Hurricanes Prospect Positional Rankings: Left Wing
I was moving, so it took a little longer this time
Welcome BACK to the series that will take up some downtime during the summer. I will go through the Carolina Hurricanes prospect farm, pick out a position group, and update everyone on these players. These updates will consist of how they played this past season, what strengths and weaknesses are in their game, and a projected (if there is one) NHL timeline. These lists will also be a ranking of the position as well, with players listed higher being the guys closer to the NHL and with more potential. Today, we got left wingers.
Want to start off with an apology, as I had some work things to take care of last week alongside moving back to school that took up much of my time. But nevertheless, I am back giving out rankings on all the LW prospects with the Canes system. When starting this, I didn’t realize that after *SPOILER, EVEN THOUGH IT’s VERY OBVIOUS WHO IT IS*, the list becomes rough. Especially since Ryabkin, who has played LW throughout his days, will be classified as a center. In any case, let’s run these suckers down.
1. Bradly Nadeau, Chicago Wolves (AHL)
Last season’s stats: 64 GP, 32 goals, 26 assists, 58 points (playoffs: 2 GP, 0 points)
This shouldn’t shock anyone. The kid who just had a historic season in the AHL as someone who was still years away from being able to legally drink alcohol is obviously the top guy here.
I’m not going to spend a ton of time on Nadeau because I feel like everyone knows just how good he is now and just how good he can be in the future. His shot is NHL ready by a mile and could give the Canes a true one time threat on the power play. His playmaking has taken steps since college and his play away from the puck in the offensive zone has continued to improve. He’s a decent skater and needs to get better defensively, but this kid has true 30-40 goal potential at the NHL level, which is something that the Canes really don’t have within the pipeline.
Outlook for 2025/26: A top line player for the Chicago Wolves
2. Fyodor Avramov, HK Sochi/HK Rostov (KHL/VHL)
Last season’s stats (split across KHL/VHL/MHL): 49 GP, 10 goals, 7 assists, 17 points
When I said it was going to be a little rough after Nadeau, I wasn’t lying. That’s not a shot to the rest of the guys here, but Nadeau is head and shoulders above these guys in terms of development. Back to the player and I think everyone knows I really, really like Avramov. He’s a throwback of a player, a power forward that knows how to use his body effectively and skates really well. Compliment that with an underrated shot and you create a super interesting player.
I think what’s holding him back right now is the inconsistencies in playing time and leagues last season. Bouncing around from getting top line minutes in the MHL to getting 13th forward duties in the KHL is a weird spot to be, especially since he barely played any KHL minutes. But watching him at development camp was a treat. He’s able to glide around defenders and even if they get physical with him, he’s 6’3 and 205 pounds, he’s not giving that puck up easily.
Outlook for 2025/26: Please, consistent playing time in the VHL. I am begging you, Sochi.
3. Stanislav Yarovoi, Spartak Moscow (KHL)
Last season’s stats (with Vityaz (RIP)): 49 GP, 9 goals, 3 assists, 12 points
One of the nicest dudes you will ever meet, I was a little sad to Yarovoi stay in Russia but I understood it. The player had wanted to stay in North America but sometimes, things just don’t work out. I don’t hate the situation he was thrown into in Russia, as Spartak is a good team with some opportunities for him to move up and down the lineup. Also, I’ll get to watch former prospects Alexander Pashin and Joey Keane, for better or for worse. (I will say, Pashin has turned into a solid KHL player).
I like Yarovoi’s game. He’s got a lot more skill hidden in his game than what he’s shown so far (if only I had gotten video of the insane shootout goal he scored during development camp, my bad on that one). His hockey sense has gotten better and he has a desire to get to the middle of the ice, something that I, personally, value a lot when watching a player. He also said that he wants to play center, which would be incredibly nice since the Canes center depth in the pipeline is, well, you’ll see next week. He just needs to find consistency.
Outlook for 2025/26: A KHL player for Spartak.
4. Oskar Vuollet, Skelleftea (SHL)
Last season’s stats: 44 GP, 4 goals, 5 assists, 9 points (playoffs: 11 GP, 2 goals, 0 assists, 2 points)
I’m always a big fan of U20 players getting extended playing time with their senior team at the highest level of competition, so I’m happy with what Vuollet was able to accomplish last season, especially since he was primarily a bottom line winger or 13th forward. He scored his first SHL hat trick and played deep into the SHL playoffs, including scoring his first (and second) SHL playoff goal.
