After adding a skilled center on night one of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, the Carolina Hurricanes stayed busy on day two, picking up an additional seven prospects.
“[The draft] went pretty well,” Hurricanes director of amateur scouting Tony MacDonald said. “We didn’t know that we’d have as many picks to spend as we did, but we retained most of them. The beauty of it is that we got a lot of people that we’re really excited about. We got a couple centers, big guys that can skate and make plays, some big defensemen and a goaltender we think is an under the radar guy that is going to be very good. All in all, at the end of the day, we’re pleased with the way things went.”
The team had hoped to not use all of its picks today, as management attempted to use some to add NHL help at forward. A deal never materialized, however, and the team instead further bolstered its deep prospect pool.
“As far as the players we drafted, we’re really excited about what we got in the draft,” general manager Ron Francis said. “I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was hoping to maybe take a few less picks. We had an awful lot of discussions in the last little bit about trying to move picks for players. They just didn’t pan out the way we had hoped. …At end of the day, when we couldn’t get anything done, we think we did a heck of a job drafting some good prospects, and we’ll see where we go from here.”
Their first pick in the second round at number 42 overall went to Finnish forward Eetu Luostarinen. Carolina has taken a Finnish forward in round two in three-straight years.
Viewed as somewhat of a reach, (the 83rd ranked skater by NHL Central Scouting), the Canes see potential in the young Finn. He put up 19 points in 23 games with KalPa of the Finnish Liiga’s U20 team last year, and hockeyprospect.com’s draft guide describes him as “a big forward capable of playing all three forward positions, with excellent skating ability.”
“Another player [Finnish amateur scout] Joni Pitkanen was really high on, and [director of European scouting] Robert Kron also,” MacDonald said. “They saw a lot of him playing over there. He’s another player that plays with men. He’s got size, he’s got skill and he can skate. He can shoot the puck. At this stage of his development, he’s playing with the men there; he’s playing pro hockey in Finland. That can only enhance his game and make him a better player as he goes forward. We’re pretty excited about this guy.”
Next up was defenseman Luke Martin of the Michigan Wolverines at number 52. At 6-foot-3 and 216 pounds, Martin is viewed as a shutdown defenseman. Hockeyprospects describes him as “a smooth skating defenseman with good size and hockey sense.”
“It’s a lot,” Martin said. “It’s pretty surreal; it’s a fun experience to be here with my family and friends. To share it with people that are close to me, it’s a really good experience.”
The team also picked twice in the third round. First up was forward Morgan Geekie of the WHL’s Tri-City Americans at number 67. The high-scoring center put up 90 points in 72 games last year. Hockeyprospects listed him as being very creative with the puck, especially for his size (6-foot-2).
“It’s your once in a lifetime moment,” Geekie said via phone interview. “It’s definitely something that you dream of as a kid. It’s obviously a good experience for me, and the next step in the right direction. It’s definitely a good stepping stone, but there is a lot of work to be done so far.”
Carolina then called the name of Stelio Mattheos, a center from from the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings. Mattheos was also productive last year, with 61 points in 69 games. Hockeyprospects lists him as a strong, explosive skater.
“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” Mattheos said. “It’s a great day for my family and myself. I’m so happy; it’s such a great organization in Carolina. I’m really excited to get started.”
The team used its fourth-round pick on a netminder, taking Finnish goalie Eetu Makiniemi. He posted a 2.68 goals against average and .908 save percentage in 26 games for Jokerit of Finland’s junior league last season.
“I haven’t seen him play much myself,” MacDonald said. “Once again, I guess we’re going to have to put in a toll for the line to Finland. I talked to [Pitkanen], who’s very high on this guy; Robert Kron is very high on this guy. He’s a big goalie, very athletic, very quick. He challenges the shooter. He’s a player that, as goaltenders go, we had him higher on our list than probably most teams, but we think our people knew him better than most. We’re looking forward to getting him into our camp and getting a look at him.”
With the team’s penultimate pick at number 166 in the sixth round, the Canes grabbed defenseman Brendan De Jong of the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks. Hockeyprospects has him pegged as a strong skating blueliner with offensive upside. He posted eight goals and 23 points in 72 games last year.
Carolina closed things out with Finnish defenseman Ville Rasanen, who spent last season with Jokipojat of the Mestis league, with six points in 21 games.
The majority of the Canes’ picks will head to Raleigh next week, as the team’s annual summer development camp will take place Wednesday through Saturday.
