade. However well Luke Martin pans out could show that trade to be better for Carolina, seeing as Eric Staal is now a member of the Minnesota Wild.
I apologise for my Staal-ing (but not that pun) so back to Luke Martin. He’s a right handed D man who was very highly touted when he was drafted. His obvious comparable to a current Hurricane is Brett Pesce. A player who puts defense first, with some signs of extra offense somewhere down the line if he keeps working with high quality players.
https://twitter.com/umichhockey/status/1055537810155954176?s=20
In truth Luke Martin is still a few years out from the NHL, but he has a bright future as a defensive D man if he can take that next step in establish himself as a shutdown defender with a scoring threat. If he can add that scoring aspect to his game, he’s going to be quite the asset. He has a very promising future ahead of him.
Cade Webber
This is one you may not know too well, but I can promise you Cade Webber is a prospect to very much keep an eye on. Like Luke Martin, Cade Webber doesn’t throw up a lot of points, but is a defensive player who can shut down an airport. This season he has recorded two goals and three assists in 23 games for the Penticton Vees of the British Columbia Hockey League.
The 6’6 201 lbs defender (WOW That’s a big person) was drafted in the 4th round, 99th overall, in the 2019 NHL entry draft. Webber is a left-handed defensive D man who like Luke Martin, needs to add that scoring aspect to his game to completely round out into an all around perfect defenseman. He’s still a way around from being ready for the NHL however.
Webber has an obvious comparable. A left-handed defensive defender who needs, or should I say needed to add a scoring finish to his game to become a complete and undeniably elite defenseman in the NHL and that is Mr Jaccob Slavin. Now, Webber is not going to be Slavin. Defenseman like Slavin don’t grow on trees, but he could be very solid.
With the 99th pick in the 2019 #NHLDraft, the #Canes select Cade Webber! pic.twitter.com/577NJdNxBx
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) June 22, 2019
Webber is still only 19. He is some distance away from making his mark on the NHL. However, in his short time as a Hurricanes prospect, he has shown some flashes of brilliance and has displayed some reasons for optimism. If he keeps developing the rate he has been, Carolina have a really promising player down there in the BCHL.
Domenick Fensore
For this defender, we stay inside the NCAA to find Domenick Fensore. Fensore is only 18 years old, and for him to be on this list speaks of how highly talented the young man is. He one of the more promising defenseman in the Hurricanes organization. The American has showed a lot of promise in his short time as part of the organisation.
Fensore has recorded 3 goals and 7 assists for 10 points in 21 games with Boston College. For a defenseman that is a good total. He’s not going to score a point per game from the blueline. However, this doesn’t mean he cannot improve his production. As stated previosuly, he’s still young with a lot of room to grow.
The 5’7, 179 lbs defender was taken by the Carolina Hurricanes 3rd round, 90th overall in the 2019 NHL entry draft. His smaller build is more than made up for by his quick skating ability and his pure skill in puck moving. He’s also great in his own end. Dominick is showing a lot of promise down in the NCAA (or up in Boston).
As a left-handed smaller defenseman, his comparable on the team is really non-existent. There isn’t a Canes defender on the roster right now that is under 6’2 which is really impressive. He would be very unique in that sense, but at the age of 19, he may not be done growing up yet. His build, like his game, will progress as he ages.
The Rest
This has been a lot of fun to go through and appreciate the stellar job the Carolina Hurricanes front office as done in the draft. At some point, I will discuss Anttoni Honka, Chase Priskie, Jake Bean, Villie Rasanaen and the other Canes defensive prospects. Guys like Jesper Sellgren among others need to be analysed in depth because some of them will pan out at the NHL level because they are all very good at their respective levels.
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- The Southeast Rookie Showcase Will Be a Good Look at Carolina’s Future
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My point remains that the Carolina Hurricanes have a lot of great D men on the roster right now, and based on the current crop of defensive prospects, there will be a long and steady stream of them if this group of defenseman continue to develop at the same rate they have done up to this point in their careers.
Yes, Carolina have issues with Dougie Hamilton hurt, but this doesn’t mean that there is a need for a long term answer. Guys like Fensore, Martin and Webber will be those long term answers, they just need to find a way to replace him for the time he is out of the lineup. If another defender was to get hurt in the future, you may just see one of these defenders get their NHL chance.
Question for CC Readers: Which prospect defender are you most excited for?
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