These Undersized Prospects Are Proving Doubters Wrong #canes #hockey

Late picks, big swings, and a farm system that won’t stop churning: Nick Bass (Canes Prospects) & I break down which Carolina Hurricanes prospects took real steps forward and why their games now project at the NHL level. Our top five features a resurgent Felix Unger Sorum, who regained his edge at right wing with quicker feet, a heavier shot, and the same elite vision that once put him on the brink of a roster spot. We also spotlight Bradly Nadeau’s five-on-five progress in Chicago—less perimeter, more pressure, and a line that drives play with pace.

On the college front, Jayden Perron looks like a new player at Michigan. He’s logging top-line minutes, running a power play with patience and touch, and proving those pre-draft projections weren’t misplaced. We dig into how role, confidence, and usage can flip a trajectory. Overseas, Yegor Velmakin has finally found consistent starts in St. Petersburg, turning the corner with steady form and raising questions about his next contract and where he fits in a crowded goalie ladder.

We don’t skip the big-picture context. Chicago’s mid-season coaching change is rare in the AHL, but the Wolves’ special teams gains and development track record remain bright spots. Honorable mentions add crucial depth to the story: Kurban Limatov’s smooth skating and physical edge, Justin Poirier’s scoring translating to NCAA speed, and Jakub Vondras re-establishing himself with a strong November. We also examine center depth and the timeline for a young pivot to potentially anchor a middle-six role, outlining how a short-term veteran bridge could sync with the prospect pipeline.

Highlights:

• Ekberg’s shooting jump and creative play in Ottawa
• Velmakin’s consistent VHL starts and contract intrigue
• Nadeau’s five-on-five growth and physical edge
• Wolves coaching change and special teams impact
• Perron’s resurgence at Michigan as PP quarterback
• Unger Sorum’s confidence, stronger shot, and right-wing fit
• Limatov’s return to form and MHL All-Star nod
• Poirier’s scoring translating to NCAA speed
• Robidas’ do-it-all profile and NHL readiness
• Vondras’ steady November and goalie depth picture
• Artamonov’s KHL reset and system fit
• Monitoring Cerrato's path to a middle-six NHL center

Hit play to hear who’s closest to NHL-ready, who needs more runway, and why the Canes’ scouting bets on undersized skill and oversized defenders are paying off. If you enjoy these prospect deep dives, follow, share with a Canes fan, and leave a review so we can keep growing this community.

#canes #hockey #carolinahurricanes #stormtracker23 #canesprospects #thehockeyguy #topshelfhockey #lockedonhurricanes #ahl #chicagowolves #alexandernikishin #bradlynadeau #KHL #darrenyorke

Chapters

• 3:07 Filip Ekberg’s Surge in Ottawa
• 4:43 Yegor Velmakin’s Consistency In Russia
• 9:48 Bradly Nadeau Finds His Pro Groove
• 14:26 Chicago Wolves Coaching Change
• 20:01 Jayden Perron Reborn at Michigan
• 26:17 Felix Unger Sorum’s Confidence Return
• 32:43 Honorable Mentions: Limatov, Poirier, Robidas & Vondras
• 35:22 Charlie Cerrato Timing for the Canes

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 1:03

Well, K's prospects continue to perform well around the globe, highlighted by virtuoso performances from Chicago Wolves Felix Ungerstorm and Bradley Nadeau, as well as collegian Jaden Perron, recent draftee Philip Eckberg, and Russian goalie Igor Valmaken. Joining me as always to discuss Carolina Hurricanes Prospects from Cades Prospects and Developing Hurricanes Podcast, Nick Bass. Howdy, Nick.

SPEAKER_01: 1:35

Hello.

SPEAKER_00: 1:36

Hey Nick. Yeah, some interesting, some interesting uh players in the top five prospects and in the uh you know honorable mentions this month. I thought we could have some fun with this. And to kick it off, number five is someone we've talked uh quite a bit about, uh drafted this year, uh Philip Eckberg. Now, Eckberg, again, a small player, 5'10-180, uh playing with Ottawa 67s. He was drafted at 221. And you know, you have to put that in perspective because only 224 players were drafted. So he's about uh as late as it gets. And you know, the Canes have seem to be having great success with some of these later round drafts. We just heard this week that Joel Nistro, uh seventh rounder, was uh was signed on by the Canes uh for four years. So this is quite a story. In any case, what can you tell us about Ekberg's play in October, in uh November? Sorry.

