Going Over the Carolina Hurricanes 2024 Draft Class

If you thought they didn't have enough Russians, think again!

To sum up this draft, I’ll lead with this image

Going into this draft, I assumed the Canes would lean into taking more Russians in the later rounds. I did NOT think that 6 of their 10 picks would be Russians. The Canes had 2 big needs, with center and defenseman being the biggest “weaknesses” in the pool. They certainly addressed the defenseman need, taking 5 defensemen, but centers are much harder to come by if you aren’t picking at the top of the first round. Let’s go through the class, pick by pick, starting with their first selection, Dominik Badinka.

Dominik Badinka

To use an absolutely horrible play on words of his last name, Dominik Badinka might be smart enough to use the term coined by Sheldon Cooper in “The Big Bang Theory” that his last name sounds so much like. He’s an insanely smart player, shown by his defensive ability and his anticipation, being able to break up plays before they even happen. It also doesn’t hurt that Badinka is 6’3 so his added length is invaluable when trying to break up plays. Looking at the tracking stats from Lassi Alanen:

Badinka is a solid play driver in transition and he uses his body to make space for his play-making ability. This shows in his J20 Nationell production, 13 points in 17 games, but it didn’t come across that much in his SHL minutes. What did translate to the senior level was his defensive ability. Badinka thrives at preventing plays and entries, but not being the greatest puck retriever could hold him back.

Badinka is signed with the Malmo Redhawks at least until the end of the 2025/26 season.

Nikita Artamonov

One of, if not, my favorite selection in this draft class, I was incredibly happy to see Nikita Artamonov being taken in the second round. He’s a high-energy, highly intelligent forechecking winger who already has 55 games of KHL experience under his belt at just 18 years old. His playmaking stands out more than his shot, being incredibly smart with the puck on his stick. Artamonov is also another incredibly smart player, having great internal timing in most aspects of the game. While he might be 5’11, he is going to be a pure pest when the puck is in the other team’s defensive zone. Using tracking data from Lassi Alanen:

Artamonov is a great transition player, being able to create a ton with the puck on his stick. He loves to pass to the slot and his ability to use his body to create space or send a puck to the middle is very good. Artamonov’s contract currently runs through the end of the 2025/26 KHL season, so it’ll be a few years before we can potentially see him in North America.

Noel Fransen

I heard you really liked smooth skating, foreign born defenseman, so might I introduce Noel Fransen. Going one point short of putting up a point-per-game at the J20 Nationell level (44 points in 45 games), Fransen’s skating is insanely good for his age and he uses this edge he has in his game to transition the puck himself out of his own zone. Using this tracking data from Lassi Alanen:

Fransen is a creative playmaker. With the puck on his sticks, he’s deceptive and he’s smart enough to use this deceptiveness to exploit defenders, putting them in awful positions. There are some worries about his defensive game but at least at the J20 Nationell level, it doesn’t seem to track. Fransen is expected to stay within the Farjestad system for next year. Now, let’s enjoy some highlights:

Alexander Siryatsky

I also heard you REALLY like Russian defensemen, so I present Siryatsky. At 6’2, Siryatsky is a rangy and lanky defender. He’s a reactive defender off the rush, waiting for the opposing players to make a move and he’s quick enough to make the play most of the time. He’s not overly physical as he’s a measly 157 pounds currently, but that is something that can change over time. His passing stands out more than his shot, but his offensive game is incredibly simple, just taking whatever the defense will give him and not going out of his way to make a play happen on his own. Spending most of his year at the MHL level and putting up a respectable 19 points in 36 games, Siryatsky did make his KHL debut in this past season and he should fight for a spot with Metallurg going into next season. Siryatsky is signed with Metallurg until the end of the 2025/26 season.

