Going Over the 2026 Carolina Hurricanes Draft Class
It feels really, really wrong to not talk about a Russian player this year
After taking at LEAST 1 Russian player for the past 8 years, the Canes have gone an entire draft without taking one. Still, this draft comes with a LOT of intrigue as they took a mix of players with high floors, insanely high ceilings, and two goalies. Let’s dive in.
Pick 1 - William Hakansson, LHD (Lulea, SHL)
DY Stats: 60 GP, 3 goals, 13 assists, 16 points
In a fun twist, when I was doing the Names to Know for defenseman, I took off Hakansson because I thought he go much higher than he did. Little did I know that he’d be available at 51.
Canes draft history shows they love taking the defenseman who has a strong skating base and one or two other good to great traits. Hakansson fits that to a tee. Hakasson is a 6’4 who skates really well who also understands that he’s 6’4. Hyper physical, able to use the frame he has to separate man from puck and keep possesion. Good at breaking the puck out, the offensive skills aren’t as developed as the defensive ability, but the potential for Hakansson as a number 1 penalty killer and shutdown D at the NHL level is extremely intriguing. A real solid pick at 51, and a real solid pick for the only defenseman in this class.
Pick 2 - Wiggo Sorensson, W (Boro/Vetlanda, Division 2)
DY Stats: 59 GP, 61 goals, 52 assists, 113 points
Ended up having to pull out the calculator to try and do all the math with the points and games played, but man, Wiggo lit up everywhere he played this year. Will mention that the points and games played comes solely from domestic games (including playoffs) and not international competition. This player, while playing everywhere, has the highest potential of any player here.
As people can figure out, I’m a big fan of the Canes taking the hyper skilled forwards no matter the size. Wiggo fits that perfectly, as he’s a good skater with really good puck skills. He’s got great speed and the ability to get around defenders with that and his ability with the puck on his stick. While people might have concerns about competition level, Wiggo consistently performed at every single level of play. Great showing in the 4th division of Swedish hockey, good performances in both the U18 and U20 Nationell, and had a great performance at the U18 World Juniors with 6 points in 6 games. That’s good enough for 2nd on Sweden only behind first round pick Elton Hermansson. There will be concerns with translatability and size, but this is the type of high upside bet the Canes like to take and Wiggo gives a lot to like.
Pick 3 - Zach Lansard, W (Regina Pats, WHL)
DY Stats: 73 GP, 27 goals, 32 assists, 59 points
Hands up, I had no clue who Zach Lansard was and for that, I deeply apologize because there is a LOT to enjoy with Lansard’s game. Also, if you are a person who gets a little nervous when the Canes take players under 6 feet tall (Lansard is around 5’10-5’11), don’t worry about that with Lansard.
As soon as I saw that Elite Prospects gave him the “Got that dog in him” trait, I was almost sold. When I got to watch a highlight tape of him and saw what he was doing on the ice to be productive, I fully bought in. It’s the small things, even with the flashy plays. It’s getting to the middle of the ice, it’s getting around defenders, it’s being able to play off the puck. Combine that with a high motor and you create a player that was built for the Carolina Hurricanes. Would love to see him continue to work on the transition game.
Here’s that highlight tape:
Pick 4 - Mikey Berchild, W (US National U18 Team, NTDP)
DY Stats: 69 GP, 31 goals, 41 assists, 72 points
Would you believe me when I say the Canes took a 3rd super skilled, slightly undersized forward in one draft? You should, because Berchild has unreal skill while also being 5’10.
Once again, Berchild’s tape is super enjoyable to watch. Ability to get to the slot, not afraid to shoot, good ability off the puck, silky hands, good skating, and a nice motor. Oh yeah, and he’s off to college to get coached by one of, if not, the best coach in all of college hockey in David Carle at the University of Denver. Also had a really good U18 World Juniors (6 points in 5 games), coming in 3rd on the US team behind 1st round pick Wyatt Cullen and Lucas Zajic.
Pick 5 - Ryder Fetterolf, G (Ottawa 67s, OHL)
DY Stats: 50 GP, 2.65 GAA, .912%
I am STOKED to talk about Fetterolf because it’s a goalie I actually got to watch a good amount of this year when I’d watch Filip Ekberg. I know people are immediately going to be worried about the size, but let me explain why that shouldn’t be a concern.
This is the first goalie the Canes have drafted from the CHL since Jeremy Helvig in 2016. Former Canes Prospects Jakub Vondras and Jakub Hamrla both played in the CHL post draft, but they weren’t drafted from the CHL. The Canes haven’t taken a goalie that was sub 6 feet tall since Alexander Nedeljkovic in 2014 (depending on where you find your measurements). The thing with Fetterolf is that he stops the puck at a high level. He makes sure that he gets in front of the puck by any means necessary and he has that ability to make the explosive movement and the spectacular save. Very interested to see how he does at Penn State next year. I’ll leave you with his award list from this year:
That ain’t bad.
Pick 6 - Zachary Jovanovski, G (Guelph Storm, OHL)
DY Stats: 56 GP, 3.80 GAA, .888% save percentage
In a turn of events I never saw coming, 3 out of the 6 Carolina Hurricanes draft picks came from the CHL. 2 of those picks were goalies, something really rare for the Hurricanes. But the goalie position was a position of need, seeing as the only 2 prospect goalie (by my standards and rules) are Ruslan Khazheyev and Semyon Frolov. Jovanovski has some interesting traits.
Jovanovski has the prototypical size that you like to see in a goalie, standing around 6’3. He’s got solid quickness and good technique, alongside a nice glove hand. Scouts still have concerns about his movement and tracking. The stats aren’t bad on a Guelph team that struggled in the OHL this year. It’s a pure bet on him developing the rest to round out his game while already having some solid traits and good size.