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stormTRacker Podcast
Breaking Down The Carolina Hurricanes' 2024 Draft Picks: Badinka, Artamonov, Fransen, Poirier & more
Can the Carolina Hurricanes' latest draft choices reshape the future of the team? This episode brings you an in-depth look at the Hurricanes' performance at the NHL'24 draft and their strategic maneuvers in free agency. We are joined by Nick Bass from Canes Prospects & Dobber Prospects, as we dissect the Hurricanes' ten draft picks and discuss their intriguing decision to trade down for additional selections. Our discussion also highlights the significant acquisitions of defensemen Sean Walker and Shane Gostisbehere, focusing on how their puck-moving skills will elevate the Hurricanes' offensive play.
Nick and I also take a closer look at the standout prospects who could be future game-changers for the Hurricanes. We delve into the unique attributes of promising talents like Nikita Artamonov, Noel Fransen, and Alexander Suryatsky. We'll explore how Artamonov's KHL experience and tenacity, Fransen's offensive flair, and Suryatsky's defensive prowess make them valuable assets. The conversation emphasizes the Hurricanes' keen eye for hockey intelligence and versatility in their drafting strategy.
In the final segment, we focus on two exciting new prospects, Justin Poirier and Timur Kol, and their unique strengths despite contrasting physical profiles. Poirier's goal-scoring abilities and physical play, combined with Kol's defensive reliability and imposing presence, offer a compelling glimpse into the Hurricanes' future. We also discuss the strategic picks of Russian talents like Roman Shokhrin and Fyodor Abramov, emphasizing their potential to make significant impacts. Join us for a comprehensive analysis of how these new talents could shape the Hurricanes' lineup and their future success.
#canes #carolinahurricanes #dominkbadinka #erictulsky #darrenyorke #shanegostisbehere
#seanwalker #detroitredwings #coloradoavalanche #rodbrind'amour #stormtracker #nhlrumors #nhltraderumors #nhltraderumours #nhlrumours #nhldraft #nhldraft2024
By all accounts, the NHL draft last week at Spear in Las Vegas was a huge success and you have to like what the Carolina Hurricanes did. Led by head of scouting Darren York, the Canes ended up with 10 picks, and some really exciting ones for sure. You know, the Canes did their usual and traded down to get some extra picks and, as well, once again selected several Russians in the mix. It was an exciting day for the Canes and I had a chance to get together with Nick Bass of Canes Prospects and Dogger Prospects and we reviewed the Canes selections and by Nick Bass. Nick, of course, with Canes Prospects and Dodger Prospects, and he is our resident expert when it comes to prospects on the Canes and also prospects around the globe. So hey, nick, welcome back.
Speaker 2:Hi, it's nice to be back in the morning.
Speaker 1:Well, it's been a busy three or four days. A lot of crazy things happening. Of course, the draft took place at the Incredible Sphere in Las Vegas. Canes did very well, we'll talk about that. But I wanted to just touch base with maybe the last couple of days where free agency happened and a lot changed on the Hurricanes.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I really do appreciate what they do with their defense. Uh, sean walker and shane gustus bear, as was pointed out, are both, you know, five foot eleven, six foot defensemen, but they're incredible puck movers, which is a big thing that the canes kind of need after losing pesci and after especially losing shay, I respect that man, but 49 million dollars.
Speaker 2:I love you with all my heart, but you'll love n. But they're both incredible puck movers and this allows you to do a lot, be a lot more creative, especially on the blue line. They're going to be a lot more active offensively and they're probably going to put up a respectful amount of points. The one thing downside in my eyes is that Scott Morrow is probably not going to start in the NHL anyways, but he'll get some very valuable time in the AHL, so I'm not going to be too upset about it.
Speaker 1:Well, you know, I'm actually happy about that because I think it's going to be better for him to kind of groom in Chicago. You'll get a lot of ice time in all situations, so I think that's positive. And back to Gostisper and Walker. Walker is really a prototypical Canes player. He's tough out there, he plays hard, he's great with the puck, he's excellent moving up the ice. So I'm excited about Walker. And, of course, gossespierre had a big season last year. He had 56 points in 81 games with the Red Wings, 29 on the power play. I think that's pretty cool, right, nick?
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, it means that I know people. I've seen a lot of people upset that Brent Burns still gets a very hefty majority of the power play minutes and with Goss' bear now you could easily move Burns back because Goss' bear is one of the better power play guys in the league.
