With that said, the Canes prospect pool for goalies currently stands as Ruslan Khazheyev, Semyon Frolov, and two goalies entering their last year of prospect status (Yegor Velmakin and Nikita Quapp). With just two goalies under the age of 22 in the pipeline, the Canes should take a goalie. Luckily, this years goalie class is slightly weaker than last year, so they can probably get value down the board.

Yuri Ivanov, MHL (MHK Spartak Moscow)

It’s kind of funny to put him first but wouldn’t it be funny if the Canes could somehow have 2 goalies on the same team, or even in the same system? When Frolov went down with injury, Ivanov stepped up and looked good. He’s 6’2 and 165, so slightly undersized, but he’s also a super late birthday, being a September 08. He should be available in the middle rounds.

Yegor Rybkin, MHL (Chaika)

This one is slightly different, as Rybkin looked really solid to open the year and then went down with an injury, only getting in 11 games this year. But the 6’7 goalie has shocking athleticism and good technique. He might be the highest drafted goalie on this list, going around the 3rd round.

Dmitri Ivchenko, MHL (Omskie Yastreby)

He’s 6’3 with decent stats in his MHL games. There’s an obvious trend here if you haven’t seen it, with all goalies being Euros/Russians except for one that’s an honorable mention. The Canes haven’t taken a goalie from the CHL since Patrik Hamrla in 2021 and I doubt the trend changes this year.

Vladimir Proskurin, MHL (MHK Atlant Mytishchi)

The smallest goalie out of the bunch, standing at 6’2, but also the one who’s played the most games this year with 41. He posted a respectable 2.97 goals against and a .921% save percentage in those games.

Honorable Mentions

Roberto Henriquez, USHL (Green Bay Gamblers)

Matt put me on to this re-entry and he should be mentioned. Not 100% sure where he’s going in the draft but he should at least get a mention.

Gleb Peshkov, MHL (Taifun Primorsky Krai)

He’s 6’2 with really good regular season MHL stats. Plus, Gleb!

Ryder Fetterolf, OHL (Ottawa 67s)

Watching Ekberg led me to getting a good amount of viewings of Fetterolf, who ended up winning OHL and CHL goalie of the year. Undersized at 5’11.

To the shock of no one, that trend will be HEAVILY repeated here. The smallest defenseman I’ll mention today is 6’0 (which is small for Hurricanes standards but it’s at Matt’s insistance). Most of them have good skating grades, besides one very specific player that Matt mentioned that has stuck in my head who will be an honorable mention. With that, let me introduce some defenseman to keep in mind.

Tommy Bleyl, RHD (Moncton, QMJHL)

This and the next guy I’ll mention are both the “stretch” picks, guys that projected to be around in the late 20s but will most likely be gone by the time the Canes eventually pick. For Bleyl, he’s a divisive prospect.

Bleyl is a great skating right handed defenseman. He had 81 points in 63 QMJHL games and was an extremely important player for Moncton’s deep run this year. Moves the puck well and has become exceptional at running a power play. The downside is the defense and his height, standing a shade under 5’11. The height make me think the Canes won’t think too hard about him, but the skating and offensive game make him an intriguing prospect.

Nikita Shcherbakov, LHD (Toros, VHL)

The other guy who has a good chance to be gone by the time the Canes pick, Shcherbakov is an easily projectable player.

Sometimes, all it takes is being a rangy defenseman with good size who can skate really well and make the smart play and you’ll get a lot of praise. Shcherbakov fits all of this, standing just a shade under 6’4 and being a dependable defender who fits a good amount of roles. He’s also Russian, which the Canes have shown no hesitancy in drafting over the years.

Alexander Grunin, LHD (Sibirskie Snaipery Novosibirsk, MHL)

The only scouting service (as of writing this) that has Grunin ranked at all is EliteProspects. They have him at 82, in that sweet spot of late third round. They even describe him as “one of the draft’s best kept secrets.”

(I couldn’t find an image of Grunin, sorry!)

If you remember why Limatov and Bausov felt like prototypical Canes picks, it’s because they are extremely fluid skaters who had another aspect working for them. Grunin is the exact same. He’s a fluid skater whose other trait is his physicality. Grunin feels like an extremely prototypical Canes pick in the mid rounds.

Mans Gudmundsson, RHD (Farjestad BK U20, U20 Nationell)

Elite name aside, Gudmundsson has the size you’d like to see in a defenseman while also having the defensive side of his game more well rounded than others on this list.

Projected in the late 2nd round, Mans is a physical defender who has good range with the combination of his skating and stick work. While he had 25 points in 35 games, he only had 3 primary points at even strength. The defensive ability will carry him in terms of what he can be at the NHL level.

Lincoln Kuehne, RHD (Arizona State, NCAA)

While on the slightly smaller size for defenseman the Canes have drafted over the past few years, standing just under 6’2, Kuehne has a play style that just makes sense.

Kuehne has a simple game. He does nothing over the top, just keeps everything simple. He’s got good skating ability and has played against good competition while at Arizona State. He’s a later round prospect and with the safer projection, it sounds like a decent player to take on chance on.

Landon Nycz, LHD (UMass, NCAA)

Again, another player who has played college hockey already and one that has good size and good skating. His last name is pronounced like “eyes”, by the way.

Like I mentioned above, Nycz’s skating propels him into 4th or 5th round conversations, even while getting limited ice time on UMass. Scouts rave about his mobility and defensive ability, specifically with his stick.

Ben Macbeath, LHD (Calgary Hitmen, WHL)

Besides having one of the cooler last names in this draft (one that I’ve already butchered one or two time), Macbeath checks a lot of boxes of defenseman the Canes draft, even while being in a league the Canes haven’t drafted from since Seth Jarvis in 2020.

I had to double check but that’s a real stat, Macbeath (if drafted) would be the first Canes pick from the WHL in 6 years. There’s a legit case for him in the late 2nd or early 3rd, as he’s another strong skating big defenseman who defends rush chances really well. A neat stat that EliteProspects has is that he was 5th in points by first time draft eligible defenseman.

Jakub Floris, RHD (Lukko U20, U20 SM-sarja)

For the last name, let’s look at fun project player currently playing in Finland. Floris is a raw, mobile defenseman who has the size and physicality to be an NHL defenseman farther down the line.

Floris has some interesting traits in his game. His skating is a big one, being able to move fluidly and quickly. The offense has some intrigue, nearly producing at a .5 ppg pace while getting 10 goals in 38 games. The rest of his game is a work in progress, which leads him to being in the early 3rd round talks. With Floris, my reasoning is that the Canes don’t need a young defenseman to be ready soon. They have their core and have younger players (Legault and Nystrom) ready to play full time when needed. Taking the long term approach with someone could be a good idea.

Honorable Mentions

Alexander Karmanov, LHD (North Bay Battalion, OHL)

Ok, I’m breaking my self-imposed rule of skating well defenseman only because I have to mention Karmanov. If you shockingly don’t know about him, Karmanov went viral for being the tallest hockey player ever, standing at 7 feet tall. This is his draft year and his tape in the OHL has shown promise in his game, so some team will take the chance that his skating drastically improves. I will say, if you check out his Instagram, he’s got pictures with Andrei Svechnikov.

Yaroslav Matyev, LHD (Amurskie Tigry Khabarovsk, MHL)

He’s 6’5, 220 pounds. He plays a super physical game. He skates decently and has some defensive projectability.

Vslevolod Matveyev, RHD (MHK Spartak Moscow, MHL)

He’s 6’2 with great skating ability and the offense has some real intrigue. Biggest concern is his hockey sense.

Alexander Ivanov, LHD (Bars Kazan, VHL)

A player who just turned 18 three days ago, Ivanov didn’t play another MHL games this year, playing all year in the VHL and KHL. He’s big and well rounded but nothing stands out.

It’s funny looking back at my list last year and seeing who I chose for the forwards to know. I nailed 2 of them (Ryabkin and Ekberg) and completely missed on 2 (Nordlund and Cerrato). Cerrato was a complete and utter whiff on my end, as I didn’t pay attention to the D+1 in college. Nordlund was another whiff, but a slightly more avoidable whiff if I remembered that the Canes value undersized wingers with dynamic traits.

Did I learn for this years list? No, not really. I think most of the smaller undersized wingers are in the honorable mentions. But I feel like I’ve got a decent read on this (can’t wait to be horribly wrong) and these guys we’ll talk about today are who I think the Canes would look at. We’ve got 10 forwards I’ll give decent analysis on with 5 honorable mentions that I’ll give a blurb on.

Gleb Pugachev, W (Torpedo system, Russia)

Since I’ve started working draft stuff for this, I’ve always picked a guy that I really like and claim that as “Nick’s guy”. In 2024, my guy was Nikita Artamonov. In 2025, it was Milton Gastrin (with Zharovsky a close 2nd). In 2026, my guy is Gleb Pugachev.

A member of the Torpedo system, a system the Hurricanes are very familiar with (Artamonov, Krutov, Pelevin, Mukhanov), Pugachev is a power forward through and through. Standing at 6’3 and just shy of 200 pounds, he’s a physical presence. He’s combining strong skating with a good motor and the ability to hit the snot out of somebody. Gleb fits a role the Canes only have one of right now, he’s a power forward. Avramov is the only other true power forward right now and while Ryabkin is growing toward that, he’s not there yet. Pugachev would fit that effortlessly.

When you watch Gleb, it’s rather simple to dissect his game. He’s a bruiser, someone who takes pride in throwing some heavy hits. Some slight underrated skill and a decent shot, but his game is built mainly around his motor, his skating, and his bruising style. He’s ranked anywhere in the 30s to 40s so he could be there even if (or when) the Canes trade down from 30 or 31.

Markus Ruck, C (Medicine Hat Tigers, WHL)

A CHL player? A CHL player. One half of the more dominant duo in all of the CHL this year, Markus Ruck is a sick playmaker. The center is able to create offense with his great passing ability and found immense success doing that, racking up 87! assists for Medicine Hat this year.

While not the greatest skater, he’s still able to generate what he needs to make plays happen. Not the most physical player but does enough to be able to play the game he wants to play. Not the best skater but again, he’s got enough of the skill to be able to play how he wants to play. His offense relies on quick touches and passes, smart player overall.

Liam Ruck, W (Medicine Hat Tigers, WHL)

This one might be a slight reach, as Liam Ruck is projected in the early to late 20s. But it’d be shame to talk about one and not mention the other. The Ruck brothers, or twins should I mention, were unbelievably good this year. While Marcus is the playmaker, Liam is the shooter.

Just like Marcus, Liam isn’t the best skater in the world. But what he lacks in skating, he makes up for with his shot. Scoring 45 goals for Medicine Hat this year, he’s got a crazy release and can normally find the soft spot in both the defense and in the goalie’s stance. His work off the puck lends him to the higher ranking than his brother, as he’s able to be impactful away from the puck. Again, a decently long shot he’s there when the Canes pick, but he’d be a superb player to add into the pool.