Oskar Vuollet

The only “center” prospect taken in this draft by the Canes, Vuollet is an interesting player. Scouts praise his hockey IQ, commenting on his ability to anticipate plays being made and having the skill to get the puck to where it needs to go. His skating is solid, his shot is solid, his passing is solid, everything about his game is solid. The issue though is that Vuollet lacks the physical aspects to have a truly dynamic game and his skating and quickness can be questionable at times. Looking at Lassi Alanen’s tracking data:

It holds true. His playmaking is solid, his involvement in the offense is nice to see but he just doesn’t like to get in those tougher areas. Vuollet is signed with Skelleftea AIK until the end of the 2025/26 season.

Justin Poirier

This is the Canes trademark “Boom or Bust” pick of the draft in Justin Poirier. The big (ironic) drawback is that Poirier stands just 5’8. His skating has some questions and you will have that stigma of players of his size not making the NHL. But you have to bet on his shot. He’s one of the youngest players in this draft, as he has a September 2006 birthday. Poirier has one of the best shots in the entire draft and he drops to the fifth round, it makes sense to take him. Looking at the tracking data from Mitchell Brown:

Poirier was one of the biggest, if not the biggest, playdriver with Baie-Comeau in the QMJHL. He’s not a reluctant shooter, which can work against him from time to time. Even his defensive game has a solid foundation. In the fifth round, this is bet that you can be willing to take. Take a moment and watch 2 minutes of why Poirier has some insane upside (Elite Prospects compared parts of his game to Alex Debrincat).

Timur Kol

6’4? Left-handed defenseman? Russian? I’m getting flashbacks.

But seriously, Timur Kol is a mountain of a human being. Another one of the youngest players in this year’s draft, Kol is another “boring but effective” defenseman. Playing at every single level of Russian hockey besides the NMHL, Kol had 21 points in 47 games played across the MHL, VHL and KHL. His skating is solid, his shot is solid, he’s still learning how to use his body in the most effective ways. Defensively, he’s good and having that longer reach is incredibly helpful. With some strong development, Kol could be a solid player down the line. He is signed with SKA until the end of the 2025/26 season.

Roman Shokhrin

The last Russian defenseman taken (but not the last Russian taken), Shokhrin is the biggest of the bunch standing at 6’5! Playing the entire year at the MHL level, he had 14 points in 36 games for two different teams (funnily enough, both called Loko Yaroslavl). Looking at some tracking data from Lassi Alanen:

Shokhrin is a solid player in transition and that might be because he was used as a 4th line forward for a period of time during the season. He understands how to leverage his body into space and time and can move the puck at a decent rate. The issue is his defensive game, as he over relies on his reach to just poke the puck away, which can lead to some ugly low lights. I’m very interested to see how he’s used going into next year with one of the Loko Yaroslavl’s. Shokhrin is under contract with Lokomotiv until the end of the 2025/26 season.

Fyodor Avramov

It’s been since Pyotr Kochetkov that a player has been taken from Kapitan Stupino, what a coincidence. Avramov is a big, physical winger who produced at a decent rate in the MHL, posting 44 points in 49 games on a not great team. Looking into some tracking stats from Lassi Alanen:

Avramov is a solid shooter, he can use his body to create his own offense, he’s a solid play driver and his playmaking is, well. On the forecheck, Avramov thrives at being able to use his body to just bully players off the puck. An intriguing player who outscored the next closer player on his team by 15 points! Avramov’s contract is currently set to expire at the end of the 2024/25 season, so we could see a slightly quicker move to North America (don’t hold your breath).

Andrey Krutov

Being serious, I couldn’t find a picture for him so we will just talk about him instead. Producing at a very solid rate for Chaika Nizhny Novgorod in the MHL with 60 points in 55 games played, Krutov is all gas with very minimal breaks. Offensively, Krutov’s hands are special, being able to dangle around defenders like traffic cones. His shot is ahead of the curve. The rest of his game, you ask? It struggles to keep up. His hockey sense is below average but it’s the 7th round and for a player with golden hands like Krutov has, you bet on the upside. Krutov’s contract with Chaika is slated to expire at the end of the 2025/26 season but until then, here’s him using MHL defenders as practice dummies for 39 seconds.