The Hurricanes were active on the second day of the NHL Draft. Here’s who they picked
The Carolina Hurricanes went into the 2021 NHL Entry Draft with a simple plan: accumulate as many draft picks as possible and use them.
In short, the more chances you have, the better the odds you’ll pick someone who can develop into a good NHL player one day.
“This is a different year,” Canes president and general manager Don Waddell said Saturday on a media call. “Everything was done on Zoom, no live viewings of the players. Some players didn’t play any games, some played few. There was a little bit of the unknown.
“Our strategy was we wanted to get as many picks as we possibly can. You’re going to miss on a lot of guys this year but you’re going to hit on some guys, too. We went in thinking that way and it worked out for us. We never compromised ourselves. We never passed on a player where we said we can’t live without this player.”
The Canes started Friday, trading away the No. 27 overall pick in the first round to the Nashville Predators for two second-round choices. They also added a second-round pick by trading defenseman Jake Bean to Columbus.
When their work was done Saturday, when the virtual draft came to an end, the Canes had made 13 selections: six defensemen, four forwards and three goalies.
“I think we covered everything,” Canes assistant general manager Darren Yorke, who oversees amateur scouting, said on a Saturday media call. “Obviously when you get into any draft you’re just trying to maximize the picks that you have.
“By trading back in the first round, we looked at our list and we looked at the different options and we decided that we had lots of players that we liked, so we took a risk that if we traded down we could get more of them. So it was really more the opportunity to keep getting players we were excited about.”
With their initial second-rounder Saturday, No. 40 overall, the Canes selected another D-man, Scott Morrow of Shattuck-St. Mary’s Prep that the Canes liked. “Probably one of the most skilled players in this draft,” Yorke said.
A right-shot defenseman, Morrow has good size at 6-2 and 195 pounds, with an ability to join the rush and with decent offensive skills. He’s committed to playing college hockey at UMass and was ranked 39th among North America skaters by NHL Central Scouting.
“I think it all starts with me being a good skater and I have a lot of skill with the puck,” Morrow said Saturday on a media call. “I try to be offensive, but I think I’m a 200-foot player and I play to win. I think that’s what I’ll bring to the Carolina Hurricanes.
“I can contribute on both ends of the ice. I can move the puck, I can run the power play, I can defend on the penalty kill, I can play in any situation.”
The Canes followed that at No. 44 — after taking a lengthy timeout — by taking another defender, Aleksi Heimosalmi of Finland.
Heimosalmi is a 5-foot-11, 170-pound right-hand shot defenseman who observers believe was the best defender at last year’s U-18 World Championships. A slick puck mover, he’s another in a trend of the Canes going back to the Finnish well, where the team has had a measure of success, most notably with forward Sebastian Aho, and drafted other Finns. Heimosalmi was the 26th-ranked European skater by NHL Central Scouting.
The Canes stuck with the Finnish theme at No. 51, selecting right winger Ville Koivunen out of Karpat, Finland. The 6-foot, 168-pound forward scored 23 goals and added 26 assists for the Karpat junior team in 2020-21 in 38 games played. At the 2021 U-18 World Championship, he had four goals and six assists in seven games.
Asked about the Canes’ preference for drafting Finns, Koivunen said, “I think that’s a really big thing, a good thing,”
After another lengthy pause, Carolina traded their final second-round pick to Los Angeles for Pick No. 72 overall (third round) and Pick 109 (fourth round). In the third round came another trade with Nashville — the No. 72 choice for Nos. 83 and 147.
The Canes used the 83rd pick, their first in the third round, on a goalie — Patrik Hamrla of the Czech Republic who has what has become more prototypical size for “new age” goalies at 6-3 and 194 pounds. Scouting reports say Hamrla, who played in the Czech Extraliga in 2020-21, also handles the puck well when leaving the net, which would be a plus.
The Canes swapped their second third-round pick to Chicago for a third in the 2022 draft, then used the No. 94 pick to take another defensemen: Aidan Hreschuk, who is with the US National Team Development Program and is headed to Boston College.
The Canes used their first fourth-round pick, No. 109, on forward Jackson Blake, whose father, Jason, played in the NHL and was a 40-goal scorer for the New York Islanders. At 5-10 and 158 pounds, Jackson Blake is a small but shifty player and headed to North Dakota for college hockey.
“I’m one of the smaller guys but I feel like I play like a (bigger) guy and think I see the ice just as well as anyone, if not better,” Blake said on a Saturday media call. “I love to compete and I love to put the puck in the back of the net.”
Blake said he had a hard night sleeping Friday, then said much of Saturday was “definitely stressful” waiting for his name to be called. It took a while but it was.
Meanwhile, Friday night marked the first time since 2012 that the Canes did not use their first-round pick. In 2012, Carolina traded for Jordan Staal of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and soon signed him to a 10-year extension. The big trade overshadowed the Canes’ picks on the second day of the draft in Pittsburgh, but they ended up picking forward Brock McGinn in the second round and defenseman Jaccob Slavin in the fourth.
Friday frenzy
The Hurricanes kicked off Friday night’s frenzy with a trade, this one perhaps more expected than that which dealt goalie Alex Nedeljkovic to Detroit on Thursday.
This time, the Canes shipped away Bean to Columbus. Bean was the last first-round draft pick from the Ron Francis era since 2012 remaining on the team. He only drew in to 42 regular season games this year, registering one goal and 11 assists. In the playoffs,
The Bean-to-Columbus trade was part of a series of bigger moves for the Jackets, who also packaged star defender Seth Jones, the last pick of this year’s first round and a sixth-round pick for Adam Boqvist, the 12th overall pick Friday , a first in 2022 and that second-rounder, 44th overall.
