Prospect Info: 2017 Carolina Hurricanes Prospect Ranking

[DaveG]

same as last year, instead of doing individual polls we'll have people PM the results and have everything tabulated. This time, to me and by me since CandyCanes is a bit short on time at the moment. I'll give people through this weekend to get their selections in to me, and post the results 5 at a time starting next Tuesday (7/25) evening.

So again, same as last year, this will be a collective ranking, not a poll. Please submit to me via private message your rankings of who you think are the Hurricanes top 15 prospects. (Please do not publicly post your rankings yet, as I don't want any bias into your rankings). Feel free to send more then your top 15 prospects if you want, though only the top 15 of each list will count toward the rankings.

The point system will work like this; 1st gets 15 points, 2nd gets 14 points, 14th gets 2 pts, 15th gets 1pt, etc... Next week I will tally up the numbers from your rankings and release the results. Released will be the top 15 prospects in order, and honorable mentions.

To be considered a prospect the player must have played in less than 25 NHL games, and must be 24 years or younger.

If you need a refresher on who are prospects are - https://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/CAR/draft.html
though there's been some movement out (Massie) and movement in (Saarela, McKeown, Tolchinsky)

The Top 20 (plus ties):

1: D Haydn Fleury
2: C Martin Necas
3: D Jake Bean
4: RW Julien Gauthier
5: C Nicolas Roy
6: C Janne Kuokkanen
7: C Aleksi Saarela
8: D Luke Martin
9: C Lucas Wallmark
10: D Roland McKeown
11: G Callum Booth
12: LW Valentin Zykov
13: W Warren Foegele
14: C Eetu Luostarinen
15: C Morgan Geekie
16: D Trevor Carrick
17: C Hudson Elyniuk
18: C David Cotton
18: G Alex Nedeljkovic
20: RW Matt Filipe
20: RW Spencer Smallman
20: C Andrew Poturalski

Honorable Mentions:
G Jeremy Helvig, G Jack LaFontaine, D Noah Carroll, C Stelio Mattheos

Click to read more...

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Not that all of these will be in the top 15, but I think some of non-drafted adds are: Saarela, McKeown, Zykov, Poturalski, Tolchinsky, Kanzig. Any others? Chelios and Samuelsson are too old (as you stated above).

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

Yeah, ever since Hockey's Future went down I have nowhere to see all our prospects in one place, anyone have a site they use?

 

[Roboturner913]

Yeah, ever since Hockey's Future went down I have nowhere to see all our prospects in one place, anyone have a site they use?

http://hurricanes.ice.nhl.com/club/roster.htm?type=prospect

Lacks the most recent draft class but other than that I see no obvious omissions.

 

[My Special Purpose]

Maybe this one?

 

[DaveG]

good find Kev.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

That's awesome Kev thank you.

Based on that list, I've removed anyone over 24 or with more than 25 NHL games played, and that list is below (sorted by points scored last year in their respective seasons):

Morgan Geekie (C)
Nicolas Roy (C)
Spencer Smallman (RW)
Hudson Elynuik (C)
Warren Foegele (LW)
Janne Kuokkanen (C/LW)
Steven Lorentz (C/LW)
Stelio Mattheos (RW/C)
Andrew Poturalski (C)
Julien Gauthier (RW)
Lucas Wallmark (C)
Jake Bean (D)
Aleksi Saarela (C/LW)
Valentin Zykov (RW/LW)
Josh Wesley (D)
Gregory Hofmann (C/LW)
Eetu Luostarinen (C)
Haydn Fleury (D)
Noah Carroll (D)
David Cotton (C)
Ville Räsänen (D)
Brendan De Jong (D)
Sergei Tolchinsky (LW/RW)
Matt Filipe (LW/C)
Martin Necas (C/RW)
Clark Bishop (C)
Trevor Carrick (D)
Brendan Collier (LW)
Roland McKeown (D)
Max Zimmer (LW)
Luke Martin (D)
Keegan Kanzig (D)
Luke Stevens (LW)
Tyler Ganly (D)
Callum Booth (G)
Jack LaFontaine (G)
Eetu Mäkiniemi (G)
Jeremy Helvig (G)
Alex Nedeljkovic (G)
Collin Olson (G)

Please let me know if I've made any mistakes, but this should be an ok list to go off of.

 

[geehaad]

Not doing goaltenders?

Here are some (all?)...I haven't vetted them for qualifying.

Callum Booth
Jeremy Smith
Jack LaFontaine
Eetu Mäkiniemi
Jeremy Helvig
Alex Nedeljkovic
Collin Olson

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

Not doing goaltenders?

They weren't in the list and I forgot that was a position in hockey when doing my rankings whoops

Edit: wow that were on the list I just didn't scroll down far enough. I'm an idiot.

 

[FreshSeabass]

Whats up with Hoffman? Is he under contract i cant seem to find much online about his status. He seems like a decent player based on stat watching.

 

[geehaad]

I forgot that was a position in hockey when doing my rankings

I'm not sure Booth, even, will make some people's top-15, so maybe it's just as well!

