stormTRacker Podcast

Get Ready for September's Canes' Prospects in the Spotlight!

• Tom Ray • Season 3 • Episode 6

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Nick Bass, (Canes' Prospects), joins me as we break down the Hurricanes’ top prospect performers of the month, why their roles matter, and how close several are to NHL impact. From Russian leagues to the AHL and NCAA, we map the real development paths, the risks, and the upside timelines.

Highlights:
• Avramov’s power-finesse mix and VHL vs KHL usage trade-offs
• Frolov’s controlled starts and crowded goalie ladder
• Perevalov’s health, consistency and multi-tool scoring return
• Nadeau’s heavier game, five-on-five details and AHL runway
• Kol’s offensive bloom, heavy shot and PP fit
• Steady risers on defense in Legault, Nystrom and Peliavin
• Velmakin’s technical base despite limited reps
• October watchlist led by Cerrato’s breakout at Penn State
• Where Nikishin fits best and how to unlock him

Follow along for the context behind the box scores, the skills that scale, and the roles that open doors. If you enjoyed this breakdown, subscribe, share it with a Canes' fan, and leave a quick review so more people can find the show.



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SPEAKER_00:

Well, hockey is back in full swing, and it's a great time to look at Carolina Hurricanes prospects all around the globe. Joining me as always to discuss the top five prospects of the month. From Case prospects and number prospects, Nick Mass. Welcome, Nick.

SPEAKER_01:

Hello.

SPEAKER_00:

Hey, Nick. Um some really interesting folks you're going to talk about for September. Um, of course, they've been playing for a while and certainly in some of the Russia leagues and so on. Um, so we're gonna get a chance to see how some of these players have uh kicked off their season. And we're gonna kick it off with number five on the list, and that's uh Fodor Avramov. Now, Avramov is a 6'3, 190-pound left winger. He shoots right. Uh, he's a guy that uh Dylan uh Griffing of Elite Prospects said this the draft year about him. He said he's a physically strong winger who can explode offensively with his handling and his shot. His work rate and offensive upside give him the potential for a real bottom six NHL role. So he was uh he got some good words about him, and of course, he was drafted late, 198 in that 24 draft. So uh yeah, he's a guy that not many folks know much about, but uh you had something to say about him for September. What do you got?

SPEAKER_01:

I think uh yeah, I think a lot of people learned more about him at uh Dev Camp because he was able to go this year. Right. So people definitely got their first real viewing of him as how I got my first like in-person viewing of him. And he's uh he's definitely a uh a throwback style of player with kind of the way he he plays. There's a there is a lot of finesse in his game, but it's a lot of powered style stuff, which is really good. I also I mean at this point I'd probably put him over 200 for weight at this point. Um he plays a lot closer to 200, in my opinion. Um, I don't know if he actually is 200, but it feels like to me in the way he plays, he is. Um he's currently in in a in a fun situation where he's either getting 20 minutes a night in the MHL or basically, or not basically, but zero minutes a night in the KHL. And it it kind of stinks, but while he's in the MHL, he's been really good. He's been his MHL team's main driver of offense, whether that be if he has to create chances for his teammates, whether that be he has to finish chances that his teammates give him, it kind of all flows through him. And he's also been tried at center a few times, which is something interesting. I have not gotten to view the game footage on those yet. Uh, maybe I'll get around to it if I stop being so ungodly busy. But um there's been a lot to like with Fyodor. I just really wish at this point that he would just play in the VHL instead of kind of wasting his time either 13th forward in the KHL or first line MHL.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, and last year uh he played in all three leagues. So that's the interesting thing in Russia. Of course, they can go from junior to what would be like our American league, which is the VHL, and then up to the KHL. So he got a touch in all three leagues, and of course, uh, you know, he's uh looks like he's back in the MHL this year, which would be like a junior uh type league here in in North America. So uh he's getting uh he's getting his opportunity there for sure. And you know, I think, like you say, I think uh I think Avramov is a guy that uh through that dev camp has definitely raised his profile quite a bit, which is great. Um so number four is a guy that I was really excited about, and we talked about him with the draft, and that's uh goaltender Semyon Frolov. Now, Frolov, uh, interesting thing for McKeans, they they raved about Frolov. Uh again, a good sized goalie at 6'3, 200. McKean said he's the prototypical Russian-style goalie, and it's pretty easy to see why he was the third goalie picked in the 25 draft. And the interesting thing was, of course, there were some really top goalies, Ravensberger and some other folks that uh that were ahead of him, but boy, he uh he certainly has great stock. How's he doing so far this year?

