November 6, 2025 • 28 mins
Prospects who don’t fit the mold are redefining what the Hurricanes pipeline can be. We dive into a month where speed, vision, and edgework trumped old assumptions about height and heft, and where late-round bets started to look like long-term answers. From Penn State to Maine to Chicago, we track the players who turned usage into production and opportunity into a blueprint.
Nick Bass (Canes Prospects) & I start with a surge of college standouts. Charlie Cerrato is piling up faceoff wins, killing penalties, and threading passes that arrive a beat before defenders react. Keep him at center over a full season and the franchise’s depth down the middle changes. At Michigan, Jayden Perron has unlocked his draft-year form—darting into the middle, holding pucks through contact, and firing with a confident release. In Maine, Justin Poirier is more than a scorer; he’s winning battles, bouncing through checks, and proving that a smaller frame can still carry big minutes when the habits are pro-ready.
In Chicago, Felix Unger Sorum looks stronger, quicker, and sharper on the wing, taking on more offense while Bradly Nadeau gets NHL time. We unpack how usage affects growth, why Unger Sorum’s playmaking thrives off the wall, and how Nadeau’s tools shine brightest with skilled linemates. Add Justin Robidas’ steady two-way game and special teams value and you see why the Wolves remain a crucial step in the Canes’ development chain.
We also spotlight key honorable mentions and updates: Filip Ekberg’s IQ-driven playmaking despite early injuries, Semyon Frolov’s explosive lateral game in net before a brief injury pause, and the evolving roles of Russian prospects balancing KHL, VHL, and U-20 duty. The pattern is clear—Carolina keeps betting on processing speed, motor, and repeatable skills, then finds the right role to let those traits scale.
Highlights:
• Why Carolina targets smaller, highly skilled forwards
• Viggo Nordlund’s jump in Sweden and shot translation
• Felix Unger Sorum thriving on the wing in Chicago
• Jayden Perron rediscovering pace and middle-lane attacks at Michigan
• Justin Poirier’s physicality and goal touch at Maine
• Charlie Cerrato’s faceoff wins, two-way center profile, and vision
• Filip Ekberg’s playmaking with health watch in Ottawa
• Bradly Nadeau’s NHL usage versus development fit
• Justin Robidas’ switch to right wing and special teams value
• Semyon Frolov’s lateral quickness and early injury hold
• Russian prospect roles shifting with U-20 duty and ice time
• Dominic Badinka’s calm reads and sturdy AHL start
If you’re excited by smart drafting, creative development, and the art of turning potential into depth charts that win, you’ll love this breakdown of the Hurricanes’ rising wave. Follow, share with a fellow Canes fan, and leave a review with your pick for the next call-up—who’s your breakout prospect this season?
#canes #hockey #carolinahurricanes #stormtracker23 #canesprospects #thehockeyguy #topshelfhockey #lockedonhurricanes #ahl #chicagowolves #alexandernikishin #bradlynadeau #KHL #darrenyorke
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:32):
Well, a great start to the season for several Keynes
prospects highlighted byoutstanding play from collegians
Charlie Serratto, JustinPoirier, and Jaden Perron, as
well as recent draftees VigoNordland and Philip Ekbert.
Joining me as always to discussCarolina Hurricanes prospects
(00:53):
from Keynes Prospects, NickBass.
Howdy, Nick.
Hello.
Hey Nick, uh interesting month.
We had uh some of the usualsuspects, but we also had some
newcomers to the top fiveprospects of the month.
And as we look at October's topfive, we kick it off with an
interesting one, Vigo Nordland.
(01:15):
Okay, so Nordland was drafted183rd by the Canes this year.
Uh Darren York said this aboutNordlin after the draft.
He said this was somebody thatmaybe sort of slipped in the
draft because of his size, andwe're