Niklas Aaram-Olsen, W (Oreboro HK, SHL)

Besides having one of the cooler names in this draft, Aaram-Olsen, the Norwegian forward, is an insanely fun forward who blends great skating with an unreal shot.

A high level performer in international competition for Norway’s U20 (should mention that Norway is in D1A for youth international comp, the division below the normal for the average viewer of a World Juniors), Aaram-Olsen had 40 points (perfect 20-20 split) in 29 games in the U20 Nationell. He played in a good amount of SHL games this year, 16 to be exact, which is great for young forwards. He’s got a high level shot and good skating ability. Not the most physical forward ever (standing just over 6 foot and 187 pounds) but I’m impressed with his combine testing. He’s projected in the second round.

Alan Shaikhlislamov, W (Tolpar Ufa, MHL)

Someone has been hyping up “Big Shake” to me for a few months now and I can see why. There’s a lot in his profile that makes me feel like the Canes would like to take him, but he’s a sneaky player to be taken earlier than most expect.

First, he’s one of the youngest players in the draft, as he has a September 2008 birthday (born 7 days before the cutoff). Secondly, and one of the more obvious ones, he’s Russian. While it’s a weaker class for Russians as a whole at the top, there are still a couple of good ones kicking around post round 1. The high motor winger wins board battles at a high rate while not being the biggest player on the ice. He’s got good scoring touch to go along with the rest of his game too. While only playing in 31 MHL games, he still went over a point per game. Projected in the late 30s to early 50s, would love this selection.

Adam Andersson, C (Leksands U20, U20 Nationell)

The more I look at Andersson, the more I’m not completely convinced this is a player on the Canes radar. But he fits a need, that being a power forward.

Andersson is a physically mature center, standing at 6’3 and 215 pounds. To the shock of no one, he understands that he’s bigger and stronger than everyone else and uses that to his advantage. His defense stands out more than his offense, showing up in the point total partially. His highest level of competition was the U20 Nationell, where he had 17 points in 30 games. Public scouts rave about his NHL projectability as a bottom 6 defensively responsible center, which is something the Canes don’t really have in the system. He’s projected in the late 2nd or early 3rd.

Wiggo Sorenson, C/W (Boro/Vetlanda, A ton of places)

Another player someone has been mentioning to me for a few months, Wiggo has had an interesting draft year. He’s played for him hometown team in the 4th division of Swedish hockey instead of playing in the U20 ranks or even the SHL, which led to some rather insane point totals. An interesting case study of a prospect.

In Division 2, the 4th tier of Swedish hockey, he had 38 points in 29 games. In the U20 division one, the third tier of Swedish U20 hockey, he had 56 points in 13 games. He played 1 game for the Vaxjo U20 Nationell team, where he had 1 goal. He played 1 game for the Vaxjo U18 Nationell team, where he had 3 assists. He then the Sweden U18 team win the Gold at the WJC U18 championships, going for 6 points in 6 games. Standing at 5’10, he’s a good skater that combines solid playmaking and shooting to create one of the more interesting prospects you could pick, since he didn’t play high level competition all year. But then again, when he played higher level competition and international, he showed up and produced. Projected in the mid rounds (3-5), he’d be a risky pick that could pay off in spades if he hits.

Nils Bartholdsson, RW (Rogle BK, U20 Nationell)

Ladies and gentleman, may I present a highly skilled European forward that has decently high end puck skills with good skating ability who has one particular thing that causes him to fall down draft boards?

It feels like the Moneyball scene where Jonah Hill’s character is explaining a player that has good traits but one important factor that makes him weaker than other option. Bartholdsson had a good season in the U20 Nationell, getting 42 points in 32 games, and even played in the SHL this year, even though he was used as the 13th forward. He’s a solid playmaker with a solid shot and good skating. The one thing working against him is that he’s 5’10. With him projected in the later rounds, he’s an upside swing, which the Canes like to take.

Simon Katolicky, W (Tappara U20, U20-SM sarja)

This is an interesting one, because if you look at Katolicky’s physical profile, you’d assume that he should be ranked higher. He’s 6’4, around 200 pounds and can be that power forward teams dream of. Emphasis on CAN BE.

Katolicky has a couple of pitfalls, one being his effort level. His shifts aren’t consistent and he’s had more bad than good. His production in international competition has been lackluster to say the least, getting just 1 goal in 6 games at the U18 World Juniors. But when he’s one, he’s the player you’d want him to be. A big, hulking power forward with a good shot. Injuries took away parts of his year, so it’s not like he completely flopped, but he’s someone with boom or bust potential.

Oscar Holmertz, C (Linkoping U20, U20 Nationell)

I’ve heard that the Canes have been extreme fans of boom or bust prospects over the last few years. I’ve also seen it with my own eyes. Holmertz fits that bill.

Stop me if you have heard this one before, Holmertz is a great skating forward who’s a high end playmaker. Interestingly plays center, which might get called into question if he hits the NHL level, but it’s nice to see. Not the biggest forward ever, standing at 6’ flat and 187 pounds. Also stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but Holmertz isn’t overly physical. But the skills and skating alone is enough to warrant a selection. Fits the bill on forwards they’ve taken in the past with this build (Viggo Nordlund, Andrei Krutov, Gleb Trikozov, etc).

Honorable Mentions:

Viktor Fyodorov, C (Torpedo system, KHL/VHL/MHL)

A true center standing just under 6 feet tall, Fyodorov is a super smart player who uses hockey IQ to decipher plays and create offense. Played at all levels for Torpedo this season and had decent production in each league.

Yan Melnikov, RW (Torpedo system, KHL/VHL/MHL)

Another one of the undersized forwards I wanted to talk about, he’s slid down boards a little bit throughout the year but he could be a nice later round selection. Stands at 5’10 and uses a good motor to attack on the forecheck while producing decently in the MHL.

Lavr Gashilov, C (Avto Yekaterinburg, MHL)

Someone I’ve liked throughout the year, Gashilov excels as a playmaker. Produced really well in the MHL and is a great creator of time and space. Skating is a question mark though.

Roman Laman, C (Omskie Yastreby, MHL)

A high motor center who’s lower on boards due to his size (5’10 or 5’11), Laman got better as the year went on. Good skating with solid playmaking ability.

Doman Kristof Szongoth, C (KooKoo U20, U20-SM sarja)

An interesting player, the Hungarian born Szongoth is a natural center with some solid two way ability. He’s already filled out his 6’0 frame, being at 200 pounds and has some fun traits. Skating is a real and true concern, which is why he’s lower down.

Reminder that Matt and I will be live for both days of the NHL Draft, talking all things prospects, Canes, off season, information, things of that nature. It was super fun last year and it should be super fun this year.

After the past few years of being blessed by Alexander Nikishin, this year was a slight down year for Canes Prospects in Russia. Some struggled after career years, some found success with new teams and some found success in new positions. We saw a couple defensemen make impressive strides in their development and a whole heap of milestones, those ranging from first KHL goal, first KHL point, and first suspension of over 5 games (that applies to next season). With all that said, let’s talk about the Canes Prospects applying their trade in Russia.

Note: these are in alphabetical order.

Nikita Artamonov, RW (Torpedo/Neftekhimik/Torpedo-Gorky, KHL/VHL)

With doing these in alphabetical order, it means tackling the Russian elephant in the room first. After producing a top 5 KHL U20 scoring season of all time, Artamonov struggled to continue that momentum and had a down year. In 66 games played, he had 5 goals and 9 assists for 14 points.

From the start of the year, it was going to be a weird year. Reports came out that Torpedo was going to have Artamonov in the VHL to start his season right before the KHL season began. After scoring in that first game, he was called up for 3 games, then sent back down for 1 game. Called up for 6 games, sent down for 5 games, called up for 5 games, sent down for one game, then finally called back up for 2 games before being moved to Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk, his hometown team. He had some quick success, getting 4 points in his first 7 games. He then went on a 22 game pointless streak. “Pure Art” then had 5 points in his last 8 games before heading into the playoffs, where he didn’t have a point in those 5 games.

Look, was it unrealistic that a young player was going to repeat a 21% shooting percentage? Yes, more than likely. But to see a regression of KHL points from 39 to 10 is almost unbelievable. Artamonov was always a higher floor player, someone whose game translates rather well to a modern day bottom 6. But after last year, it felt like there was some middle 6 and maybe top 6 upside there. He’s a solid forechecker with good hockey sense, but the rest of his game still needs some work.

Outlook for 2026/27: Back in May of last year, Artamonov signed an extension with Torpedo until the end of the 2026/27 season. I wonder what happens with him, as Torpedo seems loaded on forwards and are rumored with signing more. With KHL free agency coming up on June 1st, we should know more then.

(Note: I completely forgot that Torpedo-Gorky, the VHL affiliate of Torpedo, was not registered for the VHL season. So, as of now, Torpedo does not have a VHL team.)

Fyodor Avramov, W (HK Sochi/Yuznhy Ural Orsk/Kapitan Stupino, KHL/VHL/MHL)

The wish that I had going into the season for Fyodor Avramov was that he’d stay in one place for the majority of the season and he wouldn’t bounce around a ton. That wish was partially granted, as he spent most of the year with Sochi at the KHL level. The monkey’s paw that curled was that his ice time was under 10 minutes a night for the majority of the year. In 56 games played, he had 12 goals and 13 assists for 25 points.

First off, congratulations to the kid for getting his first (and second) career KHL goals. Subsequently, those are also his first KHL points. His MHL production was solid, over a point per game for a 20 year old is expected. I’m glad they made him captain of the team, because those leadership skills are always desirable. I had really hoped he’d have a longer stint in the VHL after going a point per game in those 5 games, but Sochi needed him as a 4th liner/13th forward more. Avramov brings a very specific skillset to the table, that being a power forward. He’s 6’3, 200 pounds with a physical game. Sneaky good shoot with solid offensive instincts and again, he’s a power forward. He offers something only one or two other prospects can offer, but he’s got the size to really excel in that role if he’s developed correctly.

Outlook for 2026/27: More on this down below.

Roman Bausov, RHD (MHK Dynamo St. Petersburg, MHL)

The first of a couple injured Canes prospects in today’s article, Bausov had a ton of intrigue going into this season. Canes fans that went to development camp last year got their first look at Bausov and his massive frame. A massive right handed defenseman who skates incredibly fluidly, an injury before the season took him out of action. In 18 games played this year, he had 1 goal and 5 assists for 6 points.

Bausov was one of the players I really wanted to see play this season, as the live viewings I got during development camp left me with a LOT of questions on his development would go. The injury derailed a hefty chunk of his season, but I was still left rather impressed with the viewings I did have. He was a top 4, even top pair defenseman at times for MHK Dynamo St. Petersburg and that’s mainly due to what he offers. He’s a rangy freak of nature who is able to skate incredibly well for a player of his size. He’s physical, being able to lay down some rather thunderous hits. I think the offensive side of his game has some more to offer. He’s got a decently powerful shot and the passing is there. A season that’s given me even more intrigue into the player he can be.