SPEAKER_01:

He's been um whenever he gets playing time, he's been really, really good. Um I'm trying to remember what I said, but there's only been one start, I think, where he's allowed more than one goal, one true start. He had a game where he gave up, I think, three, but it wasn't his start. It was the other goalie start who gave up, I think, three or four in the span of like six minutes, so he had to come into game action. So he's been really, really good when he's on his his designated start days. He's been putting together some great performances, and he's definitely reined in a little bit of the the chaotic nature of his game where he's not he he does still have some moments. I had posted a picture a little bit ago where he he made a great save but ended up halfway to the face-off dot, which is ever so slightly terrifying. But other than that, he's been doing a lot of really good things and a lot of he's put together a lot of good starts, and there's a lot to like from him. Uh I just need to see him get some more game time. But the Spartac system is very loaded with goalies right now, so I'm not I'm as long as he gets 20-ish starts, maybe 25, I'll be pretty good with it.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay. Yeah, I mean, definitely uh a lot of folks were were pretty high on on Semyon Frolov, and and certainly all the reviews and and the uh the ratings in terms of where he might end up in the draft uh suggested that uh he was gonna be a pick of interest. So that's great. And you know, Keynes, of course, uh have Ruzlan Kaziv down in uh in uh uh Chicago right now. And uh he might get some playing time because, of course, there's still some question who that other goaltender might be down there. They originally thought that Primo was going to be there alongside Mir Miftikov, but uh since he was uh picked up by the Leafs and on waivers, uh there's really an open spot for Kaziv for now. So I really like what we're doing, the Canes are doing with the Russian goaltenders, and I think there's definitely uh a lot to be excited about there. Now, next up at number three was uh Alexander Prevolov. Now, Parebolov, we've talked about before. He's a guy that was drafted a while ago. Um, and again, he was uh very highly rated in that draft that uh the Kanes picked him in. Uh Dauber Prospects, you might recall, said dangerous offensive winger with a great shot and strong all-around offensive tool set. And Corey Cronman, who's generally accepted as one of the better analysts for uh for prospects, he's with the athletic, of course. He said Perebolov can make a lot of good things happen with the puck. He has excellent stick skills, showing consistent ability to beat checks one-on-one and create inside the offensive zone with his stick handling. So again, I a natural, skilled offensive player. We've been waiting for him to uh to break out. How's he how's he doing this year?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, well, one thing the Dauber report was before my time, before I started there, since he was drafted 20. He might have been 23, but he might have been a draft that I didn't get to I didn't get to cover fully. But yeah, um injuries and other things have kind of ruined his the past two years before the the like the last half of the season he had, and then now going forward, he's on the right track. And I give a lot of credit to the the metal Nova Kuznets um staff for just getting him in the position that he needs to be, and and Peraveloff's been doing what he needs to do. He's been just scoring in a litany of ways. And the one thing that I was kind of uh not complaining about, but like, hey, I want to see this guy be more consistent before I go, hey, he might you know start to look like an NHL player again. And so far this season he's been decently consistent. Um there was a good streak of games where he was getting a point, he was looking a lot active, and he's doing a lot of things right. And I'm in I'm also interested to see because he's been using he's been used as net front a lot, but his shots also very good, which he's been able to use. So I'm interested to kind of see where he goes. But it's definitely been a good start to the season, and I hope he continues it and mainly just stays healthy.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, he's a guy I put in the same kind of category as uh as Recot. Uh a couple of guys that are extremely talented players and high hopes for them, but they just haven't gotten there yet. So hopefully, uh, as you say, he might uh be able to avoid that injury bug and uh continue to play uh some excellent hockey this year. Number two is someone we've talked about an awful lot, and of course, uh you saw a lot of him this year, uh for sure, uh, as he's been present in just about everything the Canes have been doing. Um, Bradley Nadeau. Nadeau, uh, as we saw in the exhibition games uh with the Canes, uh played extremely well. He scored in his first two games and I think showed extremely well throughout. But what have you got to say about our man uh Bradley Nadeau?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, um he he got as high as he did just because of the preseason that he had. Uh he looked like a much better player than what he ended off with last season, and that's something to say for a guy who scored over 30 in the AHL as a 19-year-old. That that's something really good. Um, there's still some things that I would like to see him work on. His play of five on five has been shaky at times. I like what he does on the four check, but he does offensively, he still needs to get a little bit better there, as well as some of the defensive ideas when he's in his own zone, specifically handling pressure because the turnover against I want to say it was Tampa in that first game hurt real bad. Um he needs to handle pressure a little bit, and he I would like to see him start breaking out pucks a little bit more if they if they can if the defense can get it up to him and him start doing it and leading in transition. Um, there's some things that obviously he still needs to work on, but there's also some things that you know the Kanes don't have that he possesses, mainly just his unbelievable shooting ability and his shooting talent. And again, I'm not mad at him going to the AHL. I think some people were mad because he was really good, but there's not a spot for him. Correct that you can't, you're not they already have four top six wingers that they're more than comfortable playing, and that's perfectly fine. You can wait a year on the dough and let him go. And if it one of those guys goes down, he's probably gonna be the first one called up just because of his acumen. Again, it's one of those things, but he'll be perfectly fine.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, and you know, one of the things, I don't know if you've seen this, but certainly in some of the games I've watched, and I've seen most of the games uh the preseason, and certainly the uh the other games that uh that the the uh showcase prospect showcase and so on. I think Nidou is trying to play a heavier game now. He seemed to be laying the body on, was going in making some some heavy checks. Have you seen some of that as well, Nick?