SPEAKER_01: 2:36

Yeah, uh whenever he's able to play, and it seems like the injuries and the illnesses are kind of behind him now. He's one of Ottawa's more important players, and it's a very loaded Ottawa team, to be fair. They have a lot of uh draft talent this year, and they've kind of gotten a good uh crux of talent already, including Justin Williams' kid, Jackson, which is kind of funny to see from time to time. Um, but he's one of their more important players because he's so creative when he has the puck. Um I like to see him shooting a lot more this year comparatively. Um it's kind of funny whenever you look at him visually, he kind of looks like Tavo Terravinan, and you can kind of see it in some of the playmaking aspects with the things that he's able to do. But um, yeah, he had a good month. Uh just the OHL is the OHL, so um, it's kind of hard to gauge exactly where in his development you'd like to see some stuff improve and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_00: 3:31

Well, he's got uh for the season in 22 games, he's got seven goals, 12 assists for 19 points. So he's almost a point a game. But you know, you remember we talked a little bit about this, but in the under 18 World Championships in 24, he was incredible. Uh he was actually the uh the MVP of of the tournament. He just uh he just tore it up with uh 10 goals and 18 points in seven games. So he's proven that he's got elite offensive talent, so we'll keep an eye on him. That's great to see him on the top five this month. That's awesome. Number four is somebody you have talked about before uh quite a bit, and that's Igor Valmakin. Valmacken uh playing in the VHL with uh Dynamo St. Petersburg. Um and he's off to a pretty good start overall in the season. He's 5'4-1, uh 9-2-2 save percentage, and Valmackin, another big goalie uh checks in at 6-4. What can you tell us about Igor for November?

SPEAKER_01: 4:27

Yeah, um it's nice to finally see him get a lot more opportunity. Um, I think he only needs like one or two more games, and he'll match his start total from, or at least his appearance of the last year, whenever he was in the KHL. And it's only December, so he has a lot more time and he's looked good. Uh uh again, I think it's the consistency for the most part that I'm really impressed with so far. And now that he's getting consistent game time, he's posting a lot more just good performances uh over time. And it's definitely nice after the past year, year and a half that he's had for him to get a lot more playing time and success. And there's a lot to like. I wonder what's gonna I do wonder what's gonna happen with him because he is on an expiring contract. So I don't know how that's gonna play out at the end of this year, but I'm a little intrigued about it.

SPEAKER_00: 5:13

Yeah, no, he was drafted in 22, so uh again, uh yeah, he's he's kind of moving along, and there's other goalies, as we know, with uh Samian Frolov and uh Ruzman Kazin that are out there, so he's got his uh he's got his hands full trying to uh get into the mix. But great to hear that Igor is doing well, and you you had uh covered him pretty closely, I think, at the dev camp.

SPEAKER_01: 5:37

Well, yeah. I don't think it was on purpose, um, but whenever I was I mean it was the first dev camp I kind of had some some cool access with, and uh I just wanted to make it a point to say hi because he was uh he had been in Russia and he was it was the first prospect that they had kind of brought over from Russia, him and Hejayev, but Hajayev was a little different because he had signed at that point. So it was definitely cool to talk with him, and he's a super nice guy, and um just made it a point to say hi to him. And yeah, I'm just I'm rooting for him, obviously, but I'm rooting for all things.

SPEAKER_00: 6:12

Yeah, that's great. Well, that's good fun that uh you've got that personal space as well with him. Uh checking in at number three, no surprise, uh, as he's now called in Chicago, the show, not surprising, is uh is of course Bradley Nadeau. Nadeau off to a great start with the Wolves. Uh, you know, he's up with the Canes for uh for some games, showed some good stuff, of course, filling in for some injured players. Gets back in Chicago and is now finding his uh his mojo for sure. And uh in 15 games overall, he's got eight goals, nine assists. So he's uh he's tearing up the American league again. What's uh what's what did you see in in November from Bradley?

