Prospect Info: 2017 Carolina Hurricanes Prospect Ranking

[DaveG]

Sure you will..../tapping foot impatiently, glancing at watch every few seconds/


oh forgot this...

Ahh the effects of cutting back on caffeine intake, I'm pretty sure I was asleep at about 8PM... mostly because I woke up at 4 going "what the **** am I doing up at 4"?

 

[geehaad]

Worst.
Tabulator of prospect rankings.
Ever.

Hmm. It was funnier when it was in all-caps.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Who would have thought that the jury would still be out on this in 2017?

True, but honestly we probably should have expected it to be like that since we are talking about a 4th round pick out of Switzerland and an undrafted free agent.

Interestingly enough, they both played in Swiss-A in 14/15:

Samson: 12GP, 5G, 4A = 0.75PPG
Hofmann: 47GP, 11G, 14A = 0.53PPG

Clearly in an apples to apples comparison, Samson > Hofmann.

 

[WreckingCrew]

True, but honestly we probably should have expected it to be like that since we are talking about a 4th round pick out of Switzerland and an undrafted free agent.

Interestingly enough, they both played in Swiss-A in 14/15:

Samson: 12GP, 5G, 4A = 0.75PPG
Hofmann: 47GP, 11G, 14A = 0.53PPG

Clearly in an apples to apples comparison, Samson > Hofmann.

But what about their #intangibles?

 

[DaveG]

First up, the honorable mentions:

G Jack LaFontaine (Michigan, Big 10)

2016 3rd round pick - #75 OA

G Jeremy Helvig (Kingston, OHL)

2016 5th round pick - #134 OA

D Noah Carroll (Soo, OHL)

2016 6th round pick - #164 OA

C Stelio Mattheos (Brandon, WHL)

2017 3rd round pick - #73 OA

C Andrew Poturalski (Charlotte, AHL)

2015 UDFA signing - New Hampshire

RW Matt Filipe (Northeastern, Hockey East)

2016 3rd round pick - #67 OA

RW Spencer Smallman (Saint John, QMJHL)

2015 5th round pick - #138 OA

G Alex Nedeljkovic (Charlotte, AHL)

2014 2nd round pick - #37 OA

C David Cotton (Boston College, Hockey East)

2015 6th round pick - #169 OA

C Hudson Elynuik (Spokane, WHL)

2016 3rd round pick - #74 OA

D Trevor Carrick (Charlotte, AHL)

2012 4th round pick - #112 OA

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Ned an HM. Oh how the mighty have fallen. Honestly, I have a tough time putting any goalie high in a prospect ranking because they are such a crapshoot, but Ned's size makes me think he's much more of a long shot when you consider the makeup of nhl starting goalies these days.

Personally, I think Carrick and Smallman would have the best chance of carving out an nhl career out of that group, but I don't know that much about these guys, especially Mattheos.

 

[geehaad]

Exciting times when players of that (apparent) quality aren't in the top-15 of your team's prospects.

 

[NotOpie]

Ned an HM. Oh how the mighty have fallen. Honestly, I have a tough time putting any goalie high in a prospect ranking because they are such a crapshoot, but Ned's size makes me think he's much more of a long shot when you consider the makeup of nhl starting goalies these days.

Personally, I think Carrick and Smallman would have the best chance of carving out an nhl career out of that group, but I don't know that much about these guys, especially Mattheos.

I'd add Matt Filipe to that group. My money's on him growing into even more of a scorer's role at Northeastern this year. Kids got some wheels too. That quick release feels like a "3rd line scorer's role" type of progression.

 

[Novacane]

Yeah that's an impressive HM list even if/when none of them pan out.

 

[DaveG]

15th: C Morgan Geekie (Tri-City, WHL) - 25 points

3rd round 2017 - #67OA

A guy that really blossomed this year in the WHL, going from a bit of an afterthought in his draft year as one of the youngest players eligible to an excellent +1 where he put up 90 points in 73 games. Will be interesting to watch next year as he's going to be Tri-City's go to scoring threat yet again.

14: C Eetu Luostarinen (KalPa, Liiga) - 40 points

2nd round 2017 - #42 OA

The first overage pick for the Canes in this past years draft, he was just a matter of days from being a 2017 first-year eligible anyway. An intriguing prospect to me in a lot of ways, while clearly he's a project of a prospect he also has tracked at an unbelievable level over the past seasons. From Junior B in 15-16 to Liiga in 16-17 is almost unheard of and one has to expect that as he develops he's given a bigger role then the one he had last season, and more opportunities to produce.

13: W Warren Foegele (Erie, OHL) - 41 points

3rd round 2014 - #67 OA

One of the more divisive prospects on our board this past year, while most everyone thinks he has a shot to reach the show eventually it's more his upside that was debated. Didn't produce quite as much as most expected for an overager, but had an excellent playoff run with Erie enroute to an OHL championship, where he scored clutch goal after clutch goal. Expected to be in Charlotte this coming season, he'll be one to watch and keep track of on the callup list.