Speaker 1:So yeah, I think that's going to help. The other guy that I was going to ask you about was William Currier. He was signed to a six-year deal at $2 million Kind of an interesting signing. A solid player. I've enjoyed him with Vegas. What are your thoughts on Currier?
Speaker 2:He is one of the prototypical fourth-line Hurricanes. He can drive the play really well. He is incredibly solid defensively. He can play on the penalty kill if needed to. The one issue is he cannot score, but he can drive play really well and that just screams fourth line. The six-year part is always weird, but this is the first year that you're finally out of that whole flat cap era from COVID, and GMs have obviously gotten a little spend heavy.
Speaker 2:I think the final total number from yesterday and money spent like overall contracts like 1.2 billion yeah I think so they're having fun out there, and six years is just keep the money down, so I'm not really complaining about it yeah, I think that's true and he's a.
Speaker 1:he's quite a substantial guy too. I think he's about 6'2 and 220, so he's a real solid player. He's going to bring a real edge to that third and fourth line. I'm pleased with him as well. So let's move on to the draft. I wanted to just kind of set the table. You and I had gone through a number of players just prior to the draft, and one of the folks we talked about was, of course, nikita Artemanov, and he was actually selected by the Kings. So that's good, we'll talk Nikita Artemanov. And he was actually selected by the Canes. So that's good, we'll talk about Nikita. But I also had brought up and we discussed a little bit a couple of, I guess, directions the Canes have taken in recent years. One of them was to trade for extra picks they did that again. And the other was to select a number of Russian players, and they did that again.
Speaker 2:What do you think about both of those concepts? Yeah, at some point Russian players are just going to fall because people don't like where they're playing, and it's unfortunate.
Speaker 2:but obviously the Canes have benefited from it, seeing as they took, I think, six Russians in total this year and they just they found good value with these players and they're betting on the long-term upside that they play at the khl level or mhl, which is so in a very tough league, but playing in the khl at the ages that they are is one of the things that I believe they value high. Obviously they took a lot of them, um, and they're I mean, they just enjoy doing it. Obviously they believe in the russian scout, olex mirnoff, who is an incredibly nice dude. I I've had a few conversations.
Speaker 1:They believe in the Russian scout Oleg.
Speaker 2:Smirnov, who is an incredibly nice dude. I've had a few conversations with him in the past. Incredibly nice guy, very, very helpful, very intelligent. He obviously does an incredible job. Seeing as we have all these Russian prospects, most of them are turning out okay.
Speaker 1:Obviously, his success story is coming over at the end of next year, so we'll figure out them yeah, and we'll have a chance to talk about some of the Russians later in the summer, for sure. Yeah, I think again, some of these players are really impressive. As we go through them, I think the folks will be pretty surprised at where the Canes were able to draft these players and the quality that they're able to pick up. So let's kick it off. I want to start with the first pick for the Canes, number 34. They traded down from 27 to get 34 and 50. So it was an interesting move by the Canes. But they started off and selected Dominic Baden, now Bedinka, an interesting player.
Speaker 1:Here's what Stephen Ellis said about him Bedinka has a great frame and solid hockey sense, a defenseman who moves well and doesn't get flustered with the puck when getting chased, and he's going to have a great career. Darren York said a couple of cool things about him. He's 18 years old and playing in a hard league. He has the ability to play fast and to really end plays off the rush Again. His length and his mobility that he's able to play with against men and the way he shuts it down is impressive. So I think, a lot of good things about Budinka. He was rated by Elite at 35, craig Button at 48, mckean's at 27,. Corey Prondman had him at 34. So he's kind of in the range where folks seem to think he would be. What can you say about Dominic Padica?
Speaker 2:I mean, obviously, playing in the SHL at 18 is something that a lot of players can't do. He is an exceptional player. His time in the J20 National which is their youth league, I believe because Ousfensk in the second division he incredible with the puck. He was offensively. He was something that a lot of people wouldn't see. He was just very, very solid with it. Unfortunately, whenever he did go to the SHL, that part of his game didn't translate immediately. But what did translate immediately, but what did translate immediately was his defense.