SPEAKER_01: 6:54

Um it it's more the the completeness of his game that he's rounding out. Consistency was uh not an issue, but it was definitely something that I wanted to see improve over the next year or so into now. And then five-on-five play was a big one because a lot of his goals and a good amount of his points came on the power play. So I wanted to just see him get stronger five on five and get stronger just overall as well, just because you know he is an undersized player, he just can't he he needs to not be able to get bullied off the puck all the time. And it's definitely something that he's gotten a lot better at this year. He's handling physicality well, he's able to finish checks on four checks, which is something that he kind of shot away from last year. And the five-on-five play has gotten a lot better. The I really like the line with him, Suzuki, and Felix. Um Romano over Felix is fine perfectly where it is. I think it's another really good line, but um I I really like Nadeau and think that he's probably him and Felix are probably gonna be the two most important players for offensive players for the Wolves going into the the deeper uh year that they have.

SPEAKER_00: 7:59

Now, an interesting thing uh with the Wolves, kind of interesting this week that uh Cam Abbott was uh relieved of his duties there. Uh, any thoughts on that while we're talking about the Wolves?

SPEAKER_01: 8:10

Um, I know I hmm. So I think it's weird to do it in season. I think Patrick Williams had mentioned that it is just so rare to see coaches get fired in season, especially in the AHL, unless you're like Bridgeport last year, who were just god-awful.

SPEAKER_00: 8:29

Yes.

SPEAKER_01: 8:29

And I think that was the it might have been them or Utica last year, whoever fired their coach midseason. But it's rare to see, and especially for a team that I believe is third in the division right now, who's looking good. And I really liked a lot of what he was doing development-wise with um like a lot of the canes guys, but at that same point, uh, you know, last year, even though you did get into the playoffs, if you're the Wolves, you have a higher expectation. And what I will give Spiro's Anastas full credit. Uh, first up, he's a really nice guy. I got to meet and talk with him at Dev Camp, super nice dude, and I really like his approach to a lot of things. And he's done really good work with the penalty kill, turning it into one of the better units in the AHL. And he has done really good work with the defense. Um, I like a lot of what he did last year, and so far this year he was doing spectacular work with Bryce Montgomery, and he's just doing a lot of good development work. So it'll definitely be interesting to see how the team looks now. And uh I guess we'll we'll find out tonight, Saturday. So um I'm interested to see that, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 9:36

Well, and and one of the things that we've seen this year with the Wolves, of course, is that uh we've seen a number of Wolves players coming up to the Canes, and the fact that they are schooled in the same system and seem to be well prepared. They're coming in and making uh making a strong contribution. I mean, uh certainly uh, you know, when the Dome was up and Roby Dah and uh of course uh Nystrom was up and so on. So you've got a lot of guys that have come up and uh and I think you know again a bit of a surprise, but I did uh see in some of the notes that uh they had been somewhat concerned about uh Abbott's work for a period of time. This was not something that just happened, they just decided, hey, you know, we're gonna do it uh today uh because we feel that way. Um in any case, uh lots going on with the wolves, and and we'll be talking more about the wolves, I'm sure. Now, college hockey is always a big one that we get into and uh in the U.S. college ranks. Uh somebody we've talked about a lot, uh Jaden Perron, he's with Michigan this year, which is uh I think a good move for him. Uh don't forget, he was drafted in 23 in the third round, 94th overall. And we have talked a little bit about this, that the uh you know the forecasters, draft forecasters had him very, very high. Uh Elite Prospects had him at 10, uh smot scouting at 13, um, recruit scouting at 31. There's a lot of folks who really thought that he was going to be drafted pretty close to the first round, if not in the first round. And he ended up uh the Canes got him at 94. So, 20 games this year, six goals, 12 assists, uh again, a smaller player. What did we see with Jaden in November?

