Hurricanes hope to find scorer in first round of NHL draft
The Carolina Hurricanes made defenseman Noah Hanifin their first-round draft pick last year, had him in the lineup on opening night and kept him there last season.
Odds are the Canes may not be able to get that kind of instant impact player when the 2016 NHL Entry Draft begins Friday in Buffalo, N.Y. But Carolina will have two cracks at it in the first round, with the 13th and 21st picks.
“Is there the potential to get that (impact) player? Yes,” Canes general manager Ron Francis said. “But until we get into the draft it’s hard to give that answer.”
While mum on draft targets, the Canes have needs to address. As coach Bill Peters said this month, “We need to score.”
In 2010, the Canes took forward Jeff Skinner with the No. 7 pick. Skinner, at 18, scored 31 goals and won the 2011 Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year.
Three years later, Carolina took Swedish forward Elias Lindholm with the fifth overall pick of the 2013 draft. Like Skinner, Lindholm played immediately for the Canes. Unlike Skinner, he did not have an immediate impact and has more slowly developed.
“We’re always looking for players who can contribute offensively, players who can score,” said Tony MacDonald, the Canes’ director of amateur scouting. “They’re really hard to find today, and everybody understands that, and is looking for those players.”
What can the Canes expect to get at No. 13, then 21? It won’t be a forward like Auston Matthews or Patrik Laine, considered the consensus 1-2 picks this year.
But a forward such as Kieffer Bellows might be available. The 6-foot-1, 197-pound winger from Edina, Minn., scored 50 goals in 62 games – including nine game-winners – for the U.S. National Team Development Program’s Under-18 team last season.
“He’s a ‘shoot first, ask questions later’ kind of player,” MacDonald said. “He’s a finisher, first and foremost. Some might label him a one-trick pony. If so, it’s a great trick. Scoring 50 goals in a season is pretty significant. He’s an elite shooter.”
MacDonald said there are similarities to Skinner, a 50-goal scorer in his final year of junior hockey. Bellows also has good bloodlines: His father, Brian Bellows, was a former Minnesota North Stars standout.
Then again, the Canes might get a shot at Clayton Keller, who centered a line with Bellows on the USNTDP Under-18 team and finished with 37 goals and 70 assists. He’s smaller than Bellows at 5-10 and 164 pounds, but MacDonald calls him “one of the most skilled and dynamic players in the draft.”
MacDonald said Keller has been compared to Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane, which is unfair, and added, “While a little undersized, his size is not an issue. He has a history of producing points at every level.”
Both Bellows and Keller are committed to Boston University.
Predicting drafts is tricky. Hanifin was the fifth overall pick in 2015 and was NHL-ready at age 18. Defenseman Haydn Fleury, taken seventh by Carolina in the 2014 draft, has spent the past two seasons in junior hockey.
The Canes have two first-round picks this year after acquiring the Los Angeles Kings’ 2016 first-rounder (No. 21) in the February 2015 trade that sent Carolina defenseman Andrej Sekera to the Kings.
Chip Alexander: 919-829-8945, @ice_chip
Other first-round possibilities at forward, at No. 13 or 21, with analysis from the Tony MacDonald, Canes’ director of amateur scouting:
Tyson Jost, 5-11, 190, center, Penticton (BCHL)
He had 104 points in 48 games for Penticton and was named the most valuable forward in the 2016 IIHF World Under-18 Championship.
MacDonald: “A very efficient player, he’s been a captain at every level and makes those around him better. His leadership qualities are second to none.”
Michael McLeod, 6-2, 187, center, Mississauga (OHL)
Played on line with Alexander Nylander with Mississauga in the Ontario Hockey League and also helped Canada win gold in the Ivan Hlinka tournament.
MacDonald: “He’s got skill and speed. What sets him apart is he can do a lot of things at speed. He creates havoc but plays smart.”
Max Jones, 6-2, 206, winger, London (OHL)
If the Canes are looking for a blend of size and skill, Jones could be the guy. The power forward was suspended 12 games for a blindside hit in the OHL playoffs.
MacDonald: “A big man who’s hard to play against. He plays with an edge and he can skate. The suspension took away from his numbers but he’s a good, physical guy.”
Julien Gauthier, 6-3, 231, winger, Val-d’Or, QMJHL
The son of a former Canadian bodybuilder, the power forward had 41 goals last season in the QMJHL but only 16 assists, which caused some concern among scouts.
MacDonald: “He’s a physical specimen, for sure. For big man, he can skate and he has speed. Like Bellows, he’s a goal-scorer first and foremost.”
Logan Brown, 6-6, 220, center, Windsor (OHL)
The Canes may not get a shot at Brown, who was born in Raleigh in March 1998 when his father, Jeff, played for Carolina. Has the size, but strength has been questioned.
MacDonald: “Had an outstanding season at Windsor and his game matured. One knock on him had been his consistency, but he showed he can be effective over 60 games.”
Luke Kunin, 6-0, 193, center, Wisconsin, NCAA
Finished with 32 points in 34 games in a down year for the Badgers. Expected to return to Wisconsin next season to play for new coach Tony Granato.
MacDonald: “He makes himself available for the puck and he’s a finisher. He was a bright light for Wisconsin in a very tough year.”
Guide: BCHL (British Columbia Hockey League), OHL (Ontario Hockey League), QMJHL (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League)
This story was originally published June 22, 2016 at 5:44 PM with the headline "Hurricanes hope to find scorer in first round of NHL draft."