Carolina Hurricanes: Updated Top 3 2021 NHL Entry Draft 1st Round Targets

The 2021 NHL Entry Draft is right around the corner, and the Carolina Hurricanes have decisions to make about which player to draft in the 1st round. Various junior hockey leagues have either finished their season or are in the process of wrapping up their seasons (at the time of writing), and my draft rankings have changed recently.

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As such, I figured it’d be prudent to revisit the upcoming 2021 NHL Entry Draft and see what prospects could find themselves donning the red, black, and white in a few months.

My previous article on this topic was published roughly 3 months ago. Things have definitely changed since then.

In that article, I assumed that the Carolina Hurricanes would finish the season with the 25th overall pick or later. I’ll still be assuming this same scenario, although it is very likely the Canes end up with a later pick in the 1st round.

I also mentioned three players in that article, two of which are defensemen. You’ll see one of those players in this article, but their rankings have changed a bit, both in my personal opinion, and in the opinion of several prominent hockey analysts.

Without any further ado, here are my (updated) top 3 choices for the Carolina Hurricanes 1st round selection in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.

3. Isak Rosen (LW)

Isak Rosen, a left-winger from Sweden currently playing for Leksands IF in the SHL, kicks off my list. You’ll notice he wasn’t on there the first time. His draft stock hasn’t plummeted, per se, but he has fallen a few slots; his offensive production this season just hasn’t been there.

In 22 games played in SHL contention, he only has a lone assist and 2 PIMs. In the 2019-20 season, however, Rosen was an offensive powerhouse, registering 21 goals and 14 assists for 35 points in 38 games played in the J20 Superelit Swedish league.

Rosen did, however, put up 7 goals and 5 assists for 12 points in 12 games played in J20 Nationell contention, which puts my mind at ease about his offensive performance slipping elsewhere.

Rosen, who stands at 5’11 and 156lbs, is generally a very good playmaker whose size is less of a detriment and more of an advantage. His more slender frame allows him to be incredibly speedy and agile.

According to Draftin Europe:

[Rosen is] the kind of (speedy) forward that can shoot off the rush when given enough gap and still be first on the loose puck… Draftin Europe, 2020

Rosen is also “a true playmaker. Very good technical skills. Exceptional at reading the game.”, according to Head Coach Anders Eriksen.

Eliteprospects have Rosen ranked at 24th overall; FCHockey have him at 26th overall.

The Carolina Hurricanes have shown that they have tremendous interest at drafting young, skilled forwards in the 1st round; 2019 28th overall selection Ryan Suzuki and 2020 13th overall selection Seth Jarvis have proven just that.

Rosen would be a solid addition, but he’d have to fall a few slots first. I’m not entirely sold on that happening, which is why I have two other players on this list ranked higher.

2. Sebastian Cossa (G)

I know, I know. I already know what you’re thinking. “But Matt, don’t we already have enough goalies?!?!”

My answer to that question will always be that there is no such thing as “enough goalies”. Good goaltenders are a hot commodity these days, and really good ones even more so.

Regardless, my 2nd choice for a potential 2021 1st round target is none other than Sebastian Cossa of the Edmonton Oil Kings.

Cossa, a 6’6 212lbs behemoth of a goalie, has been nothing short of an absolute stud his entire WHL tenure. This season, he boasts an impressive 11-0-0 undefeated record, a .942 SV% alongside a 1.45 GAA and a single shutout in his 11 games played.

His rookie season in the WHL? Pure dominance. In 33 games played, Cossa registered an impressive 21-6-3 win/loss record, .921 SV%, and a 2.23 GAA.

Even in his earlier AMHL days, Cossa never registered a save percentage value lower than .915% while simultaneously standing on his head in the playoffs before being drafted into the WHL.

Here are a few quotes on what analysts and scouts have to say about him:

Cossa combines fluid crease shuffles with compact movements and limits the amount of time he spends on his back or his pads. He’s not much of a risk-taker and if Cossa gets beat, it’s rarely from his own egregious mistake or over-committal to one side. – Steven Kournianos, thedraftanalysis.com

Cossa comes into his draft year as the sure-fire second-best goalie. If not for a superstar goalie in Wallstedt, Cossa would find himself as the best goalie in this class, he’s proved to be that good… After an exceptional D-1 season, Cossa projects to be an NHL starting goalie and continues to improve and rise up draft boards. – Danny Tiffany, dobberprospects.com

I know the Carolina Hurricanes have very solid goaltending prospects in Eetu Makiniemi and Jack LaFontaine (Pyotr Kochetkov remains a promising question mark), and with Alex Nedeljkovic’s meteoric rise, it might not make a ton of sense to spend a highly-coveted 1st round pick on a goaltender, but if the Canes did want to shore up their goaltending prospect pool (and in my opinion, they need to), Cossa is the goalie to take a swing on.