Vuollet is a solid offensive player. He combines great skating with good perimeter play that makes him a serious threat in the offensive zone. I was vocal about wanting him to get to the middle more going into last season and he certainly did that. He was in front of the net winning battles and he became the bumper player on the power play from time to time. I’m interested to see where he ends up in the Skelleftea lineup this season because I think he’s a player that has earned a bump in playing time. But that’s not up to me, obviously.
Outlook for 2025/26: A middle 6/bottom 6 winger for Skelleftea.
5. Gleb Trikozov, Chicago Wolves (AHL)
Last season’s stats: 20 GP, 2 goals, 1 assists, 3 points
Truthfully, I’m not spending a ton of time on Gleb. This is solely because we barely saw him play last year through no fault of his own. He finally found his game right before the first leg injury and then after 1 singular game after coming back from that injury, he suffered another leg injury. I still think his offensive potential is high, but I have to watch him play more this season to actually form that opinion.
Outlook for 2025/26: FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, STAY HEALTHY SO YOU CAN PLAY FOR THE WOLVES.
6. Viggo Nordlund, IK Oskarshamn (HockeyAllsvenskan)
Last season’s stats (mainly with Skelleftea U20, but also SHL team): 55 GP, 24 goals, 26 assists, 50 points (playoffs: 13 GP, 6 goals, 6 assists, 12 points)
Do you like small, insanely skilled wingers? Or do you hate fun? Either way, Viggo is an insanely skilled undersized winger, something that the Canes like a lot (so much they took 2 of them in one draft, ooooo spooky). Nordlund proved he was much too good the U20 league after putting up over a point per game in the regular season while also putting up 2 points per game in the playoffs. He only played in 6 U20 playoff games because he was playing 7 SHL playoff games with Skelleftea.
Like I mentioned above, Nordlund has beautiful skill. His hands are something to behold and his skating is as good as others. He thinks quickly, either with the puck on his stick or without the puck and moving towards open space. The one true downside that Nordlund has is that, well, he’s undersized. Realistically, that’s not a true downside unless you let it be one (hello Logan Stankoven). If he can get some weight on his frame, a semi-common issue amongst these Swedish wingers, he’s going to be a fascinating player to track.
Outlook for 2025/26: A top 9 winger for IK Oskarshamn in HockeyAllsvenskan
7. Filip Ekberg, Ottawa 67s (OHL)
Last season’s stats: 53 GP, 16 goals, 29 assists, 45 points
Ah, the U18 World Junior Championship MVP and the 221st pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. You might ask, “Why is he ranked so low if he had that accomplishment?” Well, it’s because he was just recently drafted and I think people are slightly overhyping the player. That’s not to say it’s a bad thing, because it’s important to celebrate these player’s accomplisments. But there needs to be some level of realism involved.
Injuries and other things played a part in the lower point totals for Ekberg’s OHL season. But an unreal end to the year on a subpar 67s team really made his stats look better. Then, obviously, he dominated his age group and helped Sweden to a Silver Medal. His IQ is great and his playmaking is good. There are some concerns about his skating, but I think those are slightly overblown. With a good year next year with Ottawa, he probably skyrockets up this list if he continues his end of the year.
Outlook for 2025/26: An important player for the Ottawa 67s
8. Alexander Perevalov, Metallurg Novokuznetsk (VHL)
Last season’s stats (split time with Omskie Krylia and Metallurg): 47 GP, 11 goals, 18 assists, 29 points (playoffs: 7 GP, 2 assists, 2 points)
I have confidence that Perevalov won’t be here at this point next year. What the coaching staff at Metallurg Novokuznetsk have done for his development has been nothing short of a miracle.
I’ve said it before but Perevalov looks like a new player after he was moved to Novokuznetsk. He looks much more like the player he was when he was drafted. He’s getting involved offensively, he’s setting up plays, he’s scoring goals from the slot, he’s the netfront presence on the power play. He just looks flat out good. Another year in this system, with Nikita Guslistov as his potential center, will do him great and should have his development back on track.
Outlook: A top 6 winger for Metallurg Novokuznetsk.