Speaker 2:They I got to remember what team he plays for. Good Lord, it's Malmo. Malmo trusted him. Yeah, malmo trusted him a ton in these higher leverages situations and I believe he played a little bit on the penalty kill as well. They trusted him in these situations because he was that good defensively at such the young age. The offense will come. I'm not really worried about that, especially since he's probably going to get more playing time, since malmo is one of those teams that isn't horrendous, but they're obviously a more youth-based team. So he's going to get a lot more playing time going forward. The offense will come. But his defense translating fast and them trusting him, that says something about his development.
Speaker 1:Well, that's cool and you know he's a big player. I think he's what 6'3". I'm not sure of his weight, but he's a 6'3 guy and I think he's going to bring size and again everything I've heard he can skate well. He's definitely a solid player back in the back line and they chose him over some other guys that were still available. So I think that speaks a lot for Bedinka.
Speaker 1:Okay, let's move on to the gentleman we had talked a lot about in our pre-draft episode and that's Nikita Artemanov. He was drafted at 50. And as I watched the draft, I was just hanging on the edge of my seat hoping he would still be there, and he was, and they and I, you know, as I watched the draft, I was just hanging on the edge of my seat hoping he would still be there, and he was, and they selected him. So it was great news. You know we talked about some of the ratings of Artimanov. He was, elite had him at 25. Mckean's had him at 50, but Flow Hockey had him at 21 and Prondman at 33. So he definitely, I think, was a very astute pickup.
Speaker 1:Stephen Ellis, again of Daily Faceoff. He has quickly become one of my favorite waiters due to his high-end hockey IQ and how he gets into scoring position. And here's Darren York. He's playing in a very good league and it's very challenging to produce the way he did. You have this incredibly energy-driven player who can play a bunch of different styles. You had a skill level on top of it and it was great for us that we were able to pick up a talented player who also likes to play hard and fast. Nikita Artamonov.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was ecstatic by it. I wanted him at 27. Obviously, you can get him at 50. I believe that's plus value. That's unbelievable. I love him. One of the things you will forever notice with every Hurricanes draft pick or at least the large majority is that they are incredibly smart on the ice.
Speaker 2:They love taking players with hockey IQ and high hockey IQ at that because, that is something that is very hard to teach, and it's not that it's an unteachable skill, but having that level of knowledge at an age of 17 or 18 is something that is incredible, and they obviously value that the most. I continuously view him as what Michael Bunting is he's a pest. He's annoying. He's going to piss you off when he is on you, when you have the puck in your own zone. He is going to be annoying off when he is on you, when you have the puck in your own zone. He is going to be annoying. Obviously he's 18. He's playing in the KHL and he's playing a ton of games at that level, and that's just again something that they value a ton. So I'm very excited to see how he continues his development and I honestly can't wait to have people up my butt trying to ask when he's coming to North America as well.
Speaker 1:Well, that's absolutely and I'm very excited about him as well. He's a great skater, he's a stocky player, he plays a heavy game and I think certainly will fit quite nicely in the middle six of the Hurricanes in the future. Let's move on to Noel Fransson, swedish player. Noel Fransson, 6'1", just under 200 pounds. He's a guy that in the under-20 league you talked about it before in Sweden he just tore it up as a defenseman. He had 20 goals in 45 games, so this guy can really play.
Speaker 1:The league prospect said Fronson is an offensive defenseman who leverages his strong skating ability to create off the rush and from the point. Darren York said Noel's a player who maybe doesn't get the recognition that he deserved because he didn't make some of the international teams. He's an incredibly offensively gifted player and, again at the same point, he's still able to defend. He's a really highly offensive player, but that's not to take away from some of the defensive style of his game. So clearly a guy that has a solid two-way game. But that's not to take away from some of the defensive style of his game. So clearly a guy that has a solid two-way game but exceptional offense. Most of the guys rated him around where we got him. Elite had him at 76, mckean 64, chris Peters of Flow Hockey sorry 61, dauber at 63, and Corey Prawnman a little lower at 97, but I think he looks like a real player.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, the one of the things that uh Franzen just excels at anytime that puck is on his stick, it's he's going to make something happen with it. That is one of his favorite things ever is having the puck on his stick. Now, the defense might not be there yet, um, but in complete honesty, I'm not too worried about a defense part of it. Like he's a defenseman, yes, but at the same point, he is still a ton of time to develop and the stuff that he does, especially at the age that he does it, is some of the stuff that you just don't see that often. So you have to go for it.