SPEAKER_01:

100%. He looks he's a player that wants to be much more physically engaged than he was last year, which is a very big improvement.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, and and again, he's gonna most likely he'll be teaming with uh Ryan Suzuki. Uh they have a great chemistry, and and I would expect that Yuha Yaska will probably join him once he's coming out.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I had a uh well, I believe he is pra I thought I saw a picture of him practicing today. I could be very wrong, but I thought I did. As well, um I have some coming out Saturday of it was just like a normal regular piece, and that was the exact line I kind of thought because that's where that like Nado Suzuki is a very good combination, and then you just give them a slight a bigger, a little bit more physical, more veteran winger. So I I was flipping between Yaska, who I ended up selling on, and uh Giovanni Smith, but I think it's gonna be something like that, you know.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, of course, now that he's down there, he becomes a factor too. But uh, I just really they did have some playing time together last year, and they really were uh quite uh quite effective. So yeah, so yeah, I think you know, again with Bradley, look, a lot of folks were pulling their hair out, as you say, when he was sent down, and and he's a guy that uh he's close. I mean, he's really close. And as you said rightfully, Nick, he's he's a natural goal scorer. You just can't find those. Uh this is a guy that's gonna score. It doesn't matter what league he's in, he's gonna score. And the question is, can he now round out his game uh to the point where, again, uh Rod Brindamore is you know comfortable with him playing big minutes, which you want him to play and on top line. Uh and I agree also that his chance is gonna come and it's gonna be an injury that's gonna happen. I've talked about this before, and I believe strongly that's how it's gonna take place. And once he gets in, try to take it away from him. I think it's gonna be a problem. So, anyway, exciting stuff with him. I was really interested in number one for the month, and and this is someone you started talking a fair bit about last year, and and kind of in in the same kind of concert as uh as Alexander Nikishan, and that was uh teamer Cole. Of course, he was playing with SKA at the time, and and it was kind of interesting to watch his early development with them. Um, he's a guy that uh he was again drafted late, uh, sixth round, 168 in uh in their draft. I mean, that's that's way down, and he was rated by so many folks way higher. Uh, in fact, Corey Provin had him at 47. So, I mean, that's insane to see how far he dropped. Um, a lot of people like him. He plays a smart game, he's good offensively, he's rounding out his game defensively. What are you seeing with team or Cole this year?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, um, the main thing for me was that I wanted to see him involve much more offensively. Uh, I kind of knew his defensive game going in was already pretty solid, and it's still maintained pretty solid, but the offensive game is the stuff that's already blossomed heavily, and that's what it I really wanted to see. He has a very, very heavy shot when he's able to use it, and I really like his ability to figure out the right play uh from the point, whether that be on the power play, he's been very solid there. Um, he's just able to use his skating to kind of get more space and more time to create what he wants to create, and that's a very big asset for somebody to have. And the Kanes kind of used last year's draft mainly as a we're gonna get ahead of the trend of guys just taking big, rangey, strong skating defensemen. We're just gonna get ahead of it and do it this year, and we're gonna let everybody kind of fight next year for it, which is kind of what everybody saw was that you're taking, you know, six, four, six, five defensemen who can kind of skate, but the rest of their game is not good. Last year they took three six foot four defensemen who could skate, but they already had one attribute of their game that was already sticking out. So it's nice to see Cole is, I would say, the first to round out his game more than Roman Chakran or Alexander Seriatsky, but Alexander Seriatsky right now hasn't beat because Seriatsky is getting regular cage all minutes. Okay.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, it's interesting because uh through the dev camp, of course, you talked about these huge, these huge defensemen and a bunch of them, right? And and the Kings continue to load up on Russians for sure. And and the other thing, uh, going back to Priman, and just to totally support what you're saying, he's got an above-average shot, which will translate well to Carolina's high volume offensive style. So he's uh he's again uh Priman saying very clearly that uh Cole's got some offensive ability and he's got the ability to shoot the puck, which uh which you highlighted too, Nick. And I think, you know, again, he's a big player. Uh he's another solid-sized guy back there. He skates well. Uh he's got great potential. So uh excited about teamer Cole for sure. So the top five done. Um let's move on to our um honorable mentions. Um, and uh kicking it off is uh is Alexander Pelovan. He's a defenseman. Uh interesting thing, he's not a huge defenseman, he's not one of those bigger guys, I guess. But uh in any case, uh again, late round guy, seventh round in 22. Uh Darren York said something interesting about him because uh I'm a big fan of uh Vladimir Grudinen, and he said he's a little similar to Grudinen in being able to hold tight gaps and be able to get up in the play and join the rush. So again, uh more typical of what the canes are looking for in these D-men. What have you seen with uh with Pelovan?

SPEAKER_01:

