Hurricanes restock prospect cupboard in 2023 NHL Draft. Here’s who the Canes took

The Carolina Hurricanes made a trade Thursday during the second round of the 2023 NHL Draft, although it was anything but splashy.

The Canes traded their third-round pick, No. 71 overall, to the San Jose Sharks for picks Nos. 94 and 100. That was it.

A day after making Penticton Vees forward Bradly Nadeau their first-round choice, the Canes used their second-round pick on another 5-11 forward, Felix Unger-Sorum. A .native Norwegian, he has played in the Swedish hockey leagues and is known as a crafty playmaker on the ice.

Canes president and general manager Don Waddell stayed busy at the Carolina table at Bridgestone Arena in Nashvlle, but it was draft business as usual. The Hurricanes went into Day 2 of the draft with eight picks and added one from the Sharks in the early deal, selecting six forwards, two goalies and a defenseman in the final six rounds.

The Canes used four picks last season on Russian players and added five more Thursday — Alexander Rykov, Stanislav Yarovoi, Ruslan Khazheyev, Timur Mukhanov and Yegor Velmakin.

“I think every organization is going to look at that differently,” Canes assistant general manager Darren Yorke, who oversees the draft for the team, said Thursday. “We can’t control what other organizations do. We can’t control what’s happening in the world. We’re trying to make it as simple as possible and just draft the best player available.

“It just happens the last few years there have been a few more Russians available to us in our draft list and where we take them.”

Here’s a look at the Canes picks taken Thursday:

Round 2 (Pick 62): Felix Unger Sorum (LW)

The Swedish prospect has the height and weight differential needed in the pros, but he isn’t known for his scoring. Of the 46 points he put up in 42 games played with Leksand Jr., Unger Sorum had 36 assists and only 10 goals.

He’s also one of the youngest players in the draft, as a 17-year old born in mid-September. Had he been born two days later, Unger Sorum would’ve waited until 2024.

Scouts describe Unger Sorum as one who’s willing to dish it out more times than not. He turned a few heads during the U18 World Junior Championships, picking up eight assists in seven games for Sweden. Assuming he follows the development pipeline, his vision and passing skills could easily complement the high-scoring prospects the Hurricanes have already selected.

Assistant GM Darren Yorke: “He’s the youngest player in the draft. On top of that, he sees the ice incredibly well. Incredibly smart playmaking. Goes to the net. Plays with a little bit of sandpaper.”

Round 3 (94): Jayden Perron (RW)

This pick started a string of right wingers for the Hurricanes.

Jayden Perron is only 5-foot-9 and 163 pounds, but the Winnipeg native spent lots of time in the U.S. Hockey Development pipeline. He joined the Chicago Steel for the 2021-22 season, after working his way through Winnipeg’s U17 and U18 teams.

This is a player who wants top-six ice time, and it’s where he thrives the most. He spent the past season playing alongside potential 2024 No. 1 overall pick Macklin Celebrini, but any skepticism of Perron’s own ability went away during the playoffs, when he took over the leadership role after Celebrini opted to participate in the IIHF World Under-18 Tournament. He scored a hat trick and earned the primary assist on the game-winning-goal the next day.

He’s committed to the University of North Dakota, and said prior to the draft he plans to head there this summer.

Yorke: “Similar to Sorum with his playmaking. High-end skill. A kid we’re familiar with and were really excited to see available that late in the draft.”

Round 4 (100): Alexander Rykov (RW)

Well, it took three picks before the Hurricanes reverted back to their Russian reliance. Right winger Alexander Rykov spent this past season in the Russian equivalent to the AHL — the VHL — for the Chelmet Chelyabinsk.

And similarly to Perron, Rykov doesn’t light the lamp too much. However, where those two differ, according to scouts, is Rykov’s off-puck moment and forechecking abilities. He’s also like Unger-Sorum, as one of the youngest players in the draft, though not as close as his new teammate, since Rykov will turn 18 in roughly three weeks.

Rykov scored 11 points during his 20 games with Chemlet, and skated for six games in the KHL as well, but didn’t score there. Speaking of skating, he’s not a known speedy forward, but is consistent and smooth, something that can be improved upon during his development years before entering the NHL.

