Canes fans get glimpse of future at Summerfest
Martin Necas was busily packing up Saturday at PNC Arena, storing away his gear, ready for a trip back to the Czech Republic.
It has been quite a stretch of days for Necas – the forward being drafted in the first round by the Carolina Hurricanes in Chicago, then heading to Raleigh this past week for the Canes’ prospects development camp.
“It was a very good week, a very good experience,” Necas said.
The camp ended Saturday with the prospects game during the Summerfest Celebration at PNC Arena, with the two teams going four-against-four and then three-on-three, ending with a shootout. As Canes assistant coach Rod Brind’Amour said, it was enough to get “glimpses of what you might be able to see in the future.”
Added Canes coach Bill Peters, “You can see the size and skill of our group.”
Forward Julien Gauthier has the size and defenseman Jake Bean the skill and speed. Those two were Carolina’s first-round draft choices a year ago – Bean No. 13 overall and Gauthier No. 21. Brind’Amour said the 6-4, 225-pound Gauthier was a “man-child” on the ice and that Bean “controlled the game” while Peters noted Bean “made plays all week.”
Forward Janne Kuokkanen, a second-round draft pick in 2016, earned praise for a slick shootout move and score – “He’s got unreal hands and ice in his veins,” Brind’Amour said of the Finn – and players such as defenseman Luke Martin and forwards Morgan Geekie and Stelio Mattheos were mentioned by Peters, along with others.
“We’ve got a bunch of kids who are talented, got a group of real good character kids,” Canes general manager Ron Francis said. “The future looks brighter for our organization. There are a lot of exciting pieces in the pipeline.”
Necas, taken 12th overall at the draft, has the speed, hands, mobility and the smarts to be a good NHL player in time, the Canes believe. He needs to add muscle to his lanky 6-1, 178-pound frame, but the 18-year-old competed against older professional players last season for HC Kometa Brno in the Czech Extraliga, and it shows.
“Necas has big-time skill, you can see it every time he’s on the ice,” Peters said. “Dangerous player.”
Necas said Saturday his plans for next season remain uncertain. During the week, he was chosen 10th by the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League in the CHL Import Draft, and some Spirit executives flew into Raleigh to meet with Necas.
In the past two years, the Canes’ first-round picks – Noah Hanifin in 2015, Gauthier and Bean last year – signed their entry-level contracts with the Canes at Summerfest. Necas did not, although the Canes’ biggest announcement Saturday was the signing of a star from the past, free-agent forward Justin Williams, that had the crowd buzzing at PNC Arena.
Necas, off the ice for two weeks before the camp because of travel and the NHL Draft, said the on-ice sessions were a bit taxing. But the camp also included educational seminars that Necas and the other prospects found informational and beneficial.
“We learned about character and team leadership, about social media, about nutrition, a lot about the Hurricanes,” Necas said. “I like Carolina. I like Raleigh. It’s a great city. Today, the fans were great. Everything was good.”
This story was originally published July 1, 2017 at 7:57 PM with the headline "Canes fans get glimpse of future at Summerfest."