Um, yeah, uh I I'm not gonna say it was kind of a lucky streak of points here, but it definitely stuck out because this is the first time he's kind of gotten some points in a in a little bit. He's not known as a very, you know, a very active offensive defenseman. He'll get maybe 10 points in a year and call it a day. That's pretty good for him. But because he's more well known for just his defensive ability and the physical attributes that even though he might not be as big as some of the other guys, he's still a hyper physical defenseman, which is what you like to see from your guys whenever they're defending. So I mean, the offense kind of shown um he was getting some a little bit more playing time due to some injuries on their their back line. And he did what he was supposed to do. Uh he's been playing his offside a lot. He's been playing on the right-hand side as a lefty, which is interesting. I mean, that's always if you're good at it, you're it's definitely a bigger help. And um, yeah, uh I haven't really talked about him a lot because he doesn't really get a lot of points, but his game is just kind of I don't want to say it's boring, but you just don't hear about him a lot just because you know other guys are getting points, but he plays a very you know simple, good game. So uh he just got a few points.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, you know, sometimes uh the defensemen you want are the ones that you don't really notice much because they're just going about their business. And as you said, I think correctly in in your write-up too, Nick, he's uh he's just a steady defensive guy. He's getting it done, and and if he adds a little bit of offense, he becomes a lot more interesting as well. So yeah, uh you know, so many of these defensemen in Russia right now, and I just I'm curious to see how they're gonna pull them out over time. But uh again, the Canes have been able to load up on some high potential players late in these drafts, and we've talked about that a lot, and it looks like some of them are making their moves. Talking about a guy that they get late in the draft who's uh really starting to show something, and he's got a lot of folks in his camp these days. That's uh Charles Alexis Legault. Uh Legault, of course, uh a little bit later getting drafted, uh, had a couple years in the NCAA. Of course, uh he was his first year, he was on the championship quinipiac team. So I'm sure that uh Rod Brindamore got a chance to see uh see some action with Lego. But he's a guy that just again he goes about his business, he's been uh solid defensively, starting to add some offensive things. We saw a bit of that in uh training camp. What are you seeing with Charles Alexis Legault?

SPEAKER_01:

So yeah, um, if I had a nickel for every time the Keynes took a college overager or double overager, I'd have two of them. The first one being Lego and the second one being Charlie Serrado. Yeah. Um yeah, Legault was um he was kind of the the quote unquote boring defenseman. He's very defensively sound, he's big, he can skate pretty well. And the the time he spent at Quinnipiac, he used very well because during the last little bit of his time at Quinni Piac, he developed a lot of the offensive traits that you needed him to have for him to have more of an NHL projection. And he got him. His passing became better, his shot became better, everything just kind of rounded out. Going into his first AHL season, I kind of had I didn't really have a ton of expectations because again, he he was a slightly older guy, but he was more physically mature than a lot of the other players on the team. So I was wondering where that was going, and he just became their most important defensive defenseman outside of maybe Ronan Seeley. He was their first penalty killer, he was a guy who ate big minutes when he needed to because he of his defensive acumen, and it's a guy who continued to just get better during the year, and that's why you kind of saw him stay up in camp for as long as he did, because he knows the Carolina system, and he's probably about as close to NHL ready as you could really ask for from a guy who was drafted two years ago. And um, yeah, there I think people are gonna really like Lego. I think they already really do like Lego now because of what he's shown in preseason. But whenever he does get his first real taste of NHL action, and more importantly, he gets his first consistent action, I think people are gonna really become enamored with him because he's kind of just what Jalen Chaffi is, but he's more physical than Chafield, which is something to behold because Chaffield's already a great hockey player in that sense. And if you know, in the wings you have a guy like Lego who's just almost I wouldn't say a carbon copy of Jalen Chaffi, or maybe you could say Brett Pesci, but it's definitely a very interesting player to look forward to over the next few years.

SPEAKER_00:

