Canes’ prospects camp ends, questions remain

The Carolina Hurricanes will end prospects development camp Saturday with a scrimmage at its Summerfest Celebration at PNC Arena, giving fans a glimpse of the future.

There also is the “State of the Hurricanes” session by general manager Ron Francis, president Don Waddell and Canes coach Bill Peters, giving the fans the chance to join a discussion about the team’s future.

Will the Canes sign Boston College defenseman Noah Hanifin, their first-round draft pick?

Will the Canes sign captain Eric Staal and goalie Cam Ward to contract extensions before the season?

Will there be any other trades or free-agent signings?

Who will score the goals next season?

Those are just a handful of the questions Francis and Peters may want to entertain, especially with many Canes fans frustrated as the Stanley Cup playoff drought continues while ticket prices are being raised.

The Hurricanes did trade for goalie Eddie Lack and defenseman James Wisniewski. They did buy out the contract of forward Alexander Semin. On paper, those appear to be good moves.

But some Canes fans are uneasy after seeing, say, the Washington Capitals bring in forwards Justin Williams and T.J. Oshie or the Pittsburgh Penguins trade for Phil Kessel, moves that should improve those two Metropolitan Division teams.

Hanifin, the fifth overall pick of the NHL draft, may be able to play in the NHL next season – that is, if he makes the decision to sign an entry-level contract. Defenseman Haydn Fleury, the Canes’ first-round pick last year, believes he can make a push for a roster spot.

Peters said Hanifin, 18, is “ahead of the curve” and noted he has competed against older players in college. This week, Peters said, was more of a feeling-out process for the Canes and Hanifin, who has said he should make his decision in the next few weeks.

Two years ago, forward Sergey Tolchinsky was one of the stars of the prospects’ final scrimmage. And his between-the-legs shot this week in an evening practice was captured on video, was the play of the day on “SportsCenter” and went viral.

“It just has to end up in the net, it doesn’t matter how, right?” Peters said.

Forward Sebastian Aho of Finland was taken in the second round by the Canes, 35th overall. Like Hanifin, he could sign an entry-level contract and begin his professional career – either for the Canes or with the Charlotte Checkers, Carolina’s American Hockey League affiliate.

Aho, 17, was in the SM-liiga, Finland’s top pro league, last season. He plays for Karpat Oulu, the league champion, and his father, Harri, is the team’s general manager.

Harri Aho has been in Raleigh this week. Asked about the plans next season, he said, “No final decision has been made, but most likely Sebastian will play next season in Karpat.”

This story was originally published July 10, 2015 at 6:23 PM with the headline "Canes’ prospects camp ends, questions remain."