12: LW Valentin Zykov (Charlotte, AHL) - 52 points

2nd round 2013 - #37 OA - Acq in Versteeg trade

Zykov did a lot to improve his stock as a prospect this past year, his first full one in our system and one where he was a fair bit healthier then the year we acquired him. It even resulted in a callup to the Canes and a goal before an injury caused him to be sent back down. Could be expected to see a good bit more time with the big team this season but the AHL club should also be far more competitive so that is a bit of a question yet.

11: G Callum Booth (Saint John, QMJHL) - 71 points

4th round 2014 - #93 OA

Booth has steadily improved since being drafted and his acquisition was a huge part of the reason Saint John was able to win the QMJHL championship and challenge for the Memorial Cup. Should be likely to contest Nedeljkovic for playing time in Charlotte this coming season, though a full season as the #1 in Florida wouldn't be a bad thing for either him or Ned.

10: D Roland McKeown (Charlotte, AHL) - 75 points

2nd round 2014 - #50 OA - Acq from LA in Sekera trade

While his stock slipped a bit due to a rougher then expected rookie season in the AHL, McKeown still cracks our top 10 prospects. It's definitely worth noting that he got significantly better as the season moved along with the Checkers and in the playoffs he managed to put up 3 points in 5 playoff games. Should be expected to take the next step developmentally this coming season as it's likely that Fleury makes the move to the NHL level.

9: C Lucas Wallmark (Charlotte, AHL) - 82 points

4th round 2014 - #97 OA

Wallmark is coming off an excellent first season in the AHL where he was the Checkers #2 scorer as a rookie and managed 6 points in the Checkers 5 playoff games, he even earned a callup to the Canes and managed 2 assists in the 8 games with the big club. He's going to be interesting to watch this coming season as he (and Poturalski and Saarela) are likely going to be the go-to guys at that level this coming season. The big concern with him has always been his skating and much like Rask it seems he's done enough to get it to a level of "good enough".

8: D Luke Martin (Michigan, Big 10) - 104 points

2nd round 2017 - #52 OA

While Martin was one of the older first-year eligible prospects this year, he also was one of the younger players at the NCAA level and more then held his own as arguably the best defenseman on a rebuilding Michigan squad. Defensively he seems to make all the right reads, preferring to break plays up with positioning though he's capable of using his frame to break a play up as well. Offensively he'll be interesting to watch as there seems to be some untapped potential there. Would not be surprised to see the Canes try to sign him after this NCAA season.

Top 7 to be announced tonight

 

[DaveG]

Ned an HM. Oh how the mighty have fallen. Honestly, I have a tough time putting any goalie high in a prospect ranking because they are such a crapshoot, but Ned's size makes me think he's much more of a long shot when you consider the makeup of nhl starting goalies these days.

Personally, I think Carrick and Smallman would have the best chance of carving out an nhl career out of that group, but I don't know that much about these guys, especially Mattheos.

To be fair, if I were to expand it from 15 to 20 Ned would still sneak in there. That part of the result went:

16: Carrick
17: Elynuik
T18: Cotton
T18: Nedeljkovic
T20: Filipe
T20: Smallman
T20: Poturalski

 

[raynman]

Out of the honorable mentions I think Cotton intrigues me the most. He had a very solid freshman year at BC this past season.

 

[the halleJOKEL]

i was promised rankings

 

[geehaad]

i was promised rankings

[ALL-CAPS]
Worst.
Announcer of prospect rankings.
Ever.
[/ALL-CAPS]

 

[DaveG]

7: C Aleksi Saarela (Charlotte, AHL) - 134 points

3rd round 2015 - #89 OA - Acq from NYR in Eric Staal trade

I've never before seen a prospect go from what looked like a disappointing season to being completely dominant before in the same manner that Aleksi did. 28 points in 49 for Lukko was a bit of a step down from the 33 in 51 the year before, but then he comes over to the AHL, wins player of the week, and in 9 games puts up 6 goals and 4 assists looking completely dominant in the process.


6: C Janne Kuokkanen (London, OHL) - 141 points

2nd round 2016 - #43 OA

He lived up to the hype in his first year in North America and that is reflected nicely in these rankings. He'll be interesting to watch next season, as it seems the options for him are limited to NHL or FEL, with maybe being able to play in the AHL with the blessing of Karpat. Either way expect him to be one of Finland's go-to players at the next WJC.

5: C Nicolas Roy (Chicoutimi, QMJHL) - 159 points

4th round 2015 - #96 OA

Expected to be a fixture in the Charlotte lineup this coming season, Roy steadily progressed every season since being drafted and is looking more and more like the former #1 overall pick in the QMJHL then the player found at #96 in the NHL draft. His skating is still a concern but it's also one that can be worked on as we've seen with Rask. Whether or not Roy takes that next step remains to be seen but it almost seems that coming out of the QMJHL it wouldn't be much of a stretch to see him be a regular immediately.

4: RW Julien Gauthier (Saint John, QMJHL) - 173 points

1st round 2016 - #21 OA

Gauthier is a bit divisive in terms of how people see his upside, but the big power winger did a lot to round out his game this past season focusing on utilizing his linemates better. But when push came to shove in the playoffs, he was able to rack up the goals with 11 in 16 games. Expected to play in Charlotte this coming season he'll be interesting to watch, he plays a style that may be more productive then expected in the pro ranks, assuming that his skill matches expectations rather then him simply having been able to bull his way through people at the lower levels.