Yorke: “One of the highest scoring all-time VHL players for being 18 years old. Competitive, smart, playmaking. Able to handle the men, which isn’t something you normally see from an 18-year-old.”

Round 4 (126): Stanislav Yarovoi (RW)

The third righty of the bunch is the second Russian selected this year: 5-foot-9 Stanislav Yarovoi. He’s danced around the Russian development league, but spent the majority of last season in the KHL’s Vityaz Moscow Region, where he’ll likely play again next season.

Yarovoi had his best season in 2021-22 with the MHL’s Russkie Vityazi Chekhov, scoring 14 goals and 19 assists in 16 games. Now, let’s talk about his penalty minutes — Yarovoi has slowly gotten better throughout his young career, but found himself in the box quite regularly.

Scouts describe him as a hard worker, which seems to fit the Canes’ mold.

Yorke: “Went through the draft a couple of times, worked his way up playing a regular shift in the KHL. High-end skill, high-end compete, high-end motor.”

Round 5 (139): Charles-Alexis Legault (D)

Fresh off a national championship with Quinnipiac, Legault was the first true defenseman the Hurricanes went for. He’s a lengthy player, towering at 6-foot-3 and weighs 214 pounds. Legault has been eligible since 2021, and as a freshman at Quinnipiac, he held regular ice time in a very mature Bobcats lineup.

Alexis-Legault has the skating ability of a future NHL-er, but will need a few more seasons in development before he’s ready for that jump. He’s got a two-way game already established, and has the size needed at this level. But it does help that his teammate was Skyler Brind’Amour, son of Rod Brind’Amour.

Yorke: “Plays the defensive style of game we want to play, which you don’t normally see from college kids. He’s able to get up in the offensive zone ... and plays a really fast game.”

Round 5 (158): Ruslan Khazheyev (G)

The Canes picked up a goalie with good size and coming off a good season in Russia’s MHL. Khazheyev, 18, is 6-4 and 200 pounds, and said to be mobile in net.

Khazheyev was No. 9 among European goalies in the final rankings by NHL Central Scouting. He had a .923 save percentage and 2.38 goals-against average in 23 games for Chelyabinsk Jr. last season, improving in both categories from the 2021-22 season.

Yorke: “Incredibly powerful, balanced. Has had unbelievable years the past two years in Russia.”

Round 6 (163): Timur Mukhanov (RW)

The Canes took another short winger in Mukhanov, who is listed at 5-7. The Glazov, Russia, native made his KHL debut in 2022-23 with Avangard Omsk but spent the bulk of the season in Russia’s VHL and MHL.

Mukhanov played with Gleb Trikozov, a second-round pick by Carolina in 2022, with Omskie Yastreby last season, playing 15 regular-season and nine playoff games.

Yorke: “Hard-working. As good as he is competitively, he’s just as good offensively. Probably slipped a little bit in the draft because of his size, which isn’t entirely fair to him because of how hard he works.”

Round 6 (190): Michael Emerson (F)

Emerson played for coach Brock Sheahan with the USHL’s Chicago Steel in 2021-22. Sheahan then was the head coach of the Chicago Wolves last season in the AHL, working with several Canes’ prospects.

Emerson, who had 30 goals and 64 points in 60 games last year with the Steel, is headed to North Dakota to play college hockey next season along with Perron. The Yorktown Heights, New York, native is 6-2 and 197 pounds.

Yorke: “Probably would have gotten drafted last year but he got hurt. Straight-line speed. Probably one of the best players in the USHL last year in being able to transport the puck and get it to the net.”

Round 7 (222): Yegor Velmakin (G)

The Canes used their last pick in the draft on a second Russian goalie. Listed at 6-2 and 172 pounds, the 20-year-old from Moscow split the 2022-23 season with two Russian junior teams and is slated to play the 2023-24 season with Dinamo Minsk in the KHL.

Yorke: “We were impressed with how his season went. He got a little better each and every game. A kid we were happy to get here at the end.”