RALEIGH - The Carolina Hurricanes had a player in mind for their second-round pick when they went to bed Friday night. That player was still available when the 45th overall slot came around Saturday morning, but so was a player they considered in the first round.

They couldn't believe their good fortune when Ohio State-bound forward Zac Dalpe was still waiting in the stands at Ottawa's Scotiabank Center on Saturday, even if it meant passing on a chance to pick Jared Staal.

"Where we were, we didn't think we had a shot at [Dalpe] at all," Carolina amateur scouting director Tony MacDonald said. "We're delighted he got through to us."

Staal, the younger brother of Carolina center Eric, went four picks later to the Phoenix Coyotes, the first of the four Staal brothers to fall out of the first round. The Canes did end up going for a famous name in the fourth round, with the 105th overall pick: Michal Jordan.

Jordan plays for the Plymouth Whalers, the Ontario Hockey League team owned by Canes owner Peter Karmanos -- Carolina's 14th pick off a Karmanos junior team since 1994, accounting for more than 12 percent of their draft picks over that span.

The Canes drafted a goalie for the first time in four drafts when they used their sixth-round pick, 165th overall, on goalie Mike Murphy from Belleville (OHL). They took Quebec Major Junior league winger Samuel Morneau in the seventh round (195th overall) as the second day of the draft passed without any Carolina moves at the NHL level.

They went into the weekend looking to swap a forward for a defenseman as the rumor mill -- the Canes were one of several teams linked to Vancouver Canucks blue-liner Kevin Bieksa -- kept spinning, to no avail.

"There were lots of things talked about but I don't want to suggest we're close to something," Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford said. "I talked to several teams, but there are other teams talking about getting defensemen. It's a hard market right now."

The Canes held onto the 14th pick Friday night and took center Zach Boychuk and could have made a deal to trade up as Dalpe slipped through the end of the first round and into the second, but they waited and got their man.

Dalpe grew up in Ontario but was passed over by the OHL and headed west to prepare for NCAA hockey in British Columbia. He's committed to the Buckeyes for next season, although the Whalers own his junior rights.

After adding four inches and nearly 50 pounds over the past year, Dalpe wasn't sure if he'd added any height since Central Scouting measured him at 6-0 1/2, although he admitted it was a possibility.

"I'm not sure about that," Dalpe said. "Right now, I don't think I'm done growing. I've been growing like a bad habit the last couple years."

Many mock drafts had him going in the first round after his growth spurt brought his size in line with his hustle, work ethic and scoring touch. Dalpe had 27 goals and 36 assists in 46 games with Penticton (BCHL).

The NHL's Central Scouting service ranked Dalpe the 16th-best North American skater, while he was ranked between 27th and 32nd overall in other scouting reports.

"This kid is a solid two-way hockey player at both ends of the ice," MacDonald said. "He's a complete player away from the puck. He's a goal-scorer with a great shot."

Jordan, a 6-foot-2 defenseman, was unranked by Central Scouting but was The Hockey News' 89th-ranked prospect and Red Line Report had him as the 110th overall prospect.

He had 28 points in 61 games with Plymouth and the Windsor Spitfires after changing OHL teams in a November trade. A strong performance at the World Junior Championships, as the youngest player on the Czech team, turned his season around.

"He had a strong second half of the season in Plymouth," MacDonald said. "He's a pretty good two-way defenseman with good puck skills. ... We like the direction his game is going as he gets bigger and stronger."

Murphy was the OHL's goalie of the year this season, but was passed over in last year's draft after playing sparingly in 2006-07 and wasn't among the 30 goalies ranked by Central Scouting this year after posting stellar numbers -- perhaps because of his unusual acrobatic style.

"He's not a big guy, 5-10 1/2 and 165 pounds, but he's a very competitive goalie," MacDonald said. "The best way I can describe his style is he's a Dominik Hasek-style goalie -- very unorthodox but he stops the puck."

Morneau scored 23 goals for Baie-Comeau (QMJHL) but has been traded to Val-d'Or, where he'll play next season. He showed up in Ottawa for Saturday's second day, not knowing if his name would even be called.

He waited until 16 picks from the end, making the three-hour drive back to Cowansville, Quebec, a short one.

"I just came today because it was close to home," Morneau said. "I wasn't sure if I would be picked or not. I was pretty happy at the end."

Get $150+ in coupons in every Sunday N&O. Click here for convenient home delivery.