The Canes add more offensive players in the NHL Draft. Who did they pick?
The Carolina Hurricanes went into the 2020 NHL Draft looking for more offense and got it, using their first three picks on forwards and taking six in all.
A day after making Seth Jarvis of the Portland Winterhawks their first-round selection, the Canes on Wednesday chose forwards Noel Gunler of Sweden and Vasiliy Ponomarev of Russia with their two second-round picks.
The Canes had eight total selections in the 2020 draft, held remotely this year because of the pandemic. The second through seventh rounds were held Wednesday in what became a marathon session lasting almost eight hours.
“It has been a long day,” Canes president and general manager Don Waddell said in a media call. “One of the GMs sent a text that once this draft is over some of these players will be retired. But this is our job. This is what we live for and what our scouts work all year for.”
The Canes took another Swedish forward, 5-6 Zion Nybeck, in the fourth round. That came after using their third-round pick on another Russian, defenseman Alexander Nikishin. So it went as the Canes closed the 2020 draft with six forwards and two defensemen.
It was a memorable day for Gunler, who said he got little sleep after staying up late Tuesday to see the draft in Sweden and then having an early morning hockey practice Wednesday. One plus: he saw his name called by the Hurricanes on his 19th birthday.
“I got a pretty good birthday gift and I’m so happy and proud to be picked by the Carolina Hurricanes,” Gunler said in a media call. “I couldn’t be happier.”
Noel Gunler’s attitude and work ethic?
Gunler, the 41st overall pick, has spent part of the past two seasons with Lulea HF of the Swedish Hockey League and has begun the 2020-21 season. While he excelled with the Lulea junior team, he got in 45 games with the men’s team last season, finishing with four goals and 13 points.
“I’m a guy who can shoot the puck and score goals,” he said in describing himself. “I will do everything for the organization to help them win.”
Some reviews on Gunler have been mixed. His attitude and work ethic have raised some questions by some observers while others say the criticism is unwarranted.
“I think I’m a pretty good two-way player,” said Gunler, a right-hand shot.
Darren Yorke, who oversees the Canes’ amateur scouting, said the team did not see a problem after evaluating Gunler. He noted that Canes defensive prospect Jesper Sellgren has played with Gunler and was supportive of the choice.
“We’ve done our research and are thrilled to have him. We don’t think any of those reports or anything like that are justified,” Yorke, the team’s director of player personnel, said on a media call.
Vasiliy Ponomarev says he’ll help Canes win the Stanley Cup
Ponomarev, 18, came to North America last season to play for the Shawinigan Cataractes of the Quebec Junior Major Hockey League and adjust to the smaller North America rinks — his father, a skills coach, also joined the team. A left-handed shooter, Ponomarev had 18 goals and 49 points in 57 games while also playing for Russia’s U18 team internationally.
Ponomarev, rated 48th among European skaters by NHL Central Scouting, has been called a strong competitor who is good at back pressure and a battler in corner battles. That toughness belies his size — he is listed at 5-10 and 180 pounds but was described Wednesday by one TV analyst as a “small beer fridge.” In other words, hard to budge.
“I’m a hard worker and I’ll help you to win the Stanley Cup,” Ponomarev said, words sure to be liked by Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour, who did both. “I think I have good hockey vision and good stickhandling and shot. I make good connections with the D-men. I’ll help in the defensive zone and I’ll find solutions in the offensive zone.”
Ponomarev, taken with the No. 53 pick, called the selection a “dream come true” and said he liked being taken by Carolina in that former Canes forward Sergei Samsonov was from his hometown of Zelenograd, Russia.
“I know him a little bit and I think it’s going to be perfect,” he said.
Ponomarev said he has not met the Canes’ Andrei Svechnikov. His goal: to meet him soon.
Nikishin, who has played games in the KHL for Spartak Moskva, has been called a big hitter who can move the puck and enjoys joining the rush into the offensive zone. At 6-3 and almost 200 pounds, he offers some size on the back end and is a banger.
Nybeck can play either wing was rated 29th among European skaters by NHL Central Scouting. Called a “wrecking ball” on the forecheck, he is said to be a playmaker who also is adept in getting around the net and getting off his shot despite his small frame.
“I’m a small player on the ice but I think I am growing more and more with my game,” Nybeck said on a media call. “I give 100 percent all the time on the ice.”
The Canes made one minor trade during the draft, sending their fifth-round pick (No. 140) to the Los Angeles Kings for the 159th pick and a seventh-round pick in 2021. The Canes then took forward Lucas Mercuri in the sixth round.
The Canes had two seventh-round picks, using them on forward Alexander Pashin of Russia and defenseman Ronan Seeley.
Yorke said he was appreciative of all that went into preparing for this draft in the pandemic, noting. “This took a lot of people to get to where we are that don’t get the credit they deserve.”
Assessing the Canes draft picks
Darren Yorke, the Carolina Hurricanes’ director of player personnel, oversees the team’s amateur scouting. Here are some of Yorke’s thoughts on the eight draft selections:
(Draft rounds and selection number)
First round
No. 13: Seth Jarvis, forward, Portland Winterhawks, WHL
Yorke: “The best thing about Seth is his hockey sense. It is harder to do anything better in the last two years than what Seth has accomplished and it’s because of how smart he is. He makes other people better. He can score. There are so many layers to his game that it really is special. It’s just a high-end offensive talent.”
Second round
No. 41: Noel Gunler, forward, Lulea, SHL
Yorke: “For us to get a player who has the speed and skill and hockey sense in the second round wasn’t something we expected. When this guy gets the puck on his stick he can score. He’s capable of being a dual threat in being able to make plays and be a goal-scorer.”
No. 53: Vasiliy Ponomarev, forward, Shawinigan, QMJHL
Yorke: “When he played in the Ivan Hlinka tournament (for Russia) he was high end playmaking and showing hockey sense, compete and defensive ability. He understands the game. As he transitions to the pro game it’s going to be a pretty easy step.”
Third round
No. 68: Alexander Nikishin, defenseman, Spartak, Russia
Yorke: “Bigger defenseman that when he plays in the Russian junior league shows a little more of that offensive dimension. When he plays in the KHL he uses that long stride to get up in the play. For an 18-year-old going against men he’s able to hold his own.”
Fourth round
No. 115: Zion Nybeck, forward, HV 71, SHL
Yorke: “Unfortunately when everybody looks at him they look at his (5-6) size. That’s unfortunate because of how smart, how skilled he is. In the corners he can get the puck to the net despite being a little shorter than the competition.”
Sixth round
No. 159: Lucas Mercuri, forward. Des Moines, USHL
Yorke: “He’s another smart player who can transition the puck. To have the hands that he has at 6-3 is pretty impressive. Another player who has that hockey sense.”
Seventh round
No. 199: Alexander Pashin, forward, UFA 2, Russia
Yorke: “Not someone we expected to be there. Similar to Nybeck in terms of the high-end skill. Him and Ponomarev played together at the Ivan Hlinka and Ponomarev was able to feed Pashin just to score goals.”
No. 208: Ronan Seeley, defenseman, Everett, WHL
Yorke: “Extremely fast skater. Holds tight gaps, able to jump up into the play. He’s able to play the style we love in Carolina.”
Glossary: WHL, Western Hockey League; SHL, Swedish Hockey League; QMJHL, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League; KHL, Kontinental Hockey League; USHL, US Hockey League.
This story was originally published October 7, 2020 at 2:38 PM.