Outlook for 2026/27: A hopefully fully healthy season for MHK Dynamo St. Petersburg.

Semyon Frolov, G (MHK Spartak Moscow/MHK Spartak MAX, MHL)

The next Canes Prospect who lost a lot of his season to injury, Frolov did end up getting really valuable minutes this season. In just 13 games played this year, he had a 2.63 goals against average and a .912% save percentage.

The top goalie in the pipeline currently, Frolov had a slightly better statistical season than these numbers suggest. If we take out the 2 games he played for MHK Spartak MAX, where he had a 4.04 goals against and a .879% save percentage, he actually had a 2.18 goals against average and a .922% save percentage. Frolov is at his best when his mix of aggressiveness and technical ability combine and become one. His skating allows him to be this aggressive because he has the ability to recover rather quick. This season was nearly lost, but the playoff performances in the MHL final give me a lot of hope for Frolov.

Outlook for 2026/27: A hopefully fully healthy season for MHK Spartak Moscow.

Vladimir Grudinin, LHD (Severstal, KHL)

A few minor injuries kept Grudinin out of a couple games this year, but it was more of the same for Grudinin, who’s carved out a role for Severstal. In 58 games played, he had 5 goals and 8 assists for 13 points.

Grudinin has carved out a good role for Severstal, being a reliable top 4 defenseman who plays on his off-side while getting heavy penalty killing minutes. He’s not the biggest defender, standing at 5’11, but his stick work keeps him afloat against physical forwards. As well, his skating is great. Not the quickest player ever but he’s got enough mobility to evade forecheckers and get the puck up ice. He showed real ability as a shutdown defenseman with plus skating, which has become rather consistent for him over the past 3 years.

Outlook for 2026/27: He’s got one more year on his current contract with Severstal.

Timur Kol, LHD/RHD (Dynamo Moscow/MHK Dynamo Moscow, KHL/MHL)

After spending last year splitting time between the KHL and MHL, Kol found himself spending 95% of his year in the MHL after his trade to Dynamo Moscow. In 49 games played this year, he had 14 goals and 18 assists for 32 points.

I’ve explained the absurdity of Kol’s usage in the MHL but I’d like to point it out one more time. Kol’s average ice time in the MHL was 25:17. The next closest ice time was 23:23 (funnily enough, that was Kurban Limatov). He was the team’s PP1 quarterback and he looked really solid in that role, attributed to the fact that his shot is such a threat that it forces penalty killers to close out and it gives Kol passing lanes. He’s got a rocket of a shot, somewhat similar to what Nikishin was able to do in terms of power and accuracy (even though Boom has the stronger shot). He’s got the physical side on defensive that you’d like defenders to have, not just wildly using his stick to knock the puck away and actually using his body. Not 100% sure if there is true penalty killer potential in there (mainly because I can’t see if he did on EliteProspects or the MHL site), but I’m a big fan of his work at even strength and his ability on the power play. Also got his first career KHL point (and a second one), which I’m glad he was rewarded for because he came darn close during his time with SKA.

Outlook for 2026/27: More on this down below.

Andrei Krutov, W/C (Torpedo/Amur/Torpedo-Gorky/Chaika, KHL/VHL/MHL)

Another Torpedo forward that ended up going out on loan, Krutov showed a little more development this season with Amur as they seemed to have a lot of trust in the forward. In 56 games played this season, he had 7 goals and 10 assists for 17 points.

The point total doesn’t tell the whole story here, as Krutov really earned the trust of the Amur coaching staff as the season was winding down. He started as the 13th forward and worked his way up to the middle 6. More interestingly, he was used as a center for a good few games and had flashes of success, both in the dot and handling the responsibilities that a center handles. His hands play a big role on how he can be successful in the dot, as his hands are one of Krutov’s best qualities. He’s able to do things with the puck that not a lot of Canes Prospects can do. Able to weave in and out of defenders, Krutov’s offensive ability is really solid. He’s slowly learning the KHL way of hockey while also getting better at becoming a complete player. Really, really interested to see if he can continue working as a center next year.

Outlook for 2026/27: In the same boat as Artamonov, as Torpedo continues to bring in forwards. A move (loan or trade) seems likely for Krutov.

Kurban Limatov, LHD (MHK Dynamo Moscow, MHL)

Everyone’s new favorite defensive prospect, Limatov continued to flash the interesting qualities that got him hype during the draft this year while improving his point totals. In 49 games played this year, he had 12 goals and 18 assists for 30 points.

Kurban Limatov is one of the most fun prospects to get live viewings of because of the way he plays the game. He’s 6’4 with unbelievable skating ability, which allows him to try and be much more aggressive than others. Whether that be on a pinch from the blueline or attempting to stop an entry from the other team, Limatov loves to make the aggressive play. The offense is interesting, since he’s able to be so mobile around the blueline to create separation and he’s got a decent shot. The defense is improving and the aggressive play style can be a double edge sword. I’ve seen him jump a play and miss which leads to a grade A and I’ve seen him read a play, make the breakup, and get a breakaway by himself. Truthfully, I see some K’Andre Miller qualities in Limatov. They’re both big, rangy defenseman who have a more aggressive play style while also being able to contribute in all sitautions. I’m not saying Limatov is the next Miller, but there are Miller-like qualities I see.

Outlook for 2026/27: Well, he’ll have a delayed start to his season after he picked up a 9 game suspension in MHK Dynamo Moscow’s last playoff game that carries over to next season. I’d imagine he’ll get some chances in higher leagues next year as well.

Timur Mukhanov, W (Severstal/Torpedo/Torpedo-Gorky/HK Tambov/Chaika/Almaz, KHL/VHL/MHL)

Timur Mukhanov gets to claim that he was the only Canes prospect within Russia that played in every single professional league for two different teams, which is something you don’t see every day. In 69 (nice) games played, he had 13 goals and 16 assists for 29 points.

11 of those points came in an 11 game run in the MHL playoffs, where he was arguably their team’s most important forward, which he should be. He’s a 20 year old forward playing in a U20 league while he has over 150 games of KHL experience, it should be expected. When Mukhanov is on his game, he’s a dynamic offensive dynamo. He’s a shifty skater who has the speed and mobility to escape defenders. Big fan of his passing ability.

Outlook for 2026/27: He recently signed a 2 year, 2 way extension with Torpedo. I’d expect a full year of bouncing between KHL and VHL (would require a loan to VHL team).

Alexander Pelevin, LHD (Torpedo/Torpedo-Gorky, KHL/VHL)

Pelevin has carved out a nice role with Torpedo-Gorky as their reliable PK guy. Outside of that, don’t ask. In 51 games played, he had 2 goals and 9 assists for 11 points.

The reigning October 7th player of the week in the VHL, Pelevin is a physical, shutdown defenseman. He skates well enough and loves to throw a few hits. Even though he’s 5’11, Pelevin can really throw some crazy fun hits. The offensive side still hasn’t fully developed, mainly relying on secondary assists for points and the odd shot that finds it’s way through traffic. Next year will be Pelevin’s last year as a prospect.

Outlook for 2026/27: He’s signed with Torpedo through the end of the 2026/27 season.

Alexander Perevalov, RW (Metallurg Novokuznetsk, VHL)

One of the guys who needed a fully healthy season to gauge where he was at in his development, Perevalov did end up having that. In 75 games played this year, Peravalov had 23 goals and 18 assists for 41 points.

Perevalov was primarily a 3rd line winger towards the end of the year after being a top line winger during the regular season, he’s an interesting player to get a read on. He’s got a real nice shot and some solid playmaking skills, combined with his netfront work on the power play. He’s not the biggest guy in the world, but he’s got a great ability to make the goaltender’s life difficult with screens and the ability to score in tight. The skating is decent and he’s not the world’s greatest defensive winger, but there’s an interesting offensive winger there.

Outlook for 2026/27: More on this down below.

Alexander Rykov, W (Traktor/Chelmet/Belye Medvedi, KHL/VHL/MHL)

For Rykov, this was his healthiest year ever, as he played over 50 games in a year for the first time in his career. He set career highs in both games played and in points, as in 66 games played, he had 12 goals and 10 assists for 22 points.

After getting a live viewing of Rykov at development camp last year, I became invested in the player that he can be. He’s the mold of what a modern day NHL bottom 6 player is. He skates hard, he has good compete, he’s decently physical, he’s a good forechecker, he has solid offensive instincts, he’s played on the penalty kill and power play. This year was a little weird, with Rykov getting shuffled around the KHL and VHL and when he had some good showings in the middle 6, he’d get moved back down to the bottom line or the 13th forward. I think there’s more growth on the offensive side of Rykov’s game, too. He’s got good offensive instincts so I’d be interested in his next role having some room for growth in terms of ice time.

Outlook for 2026/27: More on this down below.

Roman Shokhrin, LHD (Loko, MHL)

In his last year of MHL eligibility, Shokhrin went out a champion, helping Loko win the MHL Final. In 66 games played, he had 5 goals and 15 assists for 20 points.

To explain Shokhrin, I must say he plays a calm game. He’s not doing anything flashy offensively but he’s doing everything right defensively. While plus/minus is a stupid stat to judge defenseman on, going from a +19 to a +53!? in one year seems like a sign that he’s had some positive defensive development. He’s a physical defenseman, seeking out contact from time to time while having that ability to separate man from the puck. Skating is a plus attribute but I do wonder about the offense.

Outlook for 2026/27: He’s got one more year on his current deal with Loko, but I’m interested to see what happens with him as he’s aged out of the MHL, the only league he’s played in for the past 4 years.

Alexander Siryatsky, LHD,RHD (Metallurg/Magnitka, KHL/VHL)

One of the most improved prospects in the system, Siryatsky had a year that gets some flack from his head coach who benched him after a bad turnover in a playoff game, leading to some rather interesting quotes about “back in my day” and things of that nature. But don’t get it confused, Alexander Siryatsky was one of the bright spots for Canes prospects in Russia this year. In 43 games played this year, he had 2 goals and 3 assists for 5 points.

I think I really need to stress the point that Alexander Siryatsky is 19 years old. For a U20 defenseman to establish himself as a consistent KHL defenseman is something that needs to be recognized. There were only 5 defenseman in the KHL that played more than 20 KHL games while being younger than 20 years old, Siryatsky was the second youngest, behind only Makar Fomin. There is a lot of interesting aspects within Siryatsky’s game, who’s calling card is his skating and range. Pre injury, Siryatsky was running a power play unit that included a good amount of Metallurg’s talent, including recent Chicago Blackhawks signee Roman Kantserov and former Canes Prospect Sergei Tolchinsky. He was trusted in a big moments, end of game situations and overtime shifts. He also got some good penalty killing time, leading me to believe there is an all around defenseman who could contribute in all situations.

Outlook for 2026/27: More on this down below.