EDIT: Wait...did I just introduce bias? DISCUSS!

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

I'm not sure Booth, even, will make some people's top-15, so maybe it's just as well!

EDIT: Wait...did I just introduce bias? DISCUSS!

I have already sent in my rankings without them, and while I would've considered Booth or LaFontaine in my Top 15 had they been in that list when I ranked them, I doubt both would've made it and if one did they would've been low. So I'm not bothering to update them.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

Whats up with Hoffman? Is he under contract i cant seem to find much online about his status. He seems like a decent player based on stat watching.

I think we still have his rights if he chose to come over, but not for long. I think it's a Dadonov-type situation.

 

[MinJaBen]

This seemed as good a place as any to drop this. A ranking of NHL "farm systems" from The Hockey Writers. The Canes show well in this ranking.

NHL Farm Systems Ranked

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

This seemed as good a place as any to drop this. A ranking of NHL "farm systems" from The Hockey Writers. The Canes show well in this ranking.

NHL Farm Systems Ranked

#3 ain't bad for not having a real top-end guy. Although the write up on the Canes focused on some weird guys.

"Canes have trouble scoring, but with Gauthier, Foegele, Zykov, and Necas coming on board..."

We have good depth but no real top end guys, so while I appreciate the high ranking I wouldn't mind being 7-10 instead.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Whats up with Hoffman? Is he under contract i cant seem to find much online about his status. He seems like a decent player based on stat watching.

The only question about Hofmann, is whether or not he's a better prospect than Jerome Samson?

 

[DaveG]

#3 ain't bad for not having a real top-end guy. Although the write up on the Canes focused on some weird guys.

"Canes have trouble scoring, but with Gauthier, Foegele, Zykov, and Necas coming on board..."

We have good depth but no real top end guys, so while I appreciate the high ranking I wouldn't mind being 7-10 instead.

Honestly I think Goat and Necas have the ability to be high end guys, maybe not on that same top tier as a guy like Drouin but I also wouldn't bet against either having bigger then expected seasons down the road.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

Honestly I think Goat and Necas have the ability to be high end guys, maybe not on that same top tier as a guy like Drouin but I also wouldn't bet against either having bigger then expected seasons down the road.

Agreed, but to be clear those second and third paragraphs were meant to be independent of one another. I just found it strange that Zykov and Foegele were getting lumped in with Goat and Necas when the pool also has Saarela, Roy, Kuokkanen, Wallmark, etc. None of those guys were mentioned individually in the write up at all.

 

[NotOpie]

Honestly I think Goat and Necas have the ability to be high end guys, maybe not on that same top tier as a guy like Drouin but I also wouldn't bet against either having bigger then expected seasons down the road.

Agreed....and I always marvel at the omission of Janne Kuokkanen. There's just something about him whenever I see him play. I really think he could be a very good player for us.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Probably unfounded, but I have some concerns that Gauthier was so successful because he was already physically mature at a young age and was a man against boys. His first AHL season should give us an indication.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

Probably unfounded, but I have some concerns that Gauthier was so successful because he was already physically mature at a young age and was a man against boys. His first AHL season should give us an indication.

Yep I have this fear as well. Wouldn't be surprised if he ends up as a 3rd line guy that can play up on the 1st (but is decidedly "playing up").

 

[MinJaBen]

Probably unfounded, but I have some concerns that Gauthier was so successful because he was already physically mature at a young age and was a man against boys. His first AHL season should give us an indication.

Yep I have this fear as well. Wouldn't be surprised if he ends up as a 3rd line guy that can play up on the 1st (but is decidedly "playing up").

That is where I fall as well. All the physical tools in Juniors can cover up for a lack of mental ability to play the game at the NHL. Murphy, Yakapov, and others are all examples of that.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

That is where I fall as well. All the physical tools in Juniors can cover up for a lack of mental ability to play the game at the NHL. Murphy, Yakapov, and others are all examples of that.

Splitting hairs, but I actually disagree. I think this is something that lowers his ceiling, not something that makes him boom or bust.

I'm afraid (would love to be proven wrong) he's a good, not great hockey player, and that let him dominate juniors because he was big and strong.

Now, everyone in the NHL will be the same size as him (more or less, equalizing the athleticism to an extent), and with that neutralized, he will be... a good not great hockey player.

 

[Unsustainable]

Gauthier is the hardest to determine, I ranked him high in my list sent to Dave. He's a boom or meh guy. I think his upside is Ladd or Cole. If not, he's going to be a 3rd line wrecker.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Splitting hairs, but I actually disagree. I think this is something that lowers his ceiling, not something that makes him boom or bust.

I'm afraid (would love to be proven wrong) he's a good, not great hockey player, and that let him dominate juniors because he was big and strong.

Now, everyone in the NHL will be the same size as him (more or less, equalizing the athleticism to an extent), and with that neutralized, he will be... a good not great hockey player.

That is my position as well. I'm not suggesting Gauthier lacks hockey sense at all, just that he's had a big physical advantage.