A Look At The 5 Carolina Hurricanes Pending College Free Agents
With college hockey seasons starting to wrap up, the Hurricanes have 5 former draft picks that they’ll have to either sign, or let walk. Who are they?
The college free agent frenzy – for better or worse – is always an exciting time in the hockey world. It allows teams to sign a potential player without giving up any assets for that player – although history would suggest that the whole ordeal is overhyped.
There’s two phases of college free agency. The first phase, which is now currently underway, is that college seniors who have no previous NHL affiliation (undrafted) are free to sign with any NHL club (or any team in general) as soon as their respective college season ends.
The Hurricanes have dipped into the phase one pool in previous years. Last season, they added UMass forward Jacob Pritchard on an entry-level deal. In years prior, they added players such as forward Andrew Poturalski and goaltender Rasmus Tirronen.
Phase two of free agency involves NHL affiliated players (guys who were drafted by NHL clubs). Each team is given until August 15th to sign their graduated senior players – or they lose such player to free agency.
An example of this is Chase Priskie – who was drafted in 2016 by Washington. He finished his senior year at Quinnipiac last spring – and opted against signing with the Capitals. He became a free agent on August 15, 2020, and was signed by the Carolina Hurricanes on August 17th. The Capitals received no compensation for Priskie.
The Hurricanes figure to be heavily involved in the college free agent rush this year, as they have 5 players who’re projected to be unrestricted free agents on August 15th. In this article, I’ll outline who these players are, take a look at how their college careers unfolded, and if they’re likely to be signed by the team or not. Let’s get started.
F Max Zimmer (Wisconsin)
The first domino to (sort of) fall, the Charlotte Checkers announced on Monday that they’d signed Max Zimmer to an amateur try-out contract for the remainder of their season. That’ll give the Hurricanes brass a chance to get a look at Zimmer in the pros before deciding if he’s worth an NHL entry-level deal.
Zimmer just wrapped up his senior season at Wisconsin, where he missed significant time with injury and had an underwhelming 11 points in 21 games. He did come on strong towards the end of the season when he was healthy though, and set a career high with 8 goals. Wisconsin coach Tony Granato said Zimmer was deserving of his ATO:
“He finished strong enough to deserve an opportunity, in my opinion,” Tony Granato said of Zimmer. “I think he’s positioned himself to be ready for his chance.”
Zimmer, though, will really need to make a strong impression. The Hurricanes liked him enough to take him 104th in the 2016 draft, but Zimmer’s development hasn’t taken the next step since then. He scored just 19 goals and 45 points in 115 college games, and never emerged as a real consistent top-6 threat.
Injuries and opportunity has played a factor, but Zimmer is definitely a longshot. He has blazing speed (think like, Martin Necas fast) and decent size at 6’0, 190lbs. He has some serviceable NHL traits, but he’s still raw and at 22 years old, looks like his upside is at best as a fourth-line NHL energy guy.
Zimmer is confident in himself, and is looking for a fair shot:
“The ultimate goal right now is to play hockey [professionally]” Zimmer said recently. “If I have an opportunity, awesome. If I can honestly tell myself I did everything I could and got the most out of each day, then it is what it is.”
Zimmer will get his chance to prove himself with Charlotte as their season unfolds over the next couple months, but I would be quite shocked if he’s awarded an ELC before August 15th. It’s entirely possible that he may not get an ELC with any other team either, and could certainly sign an AHL contract with Charlotte next year, should Carolina hope to continue developing him.
Regardless, Zimmer is unlikely to ever shift the balance in the organization, and at this point looks like a guy who’s got a long road ahead of him to make the NHL.
F David Cotton – Boston College
Back in 2015 when the Hurricanes selected David Cotton with the 169th overall pick in the draft, he was viewed as a long-term project. Now, the Canes eagerly await to reap the benefits of Cotton’s development nearly five years after selecting him.
Cotton, who’s the captain of the Boston College hockey team, has exploded as an offensive threat in recent years and plays a committed 200-foot game. He’s 6’3, 205lbs, can play both center and wing, and has scored 75 points over 71 games in his past 2 seasons there.