SPEAKER_01: 11:15

Yeah, uh he just looks like a different player now with Michigan. It's like he refound the confidence that he didn't necessarily have with North Dakota. He's able to do a lot more of the things that he wants to do, and he's also getting a lot more opportunity now. Um he's averaging probably, you know, I haven't looked since uh I was writing that just because um in college hockey we're about to enter the dry spell because of the world juniors and the Spangler Cups. So um but he was averaging close to maybe like 17-18 minutes a night. He was a top uh top line forward, and what's interesting to me is that he's been quarterbacking a power play unit, which is something I didn't think we would see from him, but I'm very I'm happy to see it from the Michigan head coach whose name is escaping me at this moment in time because I think Perron has the necessary playmaking ability to effectively quarterback a power play, and I've seen a good amount of what it has looked like so far, and it's looked good. So I'm interested to see if he'll continue to do that. And um yeah, uh Perron just looks like a much different player than the guy who was at North Dakota for the past few years, and he's another guy that I think if Michigan has a nice run, it might be a little interesting to see what happens with him at the end of the year.

SPEAKER_00: 12:31

Well, this is great to see because of course we had expected that uh Jaden would kind of take the uh the gauntlet from uh uh Bradley Nadaux last year in North Dakota and would really step his game up. We were fully expecting that, and he didn't do that. And it's nice to see that uh in Michigan he's starting to find his game because he's definitely a talented player. So good stuff for Perron. And speaking about uh folks who've uh kind of really got their game in gear after a bit of a tough season last year, that's our number one guy, Felix Ungressorum. And you know, we talked a lot about Ungrisorum with the challenges he had last year. Of course, they tried to play him at center ice, they wanted to see if they could move him into that center spot. It didn't quite click for him. Uh wasn't a great year for Felix. Um, again, uh a guy that everybody was so high on. He had had a great camp the year before, almost made the canes. There was so much excitement with it, and all of a sudden he's kind of way down the depth chart. But looks like he's coming back up and is having an outstanding season. And I know he had a great November. What can you tell us about Felix?

SPEAKER_01: 13:38

Biggest thing is his confidence. Um, it looked like it kind of got shot last year whenever he was moved to center, and it's a position that he hadn't played since junior. And I know that players are always going to be open to opportunities and stuff like that, but maybe that was one where you needed to say, well, maybe not. Um so this year he starts as a pure uh right winger, and it's just been unbelievable the stuff that he's done. I mean, he's looking like the player that you got to watch in Sweden where he's making just insane plays, he's manipulating time with his skating in tight situations. Um he's making just great things happen when he has the puck on a stick, and he's gotten a lot better with the puck not on a stick. So it's a lot to do with confidence, and I also think he's gotten a there's like a half step quicker, and his physicality has gotten a lot better where he's been able to handle a lot more checks and stuff like that. And the the the brain is or the feet is finally are finally catching up to the brain, which is the big thing. So I felt like last year he would think the right play and try and make the play, but his feet were like almost in quicksand where it was like half a second late. This year he's not half a second late and he's been making the right play, and it's just now you're seeing the player that was taken uh in the second round a couple years ago.

SPEAKER_00: 15:02

Well, you know, Felix to me has always had um tremendous hockey IQ. Like he sees the ice extremely well. He's a guy that can make passes that you know a lot of folks can't even dream of, and he and he loves to hold on to the puck and make something happen. And I think the other there's a couple of things I've noticed quite different this year. Certainly his skating definitely improved, but he's got seems to have a harder shot. He's scoring more goals, so he's shooting more, he's scoring more goals, he's got a number of power play goals. And the other thing is he looks stronger to me. Uh, like he looks stronger on the boards. Uh, you know, again, when he first came in, he was uh he's quite thin, not a heavy heavy player at all. Uh so I think he's definitely stronger. And you know, he's had the talent all along, as you say, Nick. I think we all felt, man, this guy's really got unique talent if he can just put it all together. And it seems like he's he's really doing that this year. And and it's exciting because you know the Canes uh, you know, they need some folks ready to come in and and and play some uh some games for them. And he's getting really, really close. And so you've got a guy like uh Unger Sorm, you've got Nadeau, and you've got Justin Robodaugh, who we'll talk about, um, all doing good work in Chicago. And you know, the wolves are uh boy, they're uh a breeding ground for some top games prospects these days. So it's great stuff. So great stuff with uh number one overall, Felix Ungersorm, and we're extant ecstatic that uh that he takes the uh the top run this month. So good stuff, Nick. Um honorable mentions, uh, we've got some interesting folks there as well. Uh Kirbin Limitov. Now, Kirbin Limitov drafted this year, third round, number 67. He's a big defenseman, and we talked a lot about these huge defensemen that uh the Canes drafted this year. 6'4, just under 200 pounds, uh playing with uh MHK Dynamo Moscow in the MHL. Um, what are we seeing with Kirbin so far?