No, I think um you know folks have been surprised at how fast he has developed. I mean, he was him and uh Dominic Fensori, I thought, were just an outstanding pair uh with Chicago last year. And I guess they're gonna be doing the same thing right now, starting this year. And those two guys together are really, really well suited. Uh, you know, I'm a big fan of Don's and uh to see uh him and and Lego play the way they've been playing. Legault, uh, you know, he's willing to drop the mints too, and and uh, you know, he got in a couple of fights and uh got in there and and starting to show that he's you know he really wants to win that spot. Uh he has an advantage right now being a right shot D-man, and of course the Canes have loaded up on lefties, so this is a good situation for him. Uh and I I fully expect in the next year or two you're gonna see Lego on that blue. Uh another big defenseman that skates well, he plays smart, and that's one thing I like about Lego. Uh he doesn't panic in his own zone. Um he's cool, he just he just plays a smart game. And I think that's why he's been able to translate that very effectively into his play with the canes. He he did not look out of place at all. And and I think you're right in saying that he's he's very, very close. So um that was a real steal for the canes. That's an understatement. Um, and uh, and he's he's definitely gonna be uh be a hurricane at some point in the future. Another guy that's a little bit older, and we talked about him in the past, Joel Nistrom, uh coming out of uh Sweden. Now, Nistrom uh he's been playing with uh far just adds for gosh, he's been with him up five seasons now before coming over to Chicago last year. So he was he had a lot of play in the top men's league uh in Sweden. So and and was playing well uh the last couple of years. You know, he was doing a great job. He's not a big defenseman, but you know, watching him in camp and watching him, you know, in the uh prospect showcase and so on, this guy to me is just a smart, smart defenseman. He sees the ice well, he's got a high hockey IQ. Um I didn't think he looked out of place at all. What have you been seeing with uh with Nistrom?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, so development showcase the prospect showcase. Um it had me with a little bit of a concern because he's been lauded for his skating ability, and I saw that whenever he was in Sweden, but he kind of got beat a few times when a player would just kind of go around, and I got a little worried about that. But then you watch him in preseason, and that didn't happen at all, and he was making key defensive plays when he was the last guy back, and he was you know making a lot of smart decisions, and I went, okay, never mind. I guess that was just a weird experience for him. But yeah, no, he looked kind of like the player that I got to watch at Far Jest as for a long time. He was breaking the puck out effectively, he his skating was definitely better than what it was during the showcase, and maybe that's just a testament to him being more in shape than just going to Tampa in the middle of the summer. So um he he looked a lot better in the preseason, and he was another guy that didn't really look a ton out of place. So I'm interested to see if he'll get his NHL opportunity at some point during the season. I wouldn't say it's out of the question just because of how he looks and the uh previous experience that he already has. So I'm interested to see that. And I think he'll be a nice piece for Chicago's blue line. I would imagine, I would think, that he would probably get a look to power play or quarterback the second unit for the power play.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah. Well, Fedsori will do the number one unit for sure.

SPEAKER_01:

That's what I would assume, too.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, no, for sure. Um I was surprised by Nestrom. I mean, I you know, we had talked about him a little bit last year, um, but I just thought he was he was just solid. Like he just made great decisions on the ice. Uh, he is quick, and and you know, he can he was doing some great rushing moves as well. We saw him take the puck in and go deep and uh try to make plays and and playing with some confidence. But again, he's been playing with men uh in pro leagues for a while, so it's to be expected. I think he's gonna translate very well to Chicago. I look at that Chicago blue line and it's loaded. I mean, man, they got Badenka down there, they've got Nistrom now, they've got all the guys that uh pretty well the top guys from last year. I mean, so I just hope they get playing time.

SPEAKER_01:

That was that was the one thing I noted today because I forgot I did a thing last year where I kind of projected what the Chicago roster is gonna look like, and I don't have the time to do that now, so I just kind of put it in the thing I got Saturday. And um, so Fensori Lego, yeah, Gavin Beiruther is there with Badenka, and then you have Seely, and you still have Nistrom, and then Alexi Haimo Salome, Bryce Montgomery as well, and there's a couple other guys that'll probably just go to the ECHL that could, if you really needed to play. So there this is going to be a very, very deep Wolves team, no matter which way you look at it.

SPEAKER_00:

For sure. And you know, interestingly enough, Montgomery, Bryce Montgomery, I thought he showed something in in camp this year. Um, he's a big player. Um, he's been sitting in the ECHL for a while, but he's he's gotta be due to head up to the American League at some point.