Friday was, overall, a big day for trades around the league. The biggest of all of them was a five-player, nine-asset trade between Vancouver and Arizona. The Coyotes sent captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson and forward Conor Garland to the Canucks. In return, Vancouver sent forwards Loui Eriksson, Jay Beagle and Antoine Roussel and a first-round pick (No. 9 overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft, a second-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft and a seventh-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft to the Coyotes.
Earlier in the day, the St. Louis Blues acquired forward Pavel Buchnevich from the New York Rangers in exchange for forward Sammy Blais and a second-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, and the Philadelphia Flyers acquired Rasmus Ristolainen in exchange for defenseman Robert Hagg, 2021 first-round draft pick and 2023 second-round draft pick.
Hurricanes selections in the 2021 NHL Draft
(Draft pick, position, name, height, weight)
Second round
No. 40 — D Scott Morrow, 6-2, 195
Morrow played this past season at Shattuck-St. Mary’s Prep and with Fargo in the USHL and has committed to UMass. A right-shot D-man, he is quick to jump into the rush.
Canes’ assistant GM Darren Yorke: “Real high offensive upside. One of the hardest, coveted positions to get is that big, offensive right-hand defenseman.”
No. 44 — D Aleksi Heimosalmi, 5-11, 170
The Finnish defenseman, while not a big guy, is another right-shot D who some believe was the best defender at last year’s U-18 World Championships.
Yorke: “Another similar offensive type of defenseman. For a 5-11 defenseman, the ability to gap up and play strong defense against the rush and along the boards ... it’s his smartness and how he uses his body to win battles.”
No. 51 — F Ville Koivunen, 6-0, 168
The Finn had 23 goals and 26 assists in 38 games Karpat junior team in 2020-21. Yorke said Karpat general manager Harri Aho, the father of the Canes’ Sebastian Aho, “raved about his character.”
Yorke: “As high a compete as anyone probably in the draft. Probably one of the smarter wingers in this draft.”
Third round
No. 83 — G Patrik Hamrla, 6-3, 194
The Czech Republic native played in the Czech Extraliga in 2020-21, has good athleticism and isn’t bashful in leaving the net to handle the puck.
Yorke: “Big athletic goalie. Going to the QMJHL next season. His power to go side to side is something you can’t teach, especially at his size.”
No. 94 — D Aidan Hreschuk, 5-11, 188.
The Long Beach, Calif., native is with the US National Team Development Program and was alternate captain for Team USA in U18 World Championship. Headed to Boston College.
Yorke: “Smart, smart hockey player, one of the smarter players here for the US team in how he defends. His ability to end plays in the neutral zone and that quick transition the puck is something that really gravitate to us with him.”
Fourth round
No. 109 — F Jackson Blake, 5-10, 158.
Short but said to be a quick, shifty player and goal-scorer, Blake had a big season for Eden Prairie High in Minnesota and also played for the Chicago Steel in the USHL. His father, Jason, is a former NHL forward.
Yorke: “One of the common themes we talk about is the hockey sense. Jackson is incredibly smart. His 5-on-5 play is what really impressed us.”
Fifth round
No. 136 — F Robert Orr, 5-11, 176.
Name has a nice hockey ring to it. Orr, one of the youngest players in the draft, had a strong rookie season for the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL and was often on the top line.
Yorke: “Uses his speed and is incredibly fast. He can drive the game from the defensive zone to the offensive zone and still be able to make those one-on-one plays.”
No. 147 — F Justin Robidas, 5-8, 173.
Like Jackson Blake, Robidas’ father was an NHL veteran: defenseman Stephane Robidas. What Justin lacks in size he makes up for in his competitiveness, quickness and on-ice savvy, scouts say.
Yorke: “Very similar to Blake as how they play the game and see the game. Incredibly competitive. Obviously has the background with his dad to understand what it takes to be a pro.”
Sixth round
No. 170 — D Bryce Montgomery, 6-4, 215.
Montgomery, from Bowie, Md., already has a man-size frame and impressed in hockey showcase events and invitational outings that allowed OHL players to be seen by NHL scouts during the pandemic.
Yorke: “Big right-handed defenseman who can skate. Hard to find and especially guys as big as him who can skate as well.”
No. 187 — G Nikita Quapp, 6-3, 187
The German-born goalie, who has the size NHL team covet, had some inconsistent play last season with several teams. Quapp was a member of Germany’s U18 World Junior team.
Yorke: “An 18-year-old who played in the men’s league. Big blocking style. Guy who just has this raw ability to be in the right spot and make some of the tougher saves look easy.”
Seventh round
No. 200 — G Yegor Naumov, 6-3, 198
The Russian goalie can cover the net with his big frame. Played junior hockey last season for MHK Krylia Sovetov Muskva in the MHL.
Yorke: “Another guy that our goalie coaches really pushed hard on. Very athletic, very quick. He reads the game so well.”
No. 209 — F Nikita Guslistov, 5-10, 178.
The Russian forward is said to be the youngest player to score a KHL hat trick. On Jan. 27, he also became the youngest to captain a KHL team for a game, with Severstal. (Vladimir Taransenko had been the youngest.)
Yorke: “Was a point-a-game player in the MHL and was called up to the KHL. For a 19-year-old kid to start as a fourth-line center and then get to third line, just overall he’s just a smart, dependable player.”
No. 219 — D Joel Nystrom, 5-11. 170
The Swede was ranked 48th among European skaters by NHL Central Scouting and has good quickness. Got in 27 games for Farjestad in the SHL.
Yorke: “A late developer. Went through the draft already once. Probably one of the quicker, faster developing players this year, getting to the SHL and playing significant minutes.”
This story was originally published July 24, 2021 at 11:52 AM.