Speaker 2:You have to make that value pick, and he is an incredible defense. He's an incredible passer. When he has the puck on his stick, he is going to make something happen, or he is going to try and make something happen. He doesn't really care if it succeeds or not, he's going to make it happen. Uh, he is an incredible playmaker. He understands how to use his body well, he understands a lot of the stuff about the game and he is a big focal point of the offense at the j20 level. I am very intrigued to see if he does play for Fardjestad this year, because at that point you're going to have him and Hurricanes prospect Joel Nystrom on the same blue line, and that will be incredibly fun for me and incredibly easy, which means I don't have to watch a ton of different Swedish games.
Speaker 1:Well, sounds good. Yeah, everything I've seen about him looks like he's a real offensive gem and a guy that has a lot of potential for us. So, again, I think he's a six foot one guy. He's just under 200 pounds, so that's a good size guy and he's definitely on the right track. Let's talk about a player that was rated much higher by some of the mock draft guys. That's Alexander Suryatsky. Now, this guy, we got him at 124. Fc Hockey had him at 52. Recruit Hockey had him at 51. Nhl Central Scouting for Europe had him at 66. A couple of things about Suryatsky. Elite Prospects said Suryatsky understands how to mitigate risk defensively. He backtracks ahead of the opposing rush and adopts a conservative positioning to avoid getting beat to the middle. The last 12 months is really incredible. Uh, and again, it's not something that you always see from younger defensemen who have to play against men. The higher end offensive thinking that he's shown has been great. So that's alexander suryatsky. What do we know about him?
Speaker 2:well. For one thing he is a beanpole. He is six foot two, but he is like 160 pounds, soaking wet, correct. So he's another one of those guys that desperately needs to add weight onto his frame, especially as a defenseman. You cannot be 160 pounds and succeed at higher levels of hockey. It is just one of those things that is very tough and it doesn't happen. Another thing again it's another one of those picks that his brain is always working and it's incredibly smart.
Speaker 2:His hockey sense is very, very good. Defensively he is very solid. He loves to use his stick to try and get the puck away. He's a big opportunistic guy. He doesn't really throw his body around, which obviously you're 160 pounds, you can't really throw your body around, but he's incredibly smart. At the NHL level he had decent production for a defenseman as well. So I think the offensive side of his game is there. His skating is also very solid. His playmaking is probably the best asset offensively, but he is kind of a defensive guy through and through. He understands that side of the puck a lot more than anything else. He's a very solid pick. I didn't really know much about him, but he's a. I mean obviously they like him a lot. He seems to have a very good foundation in his game and the big thing I really want is to just start force feeding him any greasy fast food I can find, because 160 pounds of defenseman is disgustingly small.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's interesting. He certainly seemed to fly below the radar. Corey Promen didn't even have him on his list of seven rounds, so he's been flying under the radar, but it looks like he's a guy that could really have a future with the Canes. He's got a lot of ability to start with, and if he can fill out his body that's going to be great news. So yeah, suryatsky, an interesting ad for sure.
Speaker 1:Okay, so let's talk about another Swede, oscar Voulet. Again, he's a guy that we drafted at 133. Fc Hockey had him at 161, but THN Ferrari had him at 93. Mckean's had him at 61. Kronman at 86. So again, he's a guy that some folks really think highly of. A couple of comments on him elite prospects he just intuitively knows where to be, when to be there and how to make opponents pay for losing him in coverage, usually with a well-placed wrist shot. And Darren York may be a little underappreciated for what he's accomplished for two years in a row. All he's done is produce at the junior level and again put him on the power play and he can run your half ball and still be a dual threat. He's a really high-end offensive player who was able to do what he did at the junior level and show it again against men, even if he didn't have the same production. So again, highly thought up by the Canes. What can you tell us about Oscar?
Speaker 2:So Oscar Vula, the only guy that has any experience playing at the center position, which was one of their weaker spots. But I had talked about, I think, a few days ago, that unless you're drafting within the top 15, which the Canes almost did you are going to be incredibly hard pressed to find a center that actually sticks at center in the NHL because it's such a premium position at this point. So I'm really not too bothered. Voulet is an incredible offensive player. He drives the play really well. He's a very skilled passer. His shot is very, very solid for especially his age.