SPEAKER_01: 17:01

It's uh return to form. Uh basically, uh he had just gotten over an injury where he was at, I think he was, yeah. He was somebody saw him at dev camp, but he was hurt, so he didn't skate. And uh he had just gotten back a few months, like a month ago, I think. About that. I my memory's been off the past couple days, so I could be wrong. But he had just recovered from an injury, and um they were slowly easing him back in. But with Timur Cole being out, uh they've kind of thrust him into the the role that Cole had, and he's looked exactly what Kervin Limitov has. He's a very, very strong skater. His physicality is really solid for where he's at and his uh age and his weight and everything. He still has a little bit more room to fill out his frame because you know he is 6'4, I would say closer to 6'5 at this point, because when you watch him, he towers over his teammates. And he just looks good. Um I'm liking a lot of the offensive traits that he's showing, uh, doing a lot more power play work, which is nice. Um, and just the instincts are really, really solid. Uh just interested to see how they kind of how Dino Muscow works with that whenever uh Timor Cole comes back, because I think those two are gonna be pretty fun together. And uh also to both Cole and Limitov, they both make uh MHL All-Star games, so that's also kind of cool for them. Wow.

SPEAKER_00: 18:21

Well that's uh you know, that just goes to show that kind of depth the canes are starting to grow on their blue line. And again, these are these are huge defensemen. Cole's another big one, so these are these are big, big players. Um, you know, Limitov, uh, again, he's a guy that uh he's got eight points in 18 games. Uh Darren York, I know, really liked Kirbin Limitov. He was a guy that he really wanted to grab, and and so he's not around. And he's just 18.

SPEAKER_01: 18:50

Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_00: 18:52

So uh yeah, there's there's lots of time for for Limitov. So that's exciting. That's great stuff. Um okay, the uh the next guy on the honorable mentions, we've talked about a ton. Uh, and we really wondered how it would go this year for Justin Poirier, of course, coming out of Dracard last year. He had a massive year in 58 games, he had 43 goals and 37 assists. So he tore up junior hockey, basically. And the question was, could uh could a again a player of his stature at 5'8 and 185, how is he gonna do getting him with uh you know older players in the college ranks? Um, and all he's done so far is he had a half-trick one game and he was hockey east rookie of the month in October. So I think uh I think so far Justin's done well. So how did he do in November?

SPEAKER_01: 19:39

He's he had some some slower games for sure. Uh he had a series against New Hampshire this past weekend um where he was held pointless, but New Hampshire also just surprised me in their fact that they won both games, or I think I think they won both games. Um but he, yeah, uh the the thing for me was always going to be how is his playstyle going to translate from junior to college where guys are gonna be you know more physically mature, and it honestly doesn't look like he's missed a step. Um his goal against I want to say UMass Lowell, but I could be really wrong, whoever they played uh midweek, where he just went coast to coast and went around defenders, got straight to the front of the net and scored. That's the stuff that made Poirier so intriguing, is just because, yeah, he's a smaller statured guy, yeah, his skating stance might be a little funky, but at the same point, he just has the natural ability to score, which is something that a lot of players just don't have. So to see that playstyle translate to college ranks so early on in his career is super nice to see. So I I'm pretty impressed with what Poirier has done so far.

SPEAKER_00: 20:48

And he's still a teenager as well, right?

SPEAKER_01: 20:51

He just turned 19 in September, I think. This is stupid.