Yegor Velmakin, G (Dynamo St. Petersburg, VHL)

After playing in less than 20 games for the past 2 years, Velmakin played his most games since the 2022/23 season. In 23 games played this year, he had a .908% save percentage and a 2.88 goals against average.

Velmakin is hyper aggressive in the crease, always wanting to challenge the shooter rather than just sit back. Does that hurt him from time to time? Oh, absolutely. But when it’s working, he looks like a goalie that could get NHL games. When he got a somewhat consistent run of games, he looked pretty solid. Next season will be his last as a prospect, as he’ll age out after the 2026/27 season.

Outlook for 2026/27: More on this down below.

Stanislav Yarovoy, W (Spartak Moscow/Khimik, KHL/VHL)

After Vityaz ceased to exist, Yarovoy was rumored with a move to North America. That did not happen and instead, Yarovoy was moved to Spartak Moscow, where he ended up playing just 5 KHL games this year. In 66 games played, he had 12 goals and 16 assists for 28 points.

Yarovoy had a little bit of injury trouble this year but was also healthy scratched a couple of times in the playoffs. That was kind of annoying since he was at his best in the playoffs. He was able to dissect coverages and find soft spots for good chances, either a pass or a shot. His skating allows him to do that, even though it’s not high end. The defense has always stayed consistently good, even though Khimik didn’t or rarely used him as a PKer. Big fan of his offensive IQ. Next season will be Yarovoy’s last year as a prospect.

Outlook for 2026/27: He’s got another year on his contract with Spartak Moscow.

A very quick primer for the upcoming KHL Free Agency. Currently, there are 6 Canes Prospects that are slated to be free agents.

• Fyodor Avramov

• Timur Kol

• Alexander Rykov

• Alexander Perevalov

• Alexander Siryatsky

• Yegor Velmakin

Timur Kol and Alexander Rykov have been made RFAs by their respective teams. As of May 29th, the others have not. I’d imagine Siryatsky stays with Metallurg. Outside of that, we’ll just have to wait and see

One more thing, Matt and I will be live streaming the NHL Draft just like last year. We had a great turnout and it was a ton of fun hanging out and talking Canes Prospects and Canes hockey with everyone so we thought it’d be fun to run it back. More details and promotion for it will come when we get closer to the drat.

Honestly, there isn’t a true set NEED within the Canes system. They have most of the main archetypes filled already so any player now is more of an added bonus than anything else. With that said, there are a good amount of WANTS, certain positions and player archetypes have very low prospect numbers or could use some more darts at the board. Let’s dive into those wants really are:

Want: A potential power forward

As of right now, the list of wingers within the prospect ranks that are 6’0 or taller is as follows:

• Fyodor Avramov

• Gleb Trikozov

• Michael Emerson

• Alexander Perevalov

Let me be ABUNDANTLY clear and say that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The two best winger prospects, Bradly Nadeau and Felix Unger Sorum, are listed at 5’11 but aren’t out there getting shoved into a locker. This is more of a “cupboard is a little bare at the moment” type situation. Especially when taking into consideration that Gleb and Perevalov aren’t known for their physicality (even though Perevalov does work netfront a good amount). Fyodor Avramov and 5’11 Ivan Ryabkin are the only real true “power forward” archetypes within the system and Ryabkin started growing into that role late in the season for Chicago. The modern day NHL doesn’t require every forward to be able to throw violent hits, but having one or two in your lineup that can score 15+ goals in a season is a premium at this time.

Want: Goalie

We discussed this on the latest episode of Developing Hurricanes but I’ve been team “teams should take at least one goalie in a draft and see what happens” for a few years now. The Canes followed this last year, taking Semyon Frolov with their first pick in the draft and he had solid showings when he was healthy. Outside of Frolov, it’s certainly interesting.

Yegor Velmakin just completed a season in which he played the most amount of hockey since his draft year back in 2022-23 and he looked good for the most part. He’s also 23. Ruslan Khazheyev just played 42 games, 41 of those in the ECHL where he was better than the stats say. With him being just 21 years old, next year will be a big one in terms of his outlook, but the intangibles are there. Nikita Quapp was a mixed bag for Greensboro and his contract is up this year. Jakub Vondras had a solid season in Czechia2, but his exclusive rights with the Canes expire on June 1st. So if Quapp is not re-signed and Vondras sees his rights expire, the Canes are down to 3 prospect goalies in the system.

Want: Center?

Ah, the age ole want. Some consider this a need but I must stress it is really, really hard unless you pick within the top half of the first round to find a player that can stick at the center position in the NHL. It’s the toughest position to stay in because of the demands of the role, both offensively and defensively. The Canes took two players listed at center last year and this is why I have a question mark at the end of center.

I can confidently say that Charlie Cerrato will stick as a center at the NHL level. He plays the position extremely well and he does the small, important things you want your center to do. As well, he’s really solid in the dot, going 80% (4/5) in his AHL debut while posting two season of above 56% at Penn State (57.2% as a freshman, 58.7% as a sophomore). Ivan Ryabkin was drafted as a center and while he played decently as a center in the early part of the season for Chicago and was a center for Charlottetown in the QMJHL (53.9% in faceoffs for them), he’s looked his absolute best on the wing during Chicago’s postseason run. He does take spot faceoffs for his line and I think he can be an NHL center, but his work as a winger since joining Chicago again is hard to deny.

Want: Offensive Defenseman

Slightly emphasized by the signing of Noel Fransen to his entry level contract as Fransen is the best offensive defenseman in the system. Depending on how you qualify Timur Kol and Kurban Limatov, you could say he’s the only offensive defenseman in the system.

Outside of Fransen (and Kol/Limatov depending on how you qualify their archetypes), the Canes have a ton of defensive minded defenseman in the system. Charles Alexis Legault, Dominik Badinka, Roman Bausov, Alexander Siryatsky (to an extent), Roman Shokhrin, and Alexander Pelevin all project as “shut down” defenseman. Canes adding a guy with some offensive pop in his game would fill a want within the pipeline.

Outside of that, the current prospect pool is pretty well stocked. We’ll start to tackle to position groups with “Names to Know” coming up in June and the last two “Years in Reviews” when the Russians and the Chicago Wolves finish their respective seasons.

With that, admittedly, negative outlook out of the way, lets dive into how each prospect faired this year in Sweden’s hockey ranks.

Viggo Nordlund, W (Oskarshamn, HA)

Arguably the best U20 player in HockeyAllsvenskan this year, Nordlund was really, really solid for Oskarshamn. In 63 games played, he had 15 goals and 20 assists for 35 points.

He played 58 HockeyAllsvenskan games, with 28 points coming in those games. During the regular season, he won the awards for most goals by a U20 player (12) and the award for most points by a U20 player (26). He’s got that level of dynamic skill you want to see in an undersized forward. It’s not gamebreaking, but there’s enough skill within his game for him to be extremely dangerous when he’s in the offensive zone. His work in transition has become something to behold, being able to use his skating to weave in and out of traffic. This was a really nice year for Nordlund overall, showing good signs of development in most aspects.

Outlook for 2026/27: This one is interesting, because of just how deep Skelleftea is. There are two options, either he fights for a role with the SHL team, or he heads out on loan again to another SHL or HockeyAllsvenskan team.

Oskar Vuollet, W (Skelleftea, SHL)

While I was slightly negative about Vuollet in the open, make no mistake. He still helped Skelleftea win the SHL championship this season. Every player that plays, especially almost every game in the playoffs, helps a team win. In 60 games played this year, he had 5 goals and 4 assists for 9 points.

One thing to keep in mind is that the SHL is a tough league for younger players. Unless you’re someone with lottery level talent, it’s tougher for you to get consistent minutes. Vuollet has a good amount of offensive creativity in his game, mainly being a perimeter player at this point. He’s got good playmaking ability but it’s hard to flash that ability in his limited play time.

Outlook for 2026/27: A bottom/middle 6 winger for Skelleftea.

Noel Fransen, LHD (Karlskoga, HA)

Fransen started his year in the SHL with Farjestad, getting limited (but productive) minutes with 2 points in 3 games. He was then loaned to Karlskoga in HockeyAllsvenskan and was getting 16+ minutes a night very regularly. He was then called back to Farjestad when former Wolves head coach Cam Abbott was hired, where he honestly struggled a bit. After 8 games, he was sent back to Karlskoga, called back up to Farjestad the next day, and then sent back to Karlskoga 2 weeks later (after playing 3 games in 3 days). Ok, got all that? In 56 games played this year, he had 7 goals and 11 assists for 18 points.

Fransen is one of the best offensive defenseman in the Canes system. He’s got dynamic skating ability and a desire to move the puck quickly. He’s had success running power plays for teams over the past few seasons and it’s easy to see why. Big fan of the way he’s a dangerous threat when he’s patrolling the blue line. The thing that I’d love to see Fransen work is being more physical defensively. He’s not the smallest defenseman, standing at 6’1 and 194 pounds, but he’s not the most physically engaging defender, which leads to some lapses in coverage.

Outlook for 2026/27: He’s rumored with a move to Ilves in Liiga, Finland’s top tier league.

Simon Forsmark, LHD (Timra IK, SHL)

After posting a career best year in the SHL, Formark had a slower year than previously expected. His ice time was down slightly and the plus/minus, a stat that I don’t really like using when judging defense, went from a +11 to a -8. In 51 games this year, he had 3 goals and 11 assists for 14 points.

A solid 4 way skater with good defensive instincts, he really blossomed into a top 4 role with Timra last year. Not quite sure what happened this year, but he wasn’t the same player as last year. The offense was still decent, like his passing ability from the point. Just a down year overall for the 22 year old.

Outlook for 2026/27: With his rights expiring on June 1st combined with his contract running until 2029, Forsmark’s time as a Canes Prospect will be coming to an end.

With that in mind, there are only 3 leagues I can currently tackle as of now, those being the NCAA, CHL, and HockeyAllsvenskan. HockeyAllsvenskan, while admittedly easier to do because there are only two players, I’m putting off for now because I’ll loop in the other Swedish league (SHL) to make it easier for myself. So for now, let’s talk about the “junior” ranks of North America, with the NCAA and CHL prospect(s).

Charlie Cerrato, C (Penn State)

A sadly common trend we’ll see when I talk about these prospects is seasons getting derailed due to injury. Charlie “Chuck” Cerrato was able to come back before his season was over from injury but it did derail a good chunk of his season. In 23 games this year, he had 7 goals and 20 assists for 27 points.

Cerrato was arguably Penn State’s most important center this season and when he went out with injury, you could see the impact it created. He plays in every situation and plays heavy minutes at even strength. He’s a crafty playmaker who isn’t afraid of going into the dirty areas to make things happen. Dangerous in transition, he’s able to use his passing ability to make things happen and has the hockey sense to see the play before it happens. He’s been great in the dot as well, making me more confident he sticks as a center throughout his career. As well, his work ethic is second to none and he’s got that #dawg trait that teams love to have come playoff time. He was a great player pre injury and tried his best to help Penn State in the postseason before going down with yet another injury in the NCAA tournament. While it stunk to see him out for an extended period of time, this was another successful season of development for Cerrato.