Prospect scout Scott Wheeler has expressed optimism in Cotton’s game:
“One of the better forwards in the NCAA these days, Cotton blends size with a well-rounded offensive game to make small plays all over the ice and drive play without being the most skilled player in the world. He can get to the net and score in tight. He can score from the slot with a hard wrist shot. He can drift wide and make the odd play through the middle of the ice as a passer. He can play the chip-and-chase game to make things happen on the cycle and spend shifts in the offensive zone. …”
He continued:
“The Canes should (and likely will) sign him and give him an opportunity in the Checkers’ top nine next year. I’m not sure where he fits in an NHL lineup just yet but there’s potential there.”
Cotton’s season at Boston College is still underway, as his team qualified for the playoffs and are considered among the favourites for the Hockey East Championship. Because of that, we likely won’t get clarity on Cotton’s future until after his season concludes, which could be a bit of a ways away yet.
Some people had wondered about Cotton potentially not wanting to sign with the Canes when he returned to Boston College for his senior season, and assumed he’d want to walk into free agency and pick his destination. Cotton cleared the air before the season:
“By no means was my decision about Carolina. My decision was solely based on my wanting to establish a legacy here at Boston College. Earlier I was elected captain and that’s a pretty select group, so that was the main reason” Cotton said about his decision.
At the 2019 prospects camp, coach Rod Brind’Amour expressed optimism in Cotton eventually signing with the team.
“The hope is when he gets done he’ll want to sign with us based on the relationship we have with him and him wanting to be here” Rod said.
Cotton has been pretty complemental about the organization during his four years at prospect camp, where he was also named one of the two team captains in the 2019 edition. After the camp ended, Cotton said the following about Carolina:
“You know, just every time you get to put on that white and red [Hurricanes] jersey, and see the logo on it, it kind of all just hits you at once that like wow, I’m here. And that’s a feeling that won’t go away for a while … it’s extremely special for me.”
Hopefully, when his season concludes in the coming weeks, Cotton will hold true to his word and sign with the team that had enough faith in him to make his draft-day dream come true way back in 2015. If not, he’s sure to have plenty of potential suitors in free agency, and the Hurricanes will get no compensation should he walk on or after August 15th.
F Matt Filipe – Northeastern University
The Hurricanes’ 3rd round pick (67th overall) in 2016, Matt Filipe is wrapping up
his senior season at Northeastern. He’s had an inspiring season – he’s tied his career high in goals (9), and set career highs in assists (13) and points (22).
Filipe is a larger kid at 6’2, 205lbs, and plays a power-forward type style. He’s been an all-situations player at Northeastern – he can succeed on the penalty kill, powerplay and at 5-on-5, due to good skating ability and hockey IQ.
I mentioned how David Cotton captained one of the prospect teams at the camp last summer – Filipe captained the other squad. He’s taken another step forward since then – his senior season in college has been great so far, and his coach has raved about him:
“Matt has been a huge piece to our program the last three-and-a-half years,” Northeastern associate head coach Jerry Keefe said. “Right now he is playing his best hockey and might be the top power forward in college hockey. He can dominate games from a physical standpoint and with his speed. He continues to keep getting better and is playing with a lot of confidence.”
As far as his interest in the Hurricanes, Filipe says he keeps tabs on them:
“I follow them [Carolina] a lot. I’m a big hockey fan, so obviously I watch a lot of the Bruins games because they’re on TV here. I keep tabs on Carolina and talk with people in their organization.”
Filipe is a business major, but he has plans for his life beyond his degree:
“I just want to hopefully play hockey as long as I can. I think I’ve put myself in the place where I’ll have the opportunity to play professional hockey.”
As far as his future in the Hurricanes organization goes, he looks like he’s done enough in college to earn an entry-level deal with the Canes. He’s a good bet to sign in the next few weeks as his college career wraps up, and could join the Checkers for their stretch run.
Filipe will likely need some time in the AHL to season into the pros, but he’s got some likeable traits as a prospect. He’s got some work to do, but his skillset is enticing and a comparable that he’s been linked with is Canes forward Warren Foegele. Filipe could be a nice piece for the Canes’ bottom-6 in the future.
D Luke Martin – Michigan
The Luke Martin situation is a tough one. I really have no idea if the Canes will (or even should) sign him. He was a second-round pick by the team back in 2017, and is currently only 21 years old.