SPEAKER_00: 20:56

Yeah, he's something else, and then 17 games, he's got 13 goals, seven SS for 20 points. So he's definitely getting it done. Um The interesting thing about Poirier, and this seems to be a constant theme these days. We were talking about it earlier. He was drafted in the fifth round, number 125. Yeah. The Keynes are finding these nuggets late in the draft.

SPEAKER_01: 21:16

To be fair, uh, I would uh I would say the reason why the Keynes are kind of finding these guys is because they're just undersized forwards, and NHL teams are still, I wouldn't say still, because there is a genuine thing about undersized forwards, you just don't see a lot of them in the modern day NHL, but they're nervous about taking them because they don't want to just outright waste the pick. But sometimes you get not, I don't want to say lucky, but sometimes your scouts go, all right, we're gonna take the risk because we have the opportunity to.

SPEAKER_00: 21:44

Yeah, and and you're absolutely right, Nick. Of course, uh, because some of these folks are smaller players, um, we're able to scoop them up later in the draft. But again, I think uh the Canes are doing something which we've seen repeatedly in the draft, which is just getting as many draft picks as they can, making moves to do that, and uh throwing darts on the wall. And some of them are uh, you know, Philip Eckford, we talked about coming in at 2-2-1. I mean, that's insane. Um, okay. Next guy, another smaller player. Seems like we're on a bit of a run here. Uh, and again, somebody we've talked about a lot, mentioned them earlier, of course, Justin Robodaugh with the Wolves. Robodah again was drafted in the fifth round, number 147 in 2021. So similar kind of number, uh, fifth rounder again, uh, off to a great start. He's got seven goals, nine assists, 16 points, and just 19 games. And Robodaugh I thought looked great when he was up with the hurricanes. What do we see with Justin? I know that.

SPEAKER_01: 22:42

Yeah, um, I think at this point, Robodau is just an NHL player. Um, you know, he's probably going to be an AHL guy for the rest of the year just because the Hurricanes have so many NHL bodies that could probably play on your fourth line. But yeah, he's he's shown he's an NHL player at this point. I think he can handle the full workload of that. I think he could get penalty kill time if they needed him to. He's basically just NHL ready at this point, and it's kind of awesome for an undersized guy from uh Texas, of all places, to just continue to just show that he has the stuff that makes him NHL material at this point, going from you know the Quebec League to the ECHL and to the AHL, and he's showing that he's ready for the NHL. So I at this point I'm glad to see him in the AHL because I don't think Chicago's gonna complain about having a do-it-all forward in your lineup. But at that same point, he's probably just NHL ready at this point in time.

SPEAKER_00: 23:39

So well, you know, I kind of agree. I thought uh I said this numerous times that I felt like Justin was NHL ready, and and he's a guy that uh you know he's good in the face-off top. Uh he's a solid penalty killer, as you mentioned. He's been working on the power play, of course, with Chicago. He does it all. And the thing I notice about Justin, whenever he's on the ice, that motor's going. He's a guy that's just constantly in action and he can really move. And the other thing I like about Justin, of course, he's got a lower center of gravity. He's solid. He's a solidly built player. So even though he's smaller in stature, you don't just push him around. And again, I think uh he's he, you know, last year in his uh his end of season uh opportunity with the canes, he scored a goal and looked pretty good. This year I think he looks even better. So yeah, excited about Justin Robodaugh. And man, I wouldn't be unhappy if he got a chance to come in and and uh have a shot, full-time shot with the canes as well. So good stuff with Robodaugh. Uh wrapping up the honorable mentions, uh Yaakub Vondras. Of course, uh he's playing in Chachia. Bondras, again, another big goalie at 6'4, uh drafted in the sixth round in 2022 at 171. He's a guy that uh again played in Canada for a while uh with Sudbury a couple of years ago, didn't have a great season, uh, but wanted to come over to North America and see if he could uh get his game kind of uh where it needed to be. Um what's been happening with uh with Jakob Bondras?