Outlook for 2026/27: Cerrato will be an important piece for the Chicago Wolves in the AHL. He’s already flashed the pro level skills he showcased at Penn State in the playoffs with an impressive performance in Game 1.

Jayden Perron, W (Michigan)

What needed to be a big season for Perron became a big season, as Perron was one of Michigan’s most important offensive players as the season went on. In 40 games this season, he had 18 goals and 23 assists for 41 points.

It was a career year for Perron, who capitalized on the opportunities given to him at Michigan. The wider public saw the immense skill that had Perron drafted in the 3rd round back in 2023. A lot of the traits you wanted to see developed did, including his play driving. Perron is extremely dangerous in transition, partly due to the East-West nature of his skating. He’s not afraid to go from one side of the ice to the other with the puck on his stick because he’s found ways to get around and through contact from defenseman. The passing remains great, being trusted as much to be the powerplay quarterback for the number 1 power play in the country, a power play that clicked at a 31.6% rate. His shot remains sneaky good, able to pick corners with deceptive speed off the stick. This year was also the first time you saw that real game breaking potential skill that Perron has, a prime example shown by this goal in the Big Ten Championship game.

Outlook for 2026/27: It looks like Perron will head back to Michigan for one final season, even though nothing has been announced anything yet.

Justin Poirier, W (Maine)

Stop me if you heard this one before, yet another player who was really important to their team’s success suffered an injury and the team started to struggle. Poirier was Maine’s top goal scorer and one of the best freshman in the country before injury. In 27 games played this season, he had 18 goals and 11 assists for 29 points.

Poirier was having a really nice run of games pre hip injury, leaning into the traits that made him successful in junior. His shot was still great, being able to beat most goaltenders with power and precision. He was handling the physicality better than expected, winning some board battles and being able to bounce off contact from time to time. He was one of the better players on that Maine team and will now, barring being healthy, be an important top 6 winger for a reloaded Penn State team.

Outlook for 2026/27: Hopefully healthy in time for the start of next season, Poirier will be a top 6 goal scoring winger for Penn State.

Michael Emerson, W (Merrimack)

A 6th round pick in 2023, Emerson has turned into a decent bottom 6 winger for a Merrimack team that shocked a lot of people and won the Hockey East Championship. In 37 games played, he had 4 goals and 5 assists for 9 points.

Emerson is mainly used for his physical presence and defensive impact. He has the ability to help out in faceoffs as he was a center for a good portion of last year. His shot is sneaky good, but his value is in his physicality, forechecking, and defensive impact. He was a decent player for that Merrimack team who surprised people.

Outlook for 2026/27: A middle/bottom 6 winger for Merrimack

Filip Ekberg, W (Ottawa 67s)

After ending his draft year season on a crazy heater, Ekberg came into this year fully healthy and ready to be a big contributor for Ottawa. In 68 games played, he had 27 goals and 27 assists for 64 points.

To be fair to Ekberg, he was a big contributor for Ottawa. Injuries robbed parts of his season but he was the 6th highest scorer on his team during the regular season and 4th in the playoffs. His goal scoring took a step up, which was nice to see since he has a tiny bit of the “I have a good shot but I’d much rather pass the puck” syndrome. The playmaking is noticeable, being able to connect plays at a decently high rate. With one more year of OHL eligibility left, I’d expect Ekberg to step up in point production, especially with Ottawa losing some production going into next year.

Outlook for 2026/27: One of Ottawa’s more important wingers.

You could still say the Kids are alright, since the average age of the Chicago Wolves roster is 24 years old, but the team is led by a youth movement, with their top 3 scorers being 20, 23, and 20. Even with losing a good amount of their scoring to the NHL during the last bit of the regular season, the Wolves still squeezed out a great 3 in 3 weekend. I’ll speak more on their MVP so far in the first Thought, but Felix Unger Sorum has become the engine that drives this Wolves team when push comes to shove. His playmaking and ability to be creative with the puck is one of the biggest reasons why the Wolves are 2nd in the division. That’s no disrespect to Justin Robidas (23) and Bradly Nadeau (21), who are incredibly impactful players, but Felix has been able to stay healthy and continue doing what he does, which is why I’m giving him the (mostly worthless) regular season MVP for the Wolves team.

With that said, let’s tackle some Thoughts.

1. Felix Unger Sorum (20), the player reborn. To triple your production in the AHL year over year is insanely tough, but Felix was up to that challenge. Last year, Felix was somewhat apprehensive and nervous to engage fully in board battles or most things that involved physicality. Now, he’s actively engaging in board battles and winning them more often than not. He fully bought into what his potential could be and this year has been absolutely reformative for him.

2. I know people will forever be mad at undersized wingers and, while I do understand it to a certain extent, please understand that Felix doesn’t get bullied off the puck often. He’s done immense work in the weight room over the past calendar year and has become a stout 5’11, 172 pounds. People had the same qualms about Jackson Blake and look what he’s become physically. Being undersized is not the end all, be all when it comes to a hockey player.

(Update: 1 NHL game, 1 NHL point).

3. I’ll be completely honest, I didn’t think Ronan Seeley’s (23) NHL debut would come with the Hurricanes. He’s a complete story of perseverance, from being diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm, to being a 7th round pick (this isn’t really a perseverance thing, but going to the NHL as a 7th round pick is tougher), dealing with the Hurricanes AHL/ECHL situation during Covid, he’s just been a pro’s pro. He deserves this callup too, as he’s moved into the role of the Wolves most consistent defenseman. He’s done everything, from playing power play and penalty kill, to eating big minutes when others go down with injury. This is, truly, one of the most deserved call ups during my tenure of covering the prospects.

4. Since we last spoke, Charlie Cerrato (21) signed a PTO with the Chicago Wolves. As of last Tuesday, he has started practicing with the team and is (hopefully) in line to contribute to the lineup for their playoff run. The PTO means he cannot return to college, which means we are just waiting for the announcement of an ELC. I’m just happy that he might play hockey again this season, as I was worried after the injury he suffered in the NCAA tournament.

5. Ivan Ryabkin (18) had one hell of a run in the QMJHL. 42 points in 20 regular season games and then 9 points in 7 playoff games is something you just don’t see that often, but he also went from playing against grown men to playing against U20 comp. I’d be more worried if he didn’t have immense success, but nevertheless. His first 3 games in the AHL after returning from Charlottetown were good. He was much more engaged into game action and was much more involved overall. The offense has come much more naturally and I’ve noticed the play driving traits flash more, which is what you really want to see from a young center playing professionally.

6. In one last funny Ryabkin QMJHL moment, he’s been suspended 3 games for abuse of officials. I really, really, doubt that he’ll ever actually serve that suspension.

7. The Glebinator has returned. There’s something special when two people from the same country who have never played together finally end up playing together and they look like they have the most natural chemistry. This is the case with Gleb and Ryabkin, who looked really, really good together. More so, they didn’t look worse off when switching from Nikita Pavlychev as the center to Ryabkin as the center, with Josiah Slavin running the LW. I really want to see more of this duo going forward, as they might be able to unlock the better parts of each other’s game.

8. For a more serious thing, the last 7 games Gleb Trikozov (21) has played has been some of the best hockey of his career in North America. He’s been the primary sniper on the third line and he’s been good! The offense is flowing and his backchecking has gotten much better. He’s forechecking with decent aggression as well. It takes me a second to remember that this is his technical first AHL season after having the vast majority of last year taken away from him due to 2 different leg injuries.

(Update: He blocked a shot on Saturday and seemed to be hurt. He couldn’t skate off on his own and needed help off the ice. Hoping for good news for him)

9. The Wolves are getting healthy at the perfect time, by the way. With Justin Robidas and Charlie Cerrato returning to practice, alongside the litany of players getting NHL game time right now, this lineup is going to be scary good come playoff time. Even with a depleted lineup, they still ended up getting points in all 3 games this past weekend. Adding Legault, Nystrom, Seeley, Nadeau, Robidas, and (potentially) Cerrato to that lineup is going to make for some incredibly fun viewings (in decent quality because I finally caved and bought FloHockey! No more 480p footage that freezes constantly!). Hopefully Ryan Suzuki and Juuso Valimaki (and Gleb) can get back in enough time as well.

10. Let’s talk Greensboro Gargoyles for a second, because I’ve gotten questions about them recently and I feel the need to talk about the guys down there. To be honest, they stink, which was expected for a brand new ECHL franchise. I had hoped that they’d be a little better, but alas. Ruslan Khazheyev’s (21) counting stats are going to look ugly, but I have to remind people that most of their defense is built upon recent college graduates and guys that don’t have a ton of experience at the pro level. As well, Ruslan still had more than handful of good starts, enough to give me a good feeling with him going into next year.

11. A fun stat I wanted to look up regarding Khazheyev. Since February 1st, he saw less than 30 shots in a game 3 times. He played in 19 games during that time. Ruslan faced a ton of shots over the course of the year, which is what you want to see when you are a young goalie.

12. Bryce Montgomery (23) was also good in my viewings, as he was a real leader for that team at times. The physical defenseman has one more year on his ELC, which I imagine will end up kind of the same way this year. He’ll get AHL looks, in which I should add that he was good in those AHL games, but might spend most of the year in Greensboro again.

13. 2 prospect related moves that might happen. First, KHL team Amur want to make the loan move for Andrei Krutov (19) permanent. I think it’s good, for one it shows that Amur were happy with what Krutov showed during his stint with the team. Secondly, Krutov could benefit from staying with Amur, a younger team that might use him more at center, something that he could be good at.

14. Noel Fransen (20) is rumored with a move to Ilves in Liiga, Finland’s top league. This seems like a good place for a fresh start. It seemed like he and Farjestad were headed for this after he returned from his loan to Karlskoga, played a couple games, and then was sent down again. A fresh start in a new league with a different style of play could do wonders for Fransen.

15. While we are talking about Farjestad, want to mention that former Wolves coach Cam Abbott signed a 2 year extension with Farjestad to continue coaching there.

16. I mentioned it during the last Canes regular season game, but it’s awesome to see all the Wolves guys play on the penalty kill and not look a second out of place. It’s a great showing of preparation that Spiros Anastas and the Wolves coaching staff does to get these younger players ready to play that trademarked style of hockey. It’s also a great showing of how the development is going, because if I told you 365 days ago that Bradly Nadeau would be killing penalties at the NHL, I might be telling a fib.

17. Spiros Anastas getting the full time coaching gig in Chicago was the easy choice, since he’s gotten points in 36 out of 50 games since he took over. Players have really bought into his system and his coaching style really seems to stick with them. He’s shown a good track record for youth development, shown by Felix tripling his point total, Bradly Nadeau going back to back point 25+ goal AHL seasons before he’s 21, and just a whole host of development for guys like Dominik Badinka, Ivan Ryabkin, and others.