Speaker 2:The offense at Skelleftea in the junior level was kind of built around him. He was very, very, very involved with everything offensively and stop me if you heard this before he's an incredibly smart player. He understands a lot of the smaller stuff. He understands where everybody's supposed to be. Timing is good. Um, the one worry that I have is that even though he is a smaller player at 510, he just doesn't understand how to use his body and be physical with the puck or just be physical in general. If you could ever figure that out, I I think he has a bright future. I'm very interested to see also if he sticks in the SHL. I think he could, especially after playing at the SHL last year and playing at the same way he did. But I'm very intrigued. He's an interesting player.
Speaker 1:Yeah for sure, and I think again he continues this trend for the Hurricanes of drafting these very talented players right around the globe. So we'll see if maybe there's an opportunity for Oscar in the months ahead with the Hurricanes. Let's go to a guy that I think a lot of folks really thought was a steal. Watching the group talking about it on the draft show that was on ESPN, they definitely were very excited about Justin Poirier. He's a guy and again he comes in. He's a smaller player but again very solid, brings an incredible skill level.
Speaker 1:Poirier had 82 points in 68 games in the Quebec Junior League last year, so he can really put up the points and we got him at 156. Now Elite had him at 44, tsn Craig Button at 38, mckean's at 65, and Dauber at 41. I mean, these are man. He was well up the list with a lot of these guys and Elite says this about him Poirier drives all over the offensive zone in search of goals, positioning himself at the far post for backdoor plays and jumping on rebounds in front of the net. So he's definitely out there making it happen. York had this to say goal scorer. There are very few people who have scored as many goals as he has over the last two years in the CHL during the draft years. So he's probably a little undervalued, unfortunately, because he's not very tall, but all he does is score Justin Poirier.
Speaker 2:So if you're making a pros and cons list, the pros list is going to be. It's going to be long. It's going to be because the guy's an incredible player. And cons list, the pros list is gonna be. It's gonna be long. It's gonna be because the guy's incredible player. The cons list is incredibly short and it's just because the dude is five foot eight, yeah, which you know, people are gonna be driven away from at that same point. I don't really give a heck that he's five foot eight. Um, he's an incredible player, um, I do know. So.
Speaker 2:I think we talked about this the last time I was here that I kind of said the Canes might not be looking at Justin Poirier at all. That's what I was under the impression of. And then they draft him and the text I got from the person who helped me run the account before Matt, he was just like, oh really, he was kind of shocked too. But Justin Poirier is an incredible offensive player. His shot I don't know if I would compare it to Bradley Nadeau's of last year, but his shot is something to behold. It tore up the QMJHL this year I think. 51 goals is the final tally Incredible. He also is solid passing the puck, even though he probably should pass it ever so slightly more if he wants to continue racking up these high point totals.
Speaker 2:He's very good in transition. Shockingly enough, he understands how to use his body at 5'9". He is a physical player at 5'8". That is something that I didn't think I'd see. His tape is so fun because can you imagine, just imagine seth jarvis if you put him in a body that was somehow smaller in every regard and the dude still played the same way where he was physical? It's so weird, but it's so enjoyable in a weird way. Or? He is an incredible pick and the reason why he went solo is solely because gms hate the fact that he is a short king. They don't like that. He's 5'8 and he might not grow anymore, but at that same point, if you can score 50 goals at the junior level, you have value. So Justin Poirier, in my eyes, was a solid pick. I kind of didn't expect him, in complete honesty, as we kind of hear, but I do really like the pick. I'm very interested to see. He's also a late birthday, which I thought was spectacular.
Speaker 1:He's, he's a september 2006. Yeah, he's still he'll be he'll, be he'll.
Speaker 2:He won't turn 18 until next year and that is ridiculous for somebody that like that. That's crazy to me. I love that. Uh, that's the same thing they did with Ungersorm last year he was a super, super young kid and they did the same thing with Poirier here, and I do like the pick.
Speaker 1:Well and he fits the same kind of mold as Jaden Perron. I mean, both of these guys, I think, have very high ceilings and I'm excited about both. And, yeah, again, size. I think they're both going to be able to get past that. I think they both have elite skills and, yeah, maybe someday soon we'll see them with the Hurricanes. But great pick. I'm as excited about Poirier as you are and we'll look forward to see how he develops in the next couple of years.
Speaker 1:Now going to the other end of the spectrum, it's six foot four inch, timur Cole. He's a huge defenseman. He was selected 168. Cole, according to Dauber, a big meat and potatoes defenseman who played well against pro competition, is a young draft eligible. York says he's great defensively, similar to how we described Badinka. You have to be able to play fast and defend fast and being able to do so that's what he's done this season. It's pretty special. So, drafted at 168, elite had him at 124, smart scouting had him at 59,. Unbelievable. Dauber had him at 116, mckean's 107, and Prondman 76. So he's a guy that some folks really loved. What do you know about Timur Kol?