SPEAKER_01: 25:09

Yeah, um, first up, super nice kid. Uh I got to meet him, oh god, I don't even know how long this was ago. Uh at Dev Camp, him and uh Patrick Hammerla. They just had a whole fun time trying to get to North America, and it was kind of funny. On I want to say one of the last days, they were sitting behind us, and I'm speaking with Hammerla about his whole experience, and Vondres is just behind us signing cards that people have brought him of him for like Sudbury, and he leans over, like, does this happen that often? I'm like, Yeah, no, it happens a good amount. These these fans are kids kind of like that. So that was a really fun thing. Um, yeah, he uh he's kind of just been playing for uh Dynamo Partibees B, if I pronounce that correctly, which is the Czech second division, and he's had some up and down moments, but I think November was probably his best stretch of games, and it's uh always nice to talk about him. And um, he's another big guy. I think his contract rights expire at the end at I want to say June 1st of 2026. So he's a guy that I'm also a little interested in just because he is a bigger goalie, and I don't really know what's gonna happen with the Hurricanes goalie system going forward after this year, so interested to see that, I guess.

SPEAKER_00: 26:25

That's an interesting comment.

SPEAKER_01: 26:27

Hey, there's a lot of goalies in the the pipeline, you know. Some of them are doing good, some of them are some of them are still playing.

SPEAKER_00: 26:36

So yeah, and and you know, it's it's I remember talking about uh Vondres a couple of years ago. Uh boy when he first uh kind of came on the scene, uh he looked like he was gonna be a serious goaltending prospect and then kind of got lost. Um so it's good to see him back uh in the radar. Uh again, a guy that uh comes as a big goaltender, uh he's got some great uh great skill, great talent, but uh he's gonna have his hands full. As you say, this goaltending crew is huge in terms of the number of big goaltenders that the canes are uh are bringing into the fold. And boy, I'll tell you, some of them look incredible. I'm really excited, of course, of Frolov of Kaziv. Uh and then you got a bunch of guys still back uh in Russia and other parts of the world. So it's great stuff. Any other uh any other folks you'd just like to uh highlight for November that kind of jump out at Jim?

SPEAKER_01: 27:31

Uh I I wouldn't say for November, but um it has been really nice to see Roman Bowsov playing hockey again. He's another guy that's been sidelined for a long time. Uh got to see him at dev camp, looked really solid. Um, but he had been sidelined by an injury for a while, and he just played his first game a week ago, I think, and just played his most recent two and got a goal today. So that was kind of kind of cool to see. And he's another one of those just gigantic freaking nature 18-year-olds that are six foot five who can skate like the winds. So it's kind of cool.

SPEAKER_00: 28:06

Well, I remember at Dev Camp you were very high on uh on Roman Balsab, and and I remember you talked a lot about him, and he was one of those another towering defensive that uh the canes are bringing into the organization. So it's uh it's good, exciting stuff. So as we move into December, um who are you gonna be keeping an eye on this month?

SPEAKER_01: 28:26

Well, this will be the first time in a while that I don't have to watch the world juniors at all. The Canes have sent nobody. Uh Sweden didn't pick anybody, Canada didn't pick anybody. Um I think it'll be kind of nice for one, just because it's something I don't have to worry about, but um gonna have to watch the Spengler Cup, uh a big tournament. I think it's right after Christmas, kind of during that same time for uh as the World Juniors, but uh Charlie Serrata will be playing for the U.S. College Select team, so that'll be kind of nice to see him because Penn State hasn't played a hockey game in I want to say like two weeks, three weeks at this point, so it's been kind of weird to see that, but it'll be nice to watch that. Um I'm interested to see Nikita Artomonoff with his new team, Fyodor Agramov with his new team, eventually Alexander Saryatsky will be back, and Semyon Froloff will be back, and Timar Cole will be there's just a laundry list of injured names I'm kind of waiting to see back. So um I definitely think Arts and Monov for one, and then um like the the Balsoff and then the Spengler Cup would be some I'm looking at.

SPEAKER_00: 29:38

Yeah, the Artamonov uh situation, boy, after such uh a great run uh that he had previously and then just seemed to kind of move a little bit into the uh you know the the uh I guess less exciting prospect area. What do you still feel you know great about uh Artemonov?