SPEAKER_01:

I think he'll get more looks this year than he did last year. Uh, but it's kind of just the situation of they have all too many cooks in the kitchen right now.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, there's no question. And of course, they got a bunch of others, as we talked about, uh, in the wings ready to come over in the coming years, from particularly from Russia. And of course, a couple of guys in Sweden. You've still got Noel Fronssen and Simon Forsmark. So, I mean, the Canes depth on with prospects on the blue line is just it's incredible. Um, so we'll be busy talking about all these guys uh as the days go on. So good news, and I I'm gonna be like you watching uh Nistrom closely. Uh I like him. I would not be unhappy at all if he got a uh not issue with the hurricanes. I think he's a guy that brings a lot to the table. So we'll see how that goes. Now, finishing off the honorable mention, somebody you I know have some uh some personal uh interest in because of your discussions with him uh at a recent at a uh previous camp, uh, and that was uh Igor Valmachen, uh the goaltender, of course. And you uh remember you had some interesting conversations through a translator, I think, or whatever. And they were kind of fun. He's a guy, again, that uh here's what Darren York said. Um we were impressed with how his season went. This is his draft year. Uh he got a little better each and every game. A kid we were happy to get uh at round seven, number two, two. So, I mean, that's almost at the end of a draft. That's pretty close to the end. So what are you uh what are you seeing with that?

SPEAKER_01:

I was just so happy when he he got his release from Minsk to finally go and get game time somewhere. It was making me sad that he just wasn't getting any game time. And he he is getting more game time now, it's still not great, but um I've liked uh a lot of the things that I've seen. He's had a couple good games, um, and then in other games he's just gotten shelled because the defense in front of him wasn't good. But you still watch him, and I still see a goalie that has some sort of North American future because a lot of what he does is just sound, he's very technically good. I worry a little bit about athleticism, but um when you have a goalie that's very technical with the size that he has, even though he's not the biggest, I still think there's something there for him to be better than what his counting stats are. And to be fair to him, he had a pretty good month, so I still give him credit and I I like the way he looked.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, he's he's not one of the bigger goaltenders. Uh what's he checking at 6'1, 6'2? He's in that range. So he you wouldn't put him in that category of some of these goalies like uh Brandon Bussey, who's what 6'5 or 7, or who knows what he is. He's huge now. Um, these goalies are are just getting bigger and bigger. Um, so that's gonna be something. Uh, again, um, yeah, caught in the KHL the last couple of years, doesn't didn't play much, and he gets a chance now. He's back in the VHL. So hopefully he's gonna get some playing time and uh and we'll see some uh some good work from uh from Yeagor. Uh okay, as we head to the next month in October, it's already started. Are there players that you're gonna be keeping your eye on uh this month?

SPEAKER_01:

I think there's a very obvious one that people kind of got, I think a lot of people got introduced to on a wider scale after Friday and Saturday, last Friday and last Saturday. Um, you know, they had a ton of scouts and a ton of eyes on Penn State, Arizona State. Yes, everybody was there for Gavin McKenna. Buddy got shown up by Charlie Serrado, big time. Five points in one night in one of the better prospect performances I've seen in a very long time and he was I don't really know what I was expecting. Uh you know I I got to see him at uh the the dev camp camp and I have a I have a friend who went to Penn State who worked with the hockey team who said that Serrado is just a gem of a person and what I see on the ice is just insane. I mean this was a a a a pretty good Arizona State team and m basically every time he stepped on the ice he was generating a good chance offensively whether that be in transition he was great he was net front at times he would shift out wide his shot is really nice as well I like a lot of what I saw from him and even in the second game where he only had one point he was still really really aggressive with his offense. The defense is still good he kills a couple penalties for Penn State every now and again um the faceoff circle is you know it's the face-off circle 40% on Friday 50% Saturday but I still liked a lot of what I saw from him and I think going forward this month you're it's gonna be a very very interesting player to watch and it was also really fun seeing uh Canadians fans get really mad that uh Serato was named first star in the Big Ten over Michael Haig and everybody immediately went well why isn't Michael Haig the first star and immediately people go well Serato played a real hockey team and Michigan played Mercyhurst if you can find where Mercyhurst is on a map I will give you five dollars because I couldn't tell you where Mercyhurst is I promise you and I watched those games too because Jaden Perron played I couldn't tell you where Mercyhurst is yes yes yeah Jaden is as someone else we've talked about a lot well you know Swato um you gotta believe there's something there uh for sure Nick because the Canes wouldn't have drafted him uh as high as they did and I think uh you know they feel like there's somebody that's again been hiding uh under the radar that uh and again a older player uh passed through some drafts uh you know one of these situations that every once in a while you find a nugget there and I think maybe the canes have pulled something out here and again being a centerman that's beautiful uh there's been a lot of discussion about uh the canes acquiring a center this year and most and potentially being an older center for a year or two and that would track nicely for uh for a guy like Soral I was gonna um they they've taken two double overagers in two years or three years I guess because Lego is 23 and then Serato was 25. But he's another guy that I wouldn't be shocked to see sign relatively quickly. Like if he has a really really good year this year it would not surprise me in the slightest if at the end of Penn State season whatever it is he's suiting up for Chicago. Yeah just because he's so much more mature than a lot of the players on his team like Aiden Fink is good. Gavin McKenna's really good obviously a lot of the guys on his team is good Serrata was next level against a very good Arizona State team so I wouldn't be shocked if he's a guy that gets a call earlier than others in this class even though I think the only guy signed so far is Ryapkin. So oh Ryapkin yes of course uh we'll have lots to say I'm sure about uh about Ivan um as we wrap up somebody I always enjoyed