Speaker 2:He is gigantic, six foot four. Obviously he's another really late, really early late birthday. Sorry, he was born late August, so he's still like a super young 17. One of the people I love following around draft time is Dylan Griffin of Elite Prospects. He does all of their Russian, he is their Russian regional scout and he is an incredible follow if you want to keep up with anything like that. His description of Cole was boring but effective and after taking a little bit of my time and viewing some of his footage, I think that's an incredibly accurate description.
Speaker 2:He doesn't do anything stupid with the puck. He is an incredibly smart dude. He's not going to make a flashy play to just make it happen. He is going to take the smart play every single time you give it to him and he is not going to do anything that's going to risk it. He's an incredible skater. His shot is weirdly good for a defenseman. His passing is not bad. He does need to learn how to use his body a little bit more, even though he has. He has some hits. I'm not saying anything close to uh nikishin level where we give him his own nickname, but he is incredibly physical in that regard. Um, just the one thing that he needs to keep working on is the offense. If he can continue to find some other offensive game in his development, he's going to be an interesting player because his defense is already so good.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it sounds like again he brings size solid player, smart player and very young again. So Kane's continuing that theme, for sure. Roman Shulkin we took at 184. That's another big man. He's at 6'5 and 205. He is huge. So the Kane's a bit of a theme here between Cole and Shokran. Again, ta Chan-Kennedy had him at 116, mckean's at 110, fc Hockey had him at 57, prondman down at 204. So a little bit of a difference in terms of where folks rated him. Lead prospect said this. When he's not barreling over guys, there are flashes of actual puck handling ability. It sounds like someone else we know, mr Nikishan, jake Janso of FC Hockey. Shulkerin is a big defenseman who uses his size advantage to smother opposing entries and effectively protect the puck. And finally Darren York. He's an incredibly gifted skater. He's got great mobility. So that's again some interesting words on Roman Sjokren.
Speaker 2:Yeah, as we can kind of see that trend of russian players falling and the canes going well, if they're gonna fall this far, I might as well take them is kind of very evident. Um, one of the things that I used as a big resource on draft day was some tracking by these two amazing people, mitch brown and lassie allan, and I know lassie works really prospects. I'm not sure about mitchell, but they hand track some of the games of these prospects and they do incredible work. So, looking at Chakran's, his passing is weirdly good for his age and especially his size. His skating same thing weirdly good for his age and his size.
Speaker 2:Transition wise. If you've ever seen a defenseman that can't leave his own zone with the puck but loves to enter the opposing zone with the puck, weirdly enough, he hates leaving his own zone but he loves getting in the other one with the puck. I don't understand it. Uh, defensively, he might be a little bit weaker because, um, he does over rely on a poke check because he's so long and lanky he has the ability to just reach his stick out and most of the time can get it, but it has costed him in the past. And his passing he loves to pass. He's a talented passer for his age and he's a very weird player. I've never seen a defenseman kind of like of this, where offensively he is incredibly good at transitioning it not out of his own but in the neutral zone to the offensive zone. He is an incredible player with a puck on his stick and he's a very talented passer.
Speaker 1:He can't shoot he kind of is weird defensively, but you kind of hope that other parts get better with already the talent in his game. Okay, well, that's again another big player. Kane's looking at these big defensemen, so we'll see how he develops as well. Another Russian on the docket for 188, fyodor Abramov, now 188,. That's interesting because Elite Prospects had him at 89, thn Ferrari 46, and Dauber at 85. So it seems like some folks really rated Fyodor a lot higher. A couple of words on him. Elite Prospects. Fyodor Abramov is a physically strong winger who can explode offensively with his handling and shot. And then Darren York, he can shoot. He has a massive shot that he's able to get off and to beat goalies from distance. He's a big player, as I said, six foot three. So maybe the Canes looking for a bit of size here as well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he's an energy guy. His motor is very, very good. Fun, little fun fact here he's actually the first player to be taken from the MHL team of Capitan Stupino. He's the first player to be taken from that team since Pyotr Kochetkov, if I could speak, wow. So a little interesting tidbit there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, abramov is a very weird not weird, but a very interesting player. He's six foot three, which for a winger is kind of large. Um, his shot is very, very good. His motor is good. He understands that he has a bigger frame, especially against people his age. So he is very solid in that regard. It's just his skating apparently. It has a weird motion. It might not be the greatest it could be, but every other part of his game is very solid.