SPEAKER_01: 29:58

I still feel fine about him, yeah. Uh the whole torpedo situation going into this year was just a mess from all sides. It just felt weird going into the year that your 19-year-old that led your team in points was going to be in the min not minors, but going to be in a league below. Yeah. So that just felt weird from the start. Um and then just kind of bouncing around leagues and now is finally uh I get technically back home because it's where he was born, or his youth team, and um he's looked better in the couple games that he's had for the KHL team. So I'm interested to see if he can kind of keep that form because Nephthakimmic, if I can pronounce that correctly, plays a very up-tempo offensive style of hockey where the forwards are allowed to kind of be more creative. So I'm interested to see how that kind of plays into what his game is.

SPEAKER_00: 30:54

Cool. You know, you mentioned Charlie Serratto this uh this week uh on a podcast with uh Aaron Manning and Katie Bartlett. We're talking about the center situation of the Kanes, and you know, we all feel like uh, you know, maybe they have to shore up the center spot. And one of the big questions was, you know, do we feel like this is a short-term move because Charlie Serratto could be the answer uh in two or three years? What's your thinking about that?

SPEAKER_01: 31:21

I think he can be. Um, I've loved a lot of what I've seen from him this year. Uh obviously it's been a little slower over the past couple weeks, but he's still one of the more dynamic. I wouldn't maybe not dynamic, but he's one of the more consistent and reliable players in college hockey because of everything he does. He's one of the better face-off takers in the country. He kills penalties, he's a really good power play guy, he's good net front, and he drives his line, which is probably the most important thing you want to see from a guy who wants to stick at center at the NHL level, is his ability to drive play and do what he's supposed to do as a center. And Serato does that effectively. It kind of depends on what Penn State does this year, but at this point, if he continues to produce like he had uh before the break, it's kind of hard to see have like him having anything else to prove at the college level. So I I would think that if Penn State has a good year, they'd I wouldn't be shocked to see Serato signed at the end of the year, but then I would probably want to see him at the AHL level for a while. Maybe not a while, but I would want to see him at the AHL level to get him more used to pro hockey before doing that. But I definitely think Serrado has that potential to be a second line center. I don't know if it's like a high-end second-line center, but just a lot of the stuff that he does makes me feel like he could be.

SPEAKER_00: 32:44

Cool. Well, then that fits quite nicely with you know some of the ideas that we were playing with. That maybe there's a a player that you sign, an older player, uh, that you trade for and and pick up or whatever, uh, that can uh can fill the spot for a couple of years uh while you know Charlie continues to grow his game. Hey Nick, uh, where can folks find you?

SPEAKER_01: 33:07

Uh Keynes Prospects on Twitter, YouTube, uh, and then we're Hurricane's Prospects on Instagram, where I try and post as much as I can, but I forget from time to time. So those are the big ones. And then obviously the the podcast uh was really cool to finally get our first guest on. And we had a couple ideas for more, but one of them just got promoted to the interim coach of the wolves. That one might be a little bit tougher now. Trying to get some message, yes. We're gonna we're gonna try and get him eventually, and we have a couple other ideas, but it's nice to branch out a little bit to that. And then uh obviously the the written work, canes prospects.com, even though it might be a little slower now with with me being back home for for a break.

SPEAKER_00: 33:51

So yes, and of course, uh your substack, and we uh we also offer a lot of your substack content at Storm Tracker uh website as well. So it's great stuff, Nick. As always, just great to talk uh Canes Prospects with you, and and I want to wish you the best uh through the holiday season, and uh you have a Merry Christmas and a great time with family and friends.

SPEAKER_01: 34:13

Thank you, too.

SPEAKER_00: 34:15

Uh to all of you who are spending time with us, we want to wish you the best of the holiday season and certainly hope that this is a special time for you with family and friends, and want to wish you a Merry Christmas and uh and a happy new year. And we want to thank you for spending time with us today to talk uh Carolina Hurricanes Prospects uh with Nick Bax. Uh if you like this episode, please press the like button. If you have any comments or questions, please put those in the comment section down below. And if you want to be alerted of future episodes of Storm Tracker, please press the subscribe and the bell buttons, and we'll make sure you're made aware just as soon as they're available. As always, Nick and I are delighted you spent time with us and look forward to getting together with you real soon, right here on StormTracker.