After keeping the Caniacs in suspense following Friday night's late trade out of the first round, the Carolina Hurricanes finally revealed their first selections in the draft. Falling back five slots from #29 to #34, the Canes were primed for an early pick. Instead, Eric Tulsky traded the 34th pick, too, sending it to Montreal, along with the 189th pick, for two more second-rounders at 41st and 49th.
With the 41st pick, the Hurricanes selected Russian goalie Semyon Frolov. Shortly after, they added Penn State forward Charlie Cerrato at #49. To round out the first round, the Hurricanes selected Russian forward Ivan Ryabkin at 62nd overall. After entering the draft without a second-round pick, the Canes turned the 29th pick into three picks in Saturday's opening round.
The Canes address goalie depth with their first pick
For the better part of the last week, I've mentioned the Canes needing to draft a goalie at some point. They wasted little time doing exactly that. Semyon Frolov bounced around a few different teams in the MHL, Russia's junior league. Despite never finding a permanent spot, Frolov performed well with each stop.
In 27 games with three teams, Frolov compiled a 16-7-3 record with a .921 save percentage. He's a 6'3", athletic-type goalie who still needs to settle into a starting role in the MHL and make the jump to the KHL, Russia's premier league. The Hurricanes haven't shied away from drafting Russian players over the last several years, so they're willing to wait for Frolov to develop.
The third time is a charm for the Canes' second pick
Persistence and hard work are bound to pay off if you stick to it. Charlie Cerrato might be the epitome of that in this draft class. After being passed over twice, the Hurricanes used their second pick of the round to select the Penn State center. After a good year in the USHL in 2023-24, Cerrato shone in his freshman campaign in the Big Ten.
Cerrato scored 15 goals and 42 points in 38 games with the Nittany Lions, being named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team. After waiting to have his name called, Cerrato will likely take a little more time to season in the NCAA before making the jump. He's waited this long, so a little bit longer shouldn't be a problem for him.
The Canes close the round by getting a potential steal
I was a little prepared for the Hurricanes to make this pick, talking about Ivan Ryabkin earlier in the week. There's no denying his offensive abilities as they were on display when he made the jump to the USHL in 2025. He scored twice in his debut, was over a point-per-game in the second half of the regular season, and was the second-leading scorer for the Muskegon Lumberjacks in the playoffs.
The concerns will be focused on his effort and ability to stay within himself when things aren't going well. He was suspended three times in just under three months with Muskegon, and it's been reported that he didn't perform well at the Scouting Combine in Buffalo. The Hurricanes know the risks, but getting Ryabkin this late could be rewarding under the right circumstances.