Speaker 2:And another one of those guys dylan griffin really, really likes. So anytime that he normally likes somebody. I kind of like them because he spends every waking hour watching russian footage and I kind of trust him with a lot of the opinions. And he obviously had a very good year on a very horrible Stupino team. I got to make that abundantly clear. His 44 points was best on his team by 15. Wow, that team is incredibly not good. So going into next year. Hopefully his team is a little bit better and he has a little bit more help. But I'm very interested to see if you can continue the development of his shot and maybe his playmaking ability, if he ever has a teammate that understands how to use his stick.
Speaker 1:Yeah Well, sounds again like you know. The Canes are pulling these players out of a hat late in the rounds, and boy I tell you, he's a very interesting one as well. We'll see See how Avramov continues to develop in Russia and follow him closely. Okay, our last pick was number 220. So this is very late, of course, Andrei Krutov. Krutov is a guy that, according to elite prospects, sees opposing defenders as combs to dangle around. He has the handling skills to pull off many of his moves too. He can shift the puck around sticks and beat opponents with pure handling. Speed Boy, that sounds like a pretty exciting guy. Darren York says a really high quality offensive thinker. So again, this guy's got some real slick moves offensively, Coming in at number 220, Smart Scouting had him at 88, coming in at number 220 smart scouting had him at 88.
Speaker 2:Mckean's 134 pronman at 175. What can you tell us about andre krutov? So with uh krutov you kind of mentioned it his handling when the puck is on his stick. He might have some of the cleaner mitts I've seen in a little bit with any prospect. Dylan Griffin once again, I really do love his work. He had like a 40-second, just few clips of Krutov making defenders look really stupid. And he is an incredible stick handler.
Speaker 2:I'm not going to go as far as if we can all remember good old Tolchinsky stick handle in a phone booth, but no, his stick handling is something to behold. His shot is very solid, his body, the way he handles it, pretty solid. The issue is his brain. That might not be as fast as his hands and his skating can be kind of funky. But at the same time you're in the seventh round. Why not take a shot on a guy whose playmaking is that solid? Um, anytime you can take a guy whose stick handling is that good. His shot is already good and you put up over a point per game at the mhl level. You got to at least look at him. So I don't hate the pick again, it's it's a seventh rounder.
Speaker 1:At that point, just take somebody that you might, you think might go, so krutoff is a solid pick yeah, and I think again with a lot of these you know, later round picks by the Canes, they were rated much higher by several of the mock draft guys and it could be that there could be a nugget in there as well. We look at the summary of the draft, nick, we had 10 players that the Canes drafted five forwards, five defensemen that's interesting and six Russians. So kind of an interesting dynamic here. What was your overall impression of the draft? How do you feel the Canes did?
Speaker 2:I liked it. They continued to take shots on Russian guys who kept falling. They took a shot on a very boomer bus prospect who has maybe 30, 40 goal potential in Justin Poirier. They took a few defensemen, which they did need, after graduating a few guys this year into the higher ranks, like Legault, like Morrow and eventually, after the end of the 2024-2025 KHL season and not a minute before, alexander Nikitin yes, they're going to graduate a lot of defensemen. You have to restock that cupboard and they did in a very good way. Badinka, franzen Cole, chakran, suryatsky all of them are very talented defensemen in their own right. You had to get guys like that. I'm very interested to see Dominic Badinka's development. He has legit top four talent. He has legit penalty kill talent. He has legit power play talent. It just depends on him and if he can develop in these certain regards, I thought they did a good job. I kind of have that same regard every year because they always try and find value in players.
Speaker 1:Um, but yeah, I thought it was a decent draft overall well and again uh, interesting thing other than poirier and a couple of other guys big players, I mean some huge players. So definitely trying to bring some size into the mix as well. But yeah, like you, I feel like this was a solid draft again, and the Canes continue that theme of, you know, trading down and getting more picks. They just want to throw more darts at the wall, I guess, and they feel some of them are going to come through. One thing I just want to mention on Nikitian. We've talked about him quite a bit in this session, did see an interview I don't know if you saw it recently on X Nikitian being in a discussion about playing for Carolina and how he felt about that and what he thought his future was going to look like, and it sounds like he's getting pretty excited about the potential joining the Hurricanes, so that's good news.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's the thing that I've been fighting ever since day. One of me taking over as the Mr Prospects Mr Cain's Prospects is. Every single person that has followed that account and ever interacted with it at some point always asks the question of when is Nikitin coming over? He isn't like we've. I can't really talk much more about him because I've basically said every word in the English dictionary. I haven't touched the Russian dictionary yet and I might have to learn my after continue my Russian education because they keep taking so many of them.