3: D Jake Bean (Calgary, WHL) - 193 points

1st round 2016 - #13 OA

A bit of a shocker pick when it was made, Bean did nothing to disappoint this past season after a late start due to injuries. Save for maybe his showing in the WJC where he was used in a roll that doesn't really fit his skillset. Still, Bean's a long-term project and the closest we'll see to him in Raleigh after the pre-season is going to be at the WJC in Buffalo, likely as a top pairing dman for Canada.

2: C Martin Necas (Brno, CEL) - 207 points

1st round 2017 - 12th OA

While Martin only put up 15 points in the regular season in Brno, he had 4 goals in 10 playoff games, and had 3 points in 5 games for the Czechs at the WJC, a solid showing for a draft eligible prospect. While he's been drafted by Saginaw of the OHL he's still likely to be Brno next season, where he should be expected to play a bigger roll and increase his output. His showing at the prospects camp gives every reason to believe that the hype is real.

1: D Haydn Fleury (Charlotte, AHL) - 212 points

1st round 2014 - #7 OA

Fleury really increased his stock as a prospect this past season, going from being a bit of a disappointment to having a very solid rookie season on a fairly average Charlotte team last season. He didn't dominate the AHL level to the same extent that Slavin and Pesce did the prior season, but after a bit of a slow start he was typically the best player on the ice for the Checkers, and fancy stats show him as having one of the best rookie seasons as a dman in recent history for the league.

 

[geehaad]

To summarize:

1: Haydn Fleury (212)
2: Martin Necas (207)
3: Jake Bean (193)
4: Julien Gauthier (173)
5: Nicolas Roy (159)
6: Janne Kuokkanen (141)
7: Aleksi Saarela (134)
8: Luke Martin (104)
9: Lucas Wallmark (82)
10: Roland McKeown (75)
11: Callum Booth (71)
12: Valentin Zykov (52)
13: Warren Foegele (41)
14: Eetu Luostarinen (40)
15: Morgan Geekie (25)

Honorable mention:
Carrick
Elynuik
Cotton
Nedeljkovic
Filipe
Smallman
Poturalski

 

[geehaad]

Glad you guys agreed with me.

Haydn Fleury (D)
Jake Bean (D)
Martin Necas (C/RW)
Julien Gauthier (RW)
Janne Kuokkanen (C/LW)
Nicolas Roy (C)
Luke Martin (D)
Aleksi Saarela (C/LW)
Roland McKeown (D)
Eetu Luostarinen (C)
Warren Foegele (LW)
Morgan Geekie (C)
Valentin Zykov (RW/LW)
Lucas Wallmark (C)
Noah Carroll (D) <--Mostly just a "honorable mention" pick on a guy that I think is underrated

 

[CandyCanes]

I like how we all favorably picked Martin over Eetu, tho Eetu was just picked ahead of Martin just last month. Though I 100% agree with you all as it's almost a gaurentee he's our next NCAA stud defensemen

 

[MinJaBen]

The fact that Eetu was ranked ahead of Carrick is proof positive of recency bias.

 

[Unsustainable]

Can't find the PM I sent to Dave, but I think I only ranked 1 goalie in the 15 (Booth).

 

[Lempo]

I like how we all favorably picked Martin over Eetu, tho Eetu was just picked ahead of Martin just last month. Though I 100% agree with you all as it's almost a gaurentee he's our next NCAA stud defensemen

Please call him Luke, or I'll confuse him to Martin.

 

[Vagrant]

I just don't like ranking Summer draft picks before I have seen them in game action somewhere. There are a few of our picks I have seen in passing but obviously wasn't paying super close attention to them. It makes them really hard to rank, whereas we're more comfortable with the guys we've seen more. Plus, it's really hard to buck consensus and defy the order they were drafted since ....well that's the order they were valued.

 

[Ole Gil]

The fact that Eetu was ranked ahead of Carrick is proof positive of recency bias.

Would you trade Eetu for Carrick?

 

[Unsustainable]

The fact that Eetu was ranked ahead of Carrick is proof positive of recency bias.

I think Carrick is dropping since we have better defensive prospects in the pool. Bean and Fluery are definitely ahead of him, I think you could argue him vs Roland, Luke Martin might be the reach over Carrick, but he reads like our recent successes with Slavin and Peesh.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

My list:

1) Haydn Fleury*(D)
2) Martin Necas*(C/RW)
3) Jake Bean*(D)
4) Julien Gauthier*(RW)
5) Nicolas Roy*(C)
6) Aleksi Saarela*(C/LW)
7) Janne Kuokkanen*(C/LW)
8) Lucas Wallmark*(C)
9) Luke Martin*(D)
10) Valentin Zykov*(RW/LW)
11) Trevor Carrick*(D)
12) Roland McKeown*(D)
13) Warren Foegele*(LW)
14) Morgan Geekie*(C)
15) Eetu Luostarinen*(C)