One thing that plays a huge factor is that Martin was drafted by the Ron Francis regime, and his overall play-style doesn’t seem like a direct fit for the kind of fast-paced, skilled group the Hurricanes have evolved into. That could either sour the new Canes brass on him, or make him intriguing as he offers a dynamic the team lacks.
Martin is strictly a shut-down defender. He’s big (6’2, 205lbs), he plays tough, and he’s a right-shot defenseman. However, Martin doesn’t have high-end foot speed, and offers virtually nothing offensively. He’s scored just 3 goals in 4 years in college, his career high is just 9 points, and he lacks vision as a breakout passer.
His overall game just hasn’t developed the way that was envisioned, and Martin has become rather stagnant at the college level. Based on that, it’s extremely difficult to speculate on just what he can become at the pro level of hockey, and would definitely need to prove himself in the AHL before getting a shot.
i’m just not sure he’ll get that shot in Carolina.
He’s a holdover draft pick from a management group that has been revamped, and with little connection to Don Waddell, Rick Dudley and newly hired scouts, it’s impossible to lean one way or the other when guessing Martin’s future. It’ll come down to how the Canes brass feels he can develop, and if he’s worth one of their 50 allotted contract slots.
He could probably evolve into a 3rd pairing defender with a rugged, heavy style, who can play a physical game and kill penalties. That’s likely the full extent of his upside, and he’s got an uphill battle to even achieve that. At this point, I would put his chances of getting an ELC at an even 50/50. Flip a coin.
F Luke Stevens – Yale
Forward Luke Stevens, who’s the son of former NHL 50-goal scorer Kevin Stevens, is, unfortunately, probably the easiest player decision among these 5 that the Canes will have to make. Drafted way back in the fifth-round of 2015, 43 picks ahead of David Cotton, his development has kind of tracked the opposite way.
Stevens plays for Yale in the ECAC Divison 1, which is a division not exactly stocked with premier NHL prospects, or even competition for that matter. At even at that level, Stevens has yet to separate himself.
He has really nice size at 6’5″, 195lbs, but he’s not a great skater and has limited offensive ability. He’s set career highs this season with goals (7) and points (12), but he has a team-worst -11 rating and has already celebrated his 23rd birthday. His time to develop is running out, and he still has a marathon to run.
Sadly, I can’t see Stevens being awarded an ELC, and I’m not even convinced the Checkers would have interest in him. Based on his track record at Yale, he’s probably not even an AHL player at this point, so his best bet at pro hockey would likely be to start off in the ECHL.
I mean, crazier things have happened, and maybe the Canes or another organization in the league see something that the casual observers like myself don’t, but I don’t think Luke Stevens has an NHL future, and even if he potentially could, it’s still years down the road.
A comparable I would for Stevens is former Hurricanes prospect Brody Sutter, who did not accomplish much with the organization. Stevens is a large kid who doesn’t skate overly well, has no dynamic traits and doesn’t create much. Overall, not a recipe for success.
Based on interviews and such that I’ve read, Stevens seems like a great kid and I really hope he has a successful future. He will have a degree from Yale, and could probably play professional hockey, albeit not likely at the NHL level. At this point, I’m quite certain he won’t be signed by the Hurricanes, and will have to look for his opportunity elsewhere.
Recap
When I started writing this article, I was uncertain about the future of goaltender Jack LaFontaine, who was drafted back in 2016 and has had a rocky road to end up at the University of Minnesota, where he’s currently developing.
However, it’s come to my knowledge that, because he’s a junior and has the option of returning to Minnesota for his senior year next season, the Hurricanes will have until August 15, 2021 to sign him.
LaFontaine is enjoying a breakout year at the college level after falling out of favour at Michigan in 2018 and reviving his career in the BCHL last season.
This year, LaFontaine has a 9-9-6 record with a 2.55 GAA and a .919 save percentage, which are impressive numbers and quite surprising. After leaving Michigan in 2018, his outlook was extremely bleak, but he’s back on track as a legit prospect. Goalies are weird.
As far as the current decisions go, I think you can group the prospects as follows: Cotton and Filipe (assuming they want to sign in Carolina) are likely locks to be signed. Luke Martin and Max Zimmer have a chance, with Zimmer being more of a longshot. Luke Stevens will likely head elsewhere.
Question for CC readers: What do you think the team will do with their 5 impending college free agents?
Next. Canes Help Red Wings Clinch Worst Team. dark