Speaker 2:But he is going to be an incredible defenseman. I'm happy to see that he did recover from the injury he suffered in the playoffs. I did not know the seriousness of it. I was communicated it as either a shoulder or a knee injury. It did sound like it was a knee injury. He had surgery on it and it's all good now. And it's all good now.
Speaker 2:Um, he, he is going to be one of the fastest fan favorite players in hurricanes history in my eyes, because anytime you get a dude who is a hulking man, yes, you get a guy who's going to play everywhere, at any time, in any situation, and he is going to play in it and he's just another one of those lovable russians.
Speaker 2:You just he's going to be that guy and it's kind of been known. Now I know people are still going to freak out because of the current geopolitical situations between the united states and russia and what russia is doing. But please, just if I, if you take anything from anything I have ever said at the end of the 2024 2025 khl seasonL season, alexander Nikitin is not going to re-sign with SKA Moscow. He is going to sign an entry-level contract at the Carolina Hurricanes. Now I do not believe he will play at the end of this year. I have seen some people saying, because of their defensive signings and how everything is timing out, I do not believe Nikitian is going to step into the lineup until the 2025-2026 season. As we have seen, they have signed Gostisbert long-term. They have signed Walker long-term. You know whose contract runs out at the end of this year, who I do not believe they are going to re sign Dimitri.
Speaker 1:Orlov yes.
Speaker 2:Do you know how easy of a transition it's going to be going from Dimitri Orlov to Alexander Nikitin? It's going to be an incredibly easy transition. That has been the plan in my eyes, if I am not mistaken, since they have signed Dimitri Orlov, and the reason why they only gave him two years. They had the plan, they knew what was going to happen, and Don Waddell is not the nicest human being on planet earth for even mentioning the fact that Nikitian could come over early.
Speaker 1:My goodness, Well, again, I think I think you're right and the fact that Canes were able to acquire Shane Goss to spare takes the pressure off. A lot of folks thought they were going to pick somebody up to kind of fill the gap. A lot of folks thought they were going to pick somebody up to kind of fill the gap, but clearly that's not the case. Ghost is going to be here for three years, so he's a key part of our team going forward. So I agree with you, I think they're going to be able to take their time with Nikitian. I think he'll join them and maybe if they're in a playoff run he'll be there to kind of watch that and get a sense of the team. But one of the areas that he struggles with and we're going to see this as time goes on he does not have English skills at all. So there's still some work to do to kind of get him acclimatized to this North American world, and I'm sure the Canes have a plan to do that. But lots of excitement around the Keishon and lots of excitement around the Russians, particularly as the Canes continue to draft some real nuggets, I think, in this draft this year Once again, nick, thanks so much for joining.
Speaker 1:Your insight is fantastic. Always bring all the great information that you have and your thoughts, and we look forward to the next time that we can get together and talk about the Hurricanes. I know we're going to have a chance to talk more about the prospects. Maybe we'll get a chance to talk about Chicago as we move towards the fall and, yeah, let's plan to get together sometime in the not-too-distant future. Again, thanks so much, nick.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no problem, glad to help out.
Speaker 1:I'd just like to thank Nick Bass of Canes Prospects and Darbor Prospects again for his contribution today. Really appreciate his insight and, of course, deep knowledge on these draft picks that now are part of the Canes system. So we'll look forward to more discussion there. Nick is going to join me again in the near future to talk about the development camp of the Canes. That should be interesting, and then, following that, we have plans to talk about the development camp of the canes. That should be interesting, and then, following that, we have plans to talk about the prospect base of the canes later on in the summer. So stay tuned for that. And, of course, if you like this episode, please hit the like button. If you have any comments, put them in down below. We'll respond promptly and again, we'd appreciate. If you're looking to view future episodes of Storm Tracker, please hit the subscribe button and you'll be sure to be notified. Once again, thanks so much. No-transcript.