talking to you about and uh we've been watching him with interest again an older player jumping into his situation of course that's Alex Nikkeishan what are your thoughts about Nikishan so far Nick um he looked he kind of just looked like himself uh he looked like uh SKA Nikkeishan in the preseason he was really good a lot of the time made one or two mistakes but he just looked really good um it's gonna be weird though it's gonna be uh since his age uh 24 is kind of my hard cutoff limit be the first year I don't cover Nikitian which will be a little weird but uh I I think he'll just become a very enjoyable thing for Keynes fans and as well I mean um put him on the power play I don't why why are we trying to stress about a a guy who just turned 24 years old why are we stressing about overloading his mind and making him think too hard he's 24 he was the captain of a Russian hockey team I'm so I don't I don't get that one but again I mean that's not the main thing I care about but it just seemed weird to me.

SPEAKER_00:

Well I think you're onto something and you know a lot of folks uh were you know pulling their hair out uh saying hey did did we overestimate what uh Nikkeishan's gonna be and we're people like you and I just crazy uh I I loved him in his last game uh killing penalties uh playing lots of minutes alongside Chatfield I thought that was a really nice combination that that should also just be the pairing yeah it I just thought they looked really really calm together and played extremely well of course Chatfield Chatty can cover for anyone so if uh if Alex wants to take a rush and get in there and do what he does best is get that puck in there and and he's showing more confidence each game and this was to be expected and you know when you know Brenda Moore and others say it's going to take a year or two come on he's gonna be very very quickly this guy is going to be demonstrating what uh what we've been watching him do in the KHL he's just a heck of a defenseman and and I don't think uh I don't think we need to fret too much about that. So yeah I'm with you on this um we'll be watching him closely and of course uh I guess I'll be looking forward to the game tomorrow night to uh to see how Alex uh plays his first uh regular season game with canes um hey Nick uh as always it's been great and uh where can folks find you uh canes prospects on twitter uh canes prospects substack which is now just canes prospects.com uh that's kind of just the main places I am so that's great and I certainly have enjoyed your work with uh with Matt uh Matt Soma uh and Matt joined us recently as well so it's great to have you guys uh join in on uh on these discussions uh certainly on the prospect side and uh and always enjoy your comments about the things as well so we'll look forward to getting together again very soon Nick and I know you're busy with uh with school and with a lot of things you're doing these days but uh we'll kind of loan in where we can and and enjoy talking about the prospects with you. For those of you who've been listening or watching Nick and I of course are delighted you've spent time with us. If you like this episode please press the like button. If you have comments or anything you'd like to say questions please put those in the comment section down below. And of course if you'd like to be alerted of future episodes of Stormcracker please press the subscribe button and the bell and you'll be alerted just as soon as those are available. As always Nick and I thank you for spending time with us and look forward to getting together with your real team right here on Storm

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