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Five Carolina Hurricanes Prospects You Should Watch Closely

By Alex Ohari

RALEIGH, NC - SEPTEMBER 29: Carolina Hurricanes right wing Julien Gauthier (44) checks Washington Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary (42) in front of his bench during an NHL Preseason game between the Washington Capitals and the Carolina Hurricanes on September 29, 2019 at the PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC. (Photo by Greg Thompson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NC - SEPTEMBER 29: Carolina Hurricanes right wing Julien Gauthier (44) checks Washington Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary (42) in front of his bench during an NHL Preseason game between the Washington Capitals and the Carolina Hurricanes on September 29, 2019 at the PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC. (Photo by Greg Thompson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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RALEIGH, NC – DECEMBER 23: Janne Kuokkanen #59 of the Carolina Hurricanes skates for position behind the net during an NHL game against the Boston Bruins on December 23, 2018 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NC – DECEMBER 23: Janne Kuokkanen #59 of the Carolina Hurricanes skates for position behind the net during an NHL game against the Boston Bruins on December 23, 2018 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Janne Kuokkanen

It’s very interesting to me that Janne Kuokkanen has seemingly become a bit of a forgotten man amongst Canes prospects, despite him making the opening night roster as a 19-year old in 2017 and making a 4-game debut that season.

He didn’t stick right away, but he managed to post 40 points in 60 games as an AHL rookie in 2017-18 and really showed off his quality. He’s a dynamic player. He sees the ice extremely well and is comfortable as a distributor with pace on the rush.  He’s been a focal-point on the Checkers powerplay, where he has no problem creating from both the half-wall and down below the goal line.

His skills obviously continued to develop last season, where he was rewarded with a 7-game call-up to the Canes mid-season. Despite still looking for his first NHL point after 11 games, Kuokkanen took another step forward at the AHL level. He had 38 points in 48 games, and was evolving on the physical side of the game.

Unfortunately he suffered a season-ending injury and wasn’t able to suit up for the Checkers on their Calder Cup run, which would’ve been exceptional experience for him to gain.

Regardless, Kuokkanen came back with a vengeance, and the 21-year old has really broken out this season. After struggling out of the gate with just 11 points in his first 23 games, he’s completely caught fire recently and is riding a run of form with 24 points in his past 19 games. His 35 points lead the Checkers in scoring, and he’s been a huge part of the team’s resurgence.

Moving forward as a pro, Kuokkanen’s outlook is rather strong. He’s managed to take a step forward in all 3 years of his development in Charlotte, and considering his status as a fringe NHLer for the last 2 years, he’s likely as close as he’s ever been to the NHL. Barring injury, Kuokkanen won’t get a shot this year, but his time could be coming.

An impending RFA this summer, Kuokkanen will definitely be in for a raise at the AHL level. He’s still 2 years away from waivers, so he can continue to develop in Charlotte should Carolina feel he’s not ready to make the roster next year. Safe to say, Kuokkanen looks like he’ll eventually take a place in the middle-6 of an NHL line-up, and the hope here is that it’ll be for the Hurricanes.

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