The Carolina Hurricanes went the expected route with the second overall pick in the 2018 NHL Entry draft Friday night. The team called Russian winger Andrei Svechnikov’s name from the podium at American Airlines center in Dallas.

Svechnikov is a big, talented winger capable of playing both a skill and power game, and can potentially step into the lineup right away this season. The Canes have been expected to take Svechnikov for weeks, even since the team won the draft lottery to move from pick No. 11 to No. 2 in April.

“We all knew him as a player,” Waddell told the media in Dallas after the pick. “A lot of people see him live, a lot of them video. And then when you meet him and he’s really driven; he’s talking about it’s all about winning. It’s not about individual; it’s not about his stats, how many goals he’s going to score. It’s all about winning. Those are good things you like to hear from young players.”

Dundon said that the team indeed has known for some time that Svechnikov would be its likely pick at No. 2, barring a significant trade offer for the pick.

“We’ve probably the last month really targeted him,” Waddell said. “We brought him into Raleigh; we spent a lot of time with him. A lot of different people took him out for lunch and dinner and got all different perspectives of him. That was the final straw that made it, I think as a player we all felt he was the guy about two months ago, but then when you have an opportunity to spend time with him it just seals the deal.”

Svechnikov, after scoring 40 goals in 44 games as an OHL rookie for the Barrie Colts last year, now gets the chance to start his pro career.

“It feels great,” Svechnikov said. “I’m super happy. It was my dream and it came true. It’s just the best moment of my life.”

The Canes hold six picks on day two of the draft Saturday, starting with the 11th overall pick in the second round.