17. It recently came out that Justin Poirier (19) will/has entered the transfer portal. Maine has had a mass exodus of guys, including 5 of their top 10 scorers and Florida Panthers draft pick Luke Coughlin. Poirier was having a great freshman season before going down with what we now know as a hip injury, which led him to getting hip surgery recently. At least 2 different people have reported that Wisconsin is a potential landing spot.

18. It’s quite honestly ridiculous that Felix Unger Sorum wasn’t named to the AHL first or second All Star team. He’s a top 5 scorer in the AHL but apparently that’s not good enough.

19. For anyone wondering about Jayden Perron (21), don’t be surprised to see him go back to Michigan for his senior season.

20. Alexander Siryatsky (19) has been really solid for Metallurg in the KHL playoffs. He’s been the 7th defenseman the majority of the time, which is the best place for him. He gets around 15-17 minutes a night, with some spot time on the power play and penalty kill. Outside of one really, really ugly moment that led to Torpedo tying up a game and then winning in OT, he’s been good.

21. NHL playoff related thought, it’s cool that the best line for the Canes in the playoffs so far has 2 “smaller” forwards by NHL standards (and Taylor Hall). While Jackson Blake isn’t the strongest skater, he’s got a combination of work ethic, hockey sense, and ability with his hands to keep him making plays. Then we got to the focus of the point, that being Logan Stankoven.

22. Not every smaller forward is going to be Logan Stankoven. It’s not possible to recreate what he does because he’s a special player. But the stigma around smaller forwards being net negatives on ice because they’ll just get bullied around needs to go away. Obviously, there will still be some smaller players who can’t handle the physicality, but it’s just not the case for everybody. Justin Poirier stands 5’8 and is able to handle contact pretty well, even inviting it at times.

22. Another NHL playoff related thought (that I’ll connect to prospects in a second), K’Andre Miller has really blossomed in the first 2 games of the playoffs. His physical frame and strong skating ability allow him to become a play eraser at a high rate, which is the point I want to make.

23. Do you remember last year when Darren Yorke and Eric Tulsky made it a point to mention how Roman Bausov fits the mold of defenseman they like? They want big, rangy defenseman that have a strong skating base who have the ability to take away time and space at a high rate. It’s something the Canes have coveted in (almost) all the defenseman they’ve taken over the past 3 years.

24. In 2023, they took 1 defenseman, that being Charles Alexis Legault. In 2024, they took Dominik Badinka, Noel Fransen, Alexander Siryatsky, Roman Shokhrin, and Timur Kol. In 2025, they took Kurban Limatov and Roman Bausov. The strongest attribute of each defenseman:

• Legault (6’4): defensive ability and good skating base

• Badinka (6’3): Projectable NHL traits (defense, breakouts, physical ability) and great skating

• Fransen (6’): Great skating and offense

• Siryatsky (6’4): Great skating

• Shokhrin (6’5): Great skating

• Kol (6’4): Great skating

• Limatov (6’3): Great skating

• Bausov (6’5): Great skating

Notice a trend? Out of the 8 drafted defenseman, only one was smaller than 6’3. Out of the 8 drafted defenseman, only one had an Elite Prospects skating grade under 5 (that being Charles Alexis Legault, who I’d say is better than a 5 now). Their drafting strategy over the past 3 years when it comes to defenseman has been take the upside swing on big, rangy defenseman who have a strong skating base and see if you can get development on the other aspects. For Fransen, it’s the offensive ability. For Limatov, it’s his aggressive play style in each zone. For Kol, it’s the defense (offense has also come along). Each of these guys has another trait, or two, that can project to the NHL if, and I stress if, it develops enough.

25. The Last Thought, brought to you by enough Russian player viewings that I’ve learned parts of the language without touching Duolingo in over 6 months, I’m still watching some players closely when it comes to any potential prospects coming to North America. I mentioned them last time, but I’m still looking at Fyodor Avramov (20), Timur Kol (19), and Alexander Rykov (20). Obvious disclaimer that I have no sources and hockey is an ever changing business, but these are the guys that could come to North America.

The new format will be a different Felix Unger Sorum game, but in video format. It’ll let me explain my thinking in a little more depth than what I can over words on a screen. Don’t expect that any time soon, because this one already took me months to get to. But it is something that’ll happen down the line. For now, let’s watch some Felix Unger Sorum tape and dissect what has made him successful this season.

Shift 1:

Off the faceoff, he supports to get the puck back. Receives the puck on the wall and fires a no look pass to the middle, which ends up in a grade A chance for Ronan Seeley. If Seeley is a righty, that looks a lot cleaner but still the idea is great from Felix. Having the sense to understand where the other defenseman is going to go and to be able to send the pass without looking over your shoulder is really nice. Rest of the shift is not much, but the wall work towards the end where he’s shielding the puck is encouraging when talking about his ability to handle the physicality of North America.

Shift 2:

Running the 2 man game with Aleksi Heimosalmi and then, eventually, the 3 man weave with Domenick Fensore creates all kinds of havoc for Manitoba. Wish Heimosalmi went back to Felix when he was one timer ready but the shot ends up being decent. The next play, where it’s probably more luck than anything, of him being able to get the puck to the middle while falling down is pretty cool.

4 on 4(3):

This is where Felix is allowed to show the insane creativity in his game. Liked him realizing that he wasn’t going to do anything 1v2 in transition and deciding to wait in the neutral zone to re-engage. Did it lead to anything? No, he messed up the entry pass and it resulted in a turnover. But the idea was good.

The abrupt freeze in the middle of this shift was the game footage I have, sorry about that.

He then gets stuck on ice for a little penalty killing shift, where it was somewhat ugly. But he did get the puck out and almost gave Justin Robidas a good chance the other way.

Shift 4:

Picking up this one in the middle of his shift, the Manitoba defender pushes him to the ice with relative ease but the pucks still ends up with Felix. He’s able to recover quickly and find Evan Vierling with open space. He reloads on the boards and receives the puck. His eyes immediately go to Vierling backdoor, but there is about 4 Manitoba players between Felix and Vierling.

How in the world does Felix get the puck to Vierling from here? Maybe it takes a slight bounce off the Manitoba player, but it gets there in the end and it’s a goal. Good work to keep the puck moving in the zone after losing his footing and then even better work to fit the puck backdoor in a tight window.

Shift 5:

We’ll pick up this shift with him getting the puck in transition and entering the zone. Here’s a nice example of him anticipating contact and embracing it, even going into the defender first. He starts to cycle behind the net and gets the visual attention of every single Manitoba player.

If you’re Manitoba, you staple this to the wall somewhere with the text “DON’T DO THIS” in all bold in a film session.

Nothing really comes of it, but good on Felix for taking Seeley’s place on the blueline while he does what he was doing.

“Shift” 5:

We bring the BOOM.

That’s about all I got for this game. Like I mentioned before, I plan on trying to get a video format version of After Further Review with a second game I have for Felix, but it’s getting to busy season with my semester ending, so that’ll come down the line.

What a season it’s been. Just like last year, I’m going to tally up who’s been in the Top 5 to see who’s been making noise over the course of the year, even though I have a feeling I know who’s going to be at the top. With that said, let’s get into the honorable mentions.

Honorable Mentions

• Filip Ekberg, RW (Ottawa 67s, OHL): 13 GP, 6 goals, 4 assists, 10 points

• Andrei Krutov, RW/C (Amur, KHL): 9 GP, 2 goals, 2 assists, 4 points

• Viggo Nordlund, LW/RW (IK Oskarshamn, HockeyAllsvenskan): 9 GP, 3 goals, 4 assists, 7 points

• Alexander Perevalov, LW/RW (Metallurg Novokuznetsk, VHL): 9 GP, 2 goals, 5 assists, 7 points

Ekberg has been Ekberg. He’s a really solid piece of Ottawa’s offense but has been known to have a dry spell or two. If he stays with Ottawa through his DY+2 (I doubt he leaves, but I also doubted Justin Poirier would leave Drakkar), would love to see a big jump in production. Krutov might have some slight favoritism from me, but he became a top 6 player for Amur on a playoff push while playing a position he wasn’t familiar with. I’ve said it before but I’d like to see him stay at center until it doesn’t work, a la Felix Unger Sorum. Nordlund had a really nice season in Sweden’s 2nd tier league, wondering if he sticks with Skelleftea in the SHL next year or goes out on loan again. Perevalov has been really solid this year, 6 foot guy with good skill while being a netfront power play presence.

5. Justin Robidas, RW/C (Chicago Wolves, AHL)

Stats: 11 GP, 0 goals, 8 assists, 8 points

Even though he’s currently injured (get better soon), “Robi” had a great month, being one of Chicago’s main playmakers with Bradly Nadeau out with injury. I’ll say it once, I’ll say it a million times, Justin Robidas will be a long time NHL player. He’s playing in every situation at a pretty high level, he can play center if needed, he’s a smart player, he’s a good playmaker, and more importantly, he’s a great dude. Robidas is complete package and I’m hoping he gets fully healthy in time for the Wolves’ playoff run in a few weeks.

4. Stanislav Yarovoy, W (Khimik, VHL)

Stats: 10 GP, 4 goals, 5 assists, 9 points

In hockey, there is such a term called the “16 game player.” A 16 game player is someone who’s game elevates when it’s playoff time. Their game takes the next step when 16 wins will win the big one. In terms of the VHL playoffs, Stanislav Yarovoy is a 16 game player. In Khimik’s 4-1 series win in the first round of the playoffs, he had 8 points in 5 games and it’s not hyperbole to say that he was Khimik’s best offensive player. He was electric, being able to weave in and out of traffic both in transition and in the offensive zone. It didn’t flash a ton during the regular season, but his skill is unreal.

3. Felix Unger Sorum, RW (Chicago Wolves, AHL)

Stats: 14 GP, 2 goals, 9 assists, 11 points

I was watching a Wolves game recently and realized just how improved Felix has been this season. He’s handling contact so much better, able to shield the puck with defenseman draped over him much more successfully now. The playmaking has gotten better, as his creativity is at it’s best when he has the puck on his stick. It’s not hyperbole to say he’s one of the best playmakers within the Canes system, including NHL guys. His skating has improved as well. He’s almost an entirely new player, a different version of the 20 point AHL guy last year. Felix Unger Sorum is in line for his NHL debut at some point in the next 2 weeks, I have no doubts about it.

2. Jayden Perron, RW (Michigan, NCAA)

Stats: 5 GP. 4 goals, 4 assists, 8 points

Turns out, transferring schools for a new opportunity is a good idea in certain situations. Perron has been a totally new player for Michigan, going over a point per game production wise for the first time in his college career. The playmaking has really, really stood out during Michigan’s run to the Frozen Four, being able to connect plays together at a high rate while on the top line. Even more, leading the nation’s top power play as the quarterback is something you don’t see forwards do very often. I know people want to see him sign after his season is over, and I think there’s a chance it happens, but I wouldn’t be entirely shocked to see him head back to Michigan for his senior season.

1. Ivan Ryabkin, C (Charlottetown Islanders, QMJHL)

Stats: 10 GP, 9 goals, 15 assists, 24 points

“Justin Poirier rule” be damned, that boy can hoop! Ivan Ryabkin has been part of a three headed dragon for Charlottetown over the past month that is almost incapable of not scoring. It feels like every single game Ryabkin has 2 or more points, because that’s what happens. Fun stat: Ivan Ryabkin has played 20 games in the QMJHL. He has 2 or more points in 13 of them. He has 3 or more points in 9 of those 20 games. His point pace if he played the entire season in the Q was 134 points. Now, would he have played in all 64 games? Absolutely not. As we’ve all seen with Ryabkin, the want and desire to be a pest and a “goon” drives him sometimes, so I’d bet money that he would’ve been suspended at some point. Hell, he already got suspended in the playoffs for “abuse of officials”. But the undeniables about Ryabkin are his talent, the hockey sense, and the roughhousing/physical playstyle.

As promised, here’s the tally of who made the Top 5 lists throughout the year. Note that we only count a top 5 appearance, not an honorable mention.

5 Times: Bradly Nadeau, Felix Unger Sorum

4 Times: Jayden Perron, Justin Robidas

3 Times: Nobody

2 Times: Yegor Velmakin, Jakub Vondras, Ivan Ryabkin, Justin Poirier

1 Time: Semyon Frolov, Ruslan Khazheyev, Fyodor Avramov, Charlie Cerrato, Filip Ekberg, Timur Kol, Viggo Nordlund, Alexander Perevalov, Stanislav Yarovoy

I’ll openly admit that the Central Bargaining Agreement confuses the absolute hell out of me. I’ve tried to understand it multiple times and just get more and more confused every single time (example: Earl Schwartz being hired by the Hurricanes as a CBA and Salary Cap analyst, someone who knows the ins and outs of this thing). BUT, as was pointed out by Mike McMahon of College Hockey News, players who sign an ATO can’t go back to college if they play in a game. Now, what’s the difference between a PTO and an ATO? Easiest way to describe it is one is for professional (PTO) and the other is for amateur (ATO). For Cerrato, the difference is minimal. This allows him to play in the AHL playoffs* while the Canes and his representatives work on the finer details of his entry level contract. The two examples I mentioned that would be the most discussed would be signing bonuses and, more importantly, when the contract starts.

The asterisk next to the AHL playoffs is due to health. Cerrato battled an injury that kept him out of most of the second half of the NCAA season. He came back in the Big 10 semifinal and then played in Penn State’s NCAA tournament game, but couldn’t finish out said game due to an injury. With the PTO, this allows him the opportunity to play in the AHL if he’s healthy enough to do so, which I certainly hope he is.

Now about Cerrato the player, I love this kid. My first real introduction to his game was at this past season’s development camp, where you could just see how much of a gamer this guy was. It didn’t matter what they were doing, Cerrato wanted to be the best at it. He wanted it more than others and he made sure to show that. The playmaking stands out the most to me, as he’s incredibly dangerous with the puck on his stick. Whether it’s just a connecting pass or it’s the primary assist, Cerrato understands how the game plays out and uses that to his advantage. The defensive side of his game is still a work in progress, but it did make good progress this year.

Also, for those wondering if he’ll be able to stay at center at the NHL level, the answer is a flat out yes. He’s able to drive play, something NHL centers have to be able to do at the next level and the defensive responsibility is getting there. As well, he had a 58.7% faceoff win percentage this past season for Penn State. The year before? 57.2%. I wish there was a way for me to see what his faceoff numbers were at the Spengler Cup but alas.

Lastly, I used this phrase a good amount when talking about him post Development Camp but Charlie “Chuck” Cerrato is a DAWG. Now, what does DAWG mean? It’s a lot of things wrapped into one. To me, it’s a combination of skill level, work ethic, and the ability to be an ass. Cerrato checks all three boxes. He has the skill level to be a top 9 center for the Canes (I’m leaning towards 3C right now, but point production could be closer to a 2C in the future), his work ethic is insanely good, and he has the innate ability to get under someone’s skin. First time I saw that last part was during small ice 2v2s at dev camp, where he made Alexander Rykov and Ivan Ryabkin real mad about something he did (even though Ryabkin might’ve just been doing it back because, well, that’s Ryabkin). It’s the small things like that that can really energize a team.

Also, he says he models his game after Sam Bennett. If you think that is a bad thing, you are wrong. Sam Bennett, moving the questionable hits aside, is a top 6 center that plays a physical style while also having enough skill to contribute on a top power play unit and a contending team’s NHL top 6. If Cerrato is half of what Bennett is, which I think he can and more, then the Hurricanes have a heck of player coming along.

I’ve also been lucky enough to talk to some Penn State people (shoutout Josh Bartosik) about Cerrato as a person, not just a player. The kid is amazing by all counts, a true stand up person. As well, Penn State’s coach Guy Gadowsky loves him. Seen partially by just how much of proud father he is watching Cerrato sign.

This is big for the Hurricanes because they really don’t have many center prospects in the system (it’s legitimately him and Ryabkin). Getting Cerrato to the professional level this soon shows just how far along he is in his development. Wolves and Canes fans are going to love the crap out of this kid.

It’s been a rather weird season. Not covering much of Alexander Nikishin is probably the biggest part of it, seeing as he’s been the lead guy for so long and I normally had something every single day. It also helped that Nikita Artamonov (20) was having one of the best U20 KHL seasons of all time, among other guys that had a really good season. Don’t get me wrong, it’s been happening again this season, but this season has felt somewhat incomplete to me.

That doesn’t mean we don’t have some guys having great seasons (ahem, Chicago Wolves top 3 scorers). This season has just been absolutely ravaged by injuries. Whether that be to Alexander Siryatsky (19), Semyon Frolov (19), Kurban Limatov (19), Justin Poirier (19) or Roman Bausov (18), it’s just been an unfortunate season for a lot of prospects. It feels more impactful for these guys because Siryatsky was on his way to becoming a consistent everyday KHL defenseman (more on that later), Frolov was carving out a real role with his MHL team and was putting up great stats, and Poirier was well on his way to being one of the better freshman in all of college hockey (again, more on that later).

With that said, let’s get to thinking.

1. Starting with a potential position change, Andrei Krutov (19) has been playing at center for the past few games with Amur in the KHL. I was somewhat confused by this because I had never remembered him ever playing center in the time that I’ve covered him and that’s because, well, he hasn’t played center since he played youth hockey. But it’s not the worst idea, as one of Krutov’s greatest skills is his hands, which is an important part of taking faceoffs. So far, he’s played 6ish games at center and has won 34.1% of his faceoffs. That looks bad, flat out. BUT, he has 3 games taking under 10 faceoffs. When he takes more than 10 faceoffs, he’s gone 33%, 10%, and 57%. It’s still not great, but seeing as he’s never played center at the professional level, it’s not the worst it could be. Since he’s still really young, I honestly hope Torpedo continues using him in the middle from time to time to see if it develops any further.

2. Alexander Siryatsky was getting a great run pre injury and since coming back, it’s been up and down. He got his season high in ice time in February, with 18:47 against Severstal. But then he’s seen a few scratches as well as sub 10 minute games. He’s been ok since coming back, had some great moments and then some not great moments. We’ll talk contracts later on, but he’s one player I’d prefer to see stay in Russia for another year or two.

UPDATE: He got a new career high in TOI with 21:33.

3. I’m gutted for Roman Bausov. Faught hard to come back, looked really good in the 18 games he played, and then he gets hurt again (for clarity, I went back and watched the last game he played. I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary and he finished out the game). Just absolutely sucks for him and I hope he gets healthy soon.

4. Alright, let me give the people some fun information. Here’s the list of Russian prospects that have expiring contracts as of May 31st, 2026:

• Alexander Siryatsky

• Alexander Pelevin

• Timur Mukhanov

• Alexander Rykov

• Fyodor Avramov

• Timur Kol

• Alexander Perevalov

• Yegor Velmakin

5. Out of those players, I think you’ll see at LEAST 2 of them head to North America after their seasons are over. I think Siryatsky would be better served staying with Metallurg Magnitgorsk for at least 1 or 2 more seasons. I think the sun has set on Alexander Pelevin (21), who will be an effective KHL/VHL defenseman in his career. Timur Mukhanov (20) and Alexander Perevalov (22) intrigue me in different ways. Perevalov has a heavy shot and has been a really solid netfront power play presence, which is cool for a sub 6 foot guy. Mukhanov is an undersized winger (roll your eyes, whatever) who’s played in 170 KHL games before turning 21. There is skill there, combined with a good skater. At the end of the day, I doubt they actually sign him.

6. That brings us to Alexander Rykov (20), Fyodor Avramov (20), Timur Kol (19), and Yegor Velmakin (22). 3 of these guys have already been in North America with the Canes at a development camp, with 2 of those being last year (Rykov and Avramov).

7. What does that mean?

8. Moving contract talk to Europe, here are the guys the Canes have until June 1st to sign:

• Nils Juntorp

• Simon Forsmark

• Jakub Vondras

With Simon Forsmark signing a 3 year extension with Timra and Nils Juntorp still playing 3rd tier Swedish hockey, I don’t think either will get signed, so salute to both of those guys for their service while Canes Prospects🫡.

9. College wise? Well, there’s no deadline on any of those guys but I guess there’s no harm in talking about it. I felt pretty good about Charlie Cerrato’s (20) chances of earning a pro contract after Penn State’s season, but the injury changed my thinking on it. If Penn State has a deep run, goes to a Frozen Four, or wins the National Championship, I think there’s still a chance. But I also wouldn’t be entirely shocked if he goes back to school for another season.

10. Justin Poirier, mentioned above, was one of the best freshman in college hockey pre injury. He’s better served heading back to school, whether that be with Maine or somewhere else (you never know in the day of NIL).

11. Jayden Perron (21) is a weird one. I’ll explain what I’ve seen in a second, but here’s an updated microstats chart from Mitchell Brown (who does spectacular work with these):

This basically sums up my thinking with Perron, he’s a great playmaker from the perimeter who struggles with contact, which shouldn’t be a huge shock since 5’9 and 174 pounds. He doesn’t really drive play but does have success in transition. I’d imagine he heads back to Michigan for his senior year and wouldn’t be shocked if it ends up like Lucas Mercuri.

13. Lastly, Michael Emerson (22). He’s got another year and I’d imagine he uses it.

14. The last thought, brought to you by the 2026 NHL Draft and the 4 picks the Hurricanes currently have, Ivan Ryabkin (18) is electric. He’s straight up dominating the QMJHL, something which is almost expected of him. He’s physically stronger than 90% of the competition and is just flat out better than a large majority of players too. Whether it be playmaking or his shot, he’s just better. If there is one player I’m going to watch real closely for the playoffs, it’s Ivan. His already borderline psychotic physicality is going to get ramped up to 11.

With March being the last real regular season month for a lot of prospects, alongside playoffs starting for others, March will be the last Top 5 for the year. Which means it’ll be the normal top 5 plus a recap of the year afterwards, including who holds the belt going into next year (because that’s still a thing). This month was also just weird, with a lot of injury and some lengthy breaks, alongside just a down month for the prospects overall. With that said, the honorable mentions.

Honorable Mentions

• Filip Ekberg, W (Ottawa 67s, OHL) - 11 GP, 4 goals, 4 assists, 8 points

  • Pretty much a normal month for Ekberg now. Flashes of a player that can lead his team in points but injuries derailed part of his season. Has a 20-20 season going though, which is nice for a 18 year old.

• Kurban Limatov, D (MHK Dynamo Moscow, MHL) - 9 GP, 5 goals, 2 assists, 7 points

  • This guy rules. Just a rangy defender who loves to run in transition and use his superb skating. His lowest ice time total in the month of February was 22:30.

• Jayden Perron, W (Michigan, NCAA) - 8 GP, 3 goals, 3 assists, 6 points

  • He’s been a perfect player on the top line for a contending team in college. Playmaking is awesome, skating is a plus attribute.

• Stanislav Yarovoi, W (Khimik, VHL) - 10 GP, 4 goals, 3 assists, 7 points

  • They gave him ice time and it worked! He plays offense with much more flair than I expected. Injuries haven’t helped him this season either. Has made a KHL appearance after not seeing it since the start of the year, which I didn’t think would happen.

5. Ivan Ryabkin, C (Charlottetown Islanders, QMJHL)

The “Justin Poirier” rule, introduced last year while Justin Poirier was doing his thing for Drakkar, returns with Ivan Drag-, I mean Ivan Ryabkin. February was a nice month for the young center, who had 3 goals and 7 assists for 10 points in 6 games.

Matt’s statement about Ryabkin stands completely true in my eyes, “I hope he never loses his sense of wonder.” When talking about Ryabkin’s move to the QMJHL, I wanted to see him take certain aspects of his game from the Wolves and further refine them. I also wanted to see him find that offensive confidence again. I can confidently speak to the second statement and say he’s found it. He’s deking (and sometimes decking) opponents before giving his teammates a perfect pass. His shot is still electric, being able to beat goalies in a whole host of ways. Most importantly to some, he still loves to start things with his physicality and his antics. Perfect example is a goal he scored from this past weekend (from March but it works really well).

Scores with a nice shot, hits an ELITE celebration, and then talks junk to the opposing bench on the way to the handshake line. If his effort level comes up further, he’d get serious consideration for the #dawg stamp.

4. Bradly Nadeau, W (Chicago Wolves, AHL)

Ugh, my 20 year old prospect only had 4 goals and 3 assists for 7 points in 8 games. What a shame (please understand sarcasm).

Nadeau, one of the Wolves’ 3 headed monster, is the team’s most important player. When he’s going offensively, he’s able to carry his line. One trend I’ve noticed is his ability to find open space consistently. If I’m the coach of an AHL team that’s playing the Wolves, I’d try to cover 82 at all times. He’s still on pace for back to back 30 goal AHL seasons, which would be rather ridiculous.

Fun fact: Bradly Nadeau, if he scores 7 goals in the next 21 games, would become the first player in AHL history to have two 30+ goal season before turning 21. Unreal

3. Yegor Velmakin, G (Dynamo St. Petersburg, VHL)

After flirting with the top 5 for a few months, Yegor Velmakin makes his triumphant entrance into the top 5 for the first time EVER. It’s well deserved too, as in 5 games played, he had a .952% save percentage and a 1.6 Goals Against Average.

Is this slightly inflated by a 9 save appearance where he came in relief? Partially, yes. But he also posted his first shutout of the season, he made 36/38 saves in a 4-1 loss, and he made 35/38 saves in a 4-3 win. I’m still really interested in what he does after this season. With his contract running out and with 3 out of the 4 goalies the Canes have in the AHL/ECHL on an expiring contract, I wonder is Velmakin gets a chance to try his hand in North America.

2. Justin Robidas, W/C (Chicago Wolves, AHL)

Justin Robidas, the most consistent of the Wolves’ 3 headed monster, just keeps doing what he’s supposed to. He’s killing penalties, he’s helping the top unit on the power play, he’s doing great at even strength, AND taking faceoffs on the right side of the ice. I’m going to keep stressing this, but Robidas is good enough to be an NHL guy right now.

1. Felix Unger Sorum, W (Chicago Wolves, AHL)

The third head of the three headed monster in Chicago, Felix Unger Sorum is the most improved out of any Chicago Wolves player this year. He’s on pace to TRIPLE his rookie year production! In February, Felix had 3 goals and 6 assists for 9 points in 8 games.

There is just so much intrigue about Felix. If you listened to the most recent Developing Hurricanes episode, you would’ve heard Matt and I rant and rave about the player he is. The way he can process the game and make plays is something the Canes haven’t seen since Teuvo Teravainen, someone who we compared him to multiple times (even if Matt was sheepish about his other comp, but for good reason). He’s an unbelievable playmaker, moreso now that he’s able to handle the physicality of the professional game much, much better now. When the Canes make callups for Wolves players at the end of the year (barring he isn’t traded by the deadline), he will be among those making his NHL debut this year.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: I am headed to Vegas on Sunday so don’t expect anything written from me until sometime after March 16th. I’ll try my hardest to keep the normal updates going on the account, but I can’t promise anything.

You know, I always enjoyed basketball as a kid. I sucked, do not get me wrong, but it was fun to just play pickup with friends, even if I stunk. Learning about the three man weave was one of the things I vividly remember, because it was the one thing I could actually do. I couldn’t dribble (and still can’t now) but I can move the rock. The Chicago Wolves are currently getting insane production from three young guys, who can move the puck cleanly and efficiently but who can also finish when needed. There’s also a 4th guy, Ryan Suzuki, who would be talked about here but since he’s not a prospect anymore, I’ll spend more time talking about the other 3. But seriously, shoutout Suzuki for being the glue that holds the Wolves top line together. With that explanation (which the relation to the three man weave being incredibly weak) out of the way, let’s get to thinking.

Also, Three Man Weave by Injury Reserve is a spectacular song.

1. Felix Unger Sorum (20) has been superb this year. There’s many examples I could use but I really like the OT goal he had against Colorado before the All Star Break.

Felix loves to pass, he’s extremely unselfish with the puck. But sometimes, he needs to do this. Just be individualistic and selfish and just take over. Takes it from his own end, uses Juuso Valimaki as a screen to open up space, and then just RIPS it. His shot is underrated and he should really use it more. But man, from 20 points last year to 39 as of the All Star Break is great. (He’s up to 41 points now)

2. Bradly Nadeau (20) has been the Wolves best offensive player, flat out. Any time he steps on the ice, he’s a threat. Like Spiros Anastas said, he’s become a much more complete player. The development it takes to go from a “power play merchant” last year to a top unit penalty killer who has completely flipped his plus/minus is great.

3. I explained it further on Twitter but +/- has to be used WITH context. Without context, it’s a stat that people can point to and make assumptions that might just be wrong. In regards to Nadeau, this is a big indicator of the strides he’s made defensively from last year. He’s more active with his stick in the defensive zone and has been pretty solid on the penalty kill. So, when someone has been playing with the same relative players on a line over the past year and finds a way to flip their +/- by over 40, it’s a good indicator of defensive development.

4. Justin Robidas (22) has been the Wolves best all around player, flat out. Nadeau has been better offensively but Robidas has been the better all around player. This is a player who just succeeds everywhere he goes. Whether it’s junior (winning the QMJHL and the CHL Cup), whether it’s being near a point per game player as a 20 year old in the ECHL before, or whether it’s in the AHL, where he has 97 points in 110 games. He’s going to be a good bottom 6 forward in the NHL for a long time.

5. Did I mention these guys first for a reason? Maybe. When speaking about the deadline, at least Nadeau and Felix are the two guys I see the most involved in any sort of mock trade and it’s fair. Those are the forwards with the most value as of right now. Defensively, it’s probably Legault. Maybe Kurban Limatov (18) has some good value but he’s just a D+1 right now.

5. Speaking of Big Kurb, what an electric hockey player. He’s actively leading or joining the rush, he’s jumping up at the right time, he’s making the offense look easy. I’d say he’s one of my favorite prospects to watch right now.

6. His defensive partner, Timur Kol (19), has continued his great season. But I want to absolutely stress just how ridiculous his usage is. I made a graphic during Alexander Nikishin’s last KHL season because he was getting 25 minutes or more almost every single night. I think I might repurpose that same graphic for Kol, who is averaging 25:04 TOI a night. That’s about 1:50 more than the next closest player. (Update: hey look he got KHL time. It was barely any, but it counts!)

7. It’s been nice to see a handful of prospects start rolling again. First, Stanislav Yarovoy (22) has had a really, really nice string of games over the past month or so. Much more involved offensively, even in limited roles some times. It’s cool to see the flair in his game shine through from time to time.

8. Oskar Vuollet (20) has enjoyed a similar stretch of games, not to the same extent of points but has had some good production. I still have questions about his game translating but this stretch has been really nice.

9. I’ve found myself watching the QMJHL much more and Ivan Ryabkin (18) has made the experience one to behold. I don’t want to say good or bad because it’s been about as bipolar as you can imagine. One night, he has 4 points (3 primary) and looks incredible. On other nights, he’s taking some less than stellar penalties and struggling. It’s been more good nights than bad though. For fun, if we look at his points per game (sitting at a 2.0 with 20 points in 10 games), that’s good enough for 1st in the league. (Small sample size is small, so this is nothing more than a fun fact but it’s still cool).

10. Viggo Nordlund (19) is chugging along just fine in the HockeyAllsvenskan. Currently sitting in 4th in U20 points, he’s been inconsistent for the most part of this year. But it’s a big jump from the U20 league so I’m not too concerned with it.

11. It’s awesome to finally see Alexander Siryatsky (19) back on the ice, even better to see him not miss a single beat. 14 minutes of ice time in his first game back while also getting a little bit of penalty killing time is awesome to see from a young defenseman in a senior league. I’m super high on him and it’s for a good reason, promise.

12. Speaking of defenseman that I’m super high on returning from injury, Charles Alexis Legault (22) returned to action on Thursday for the Chicago Wolves and didn’t look out of place at all. Picked up a primary assist on a great activation from his zone after noticing a defenseman out of place. Was really solid defensively and was physical.

13. The last thought, brought to you by enough caffeine to take down a water buffalo, congratulations to Gleb Trikozov (21) on the birth of his first child! New born dad strength on ice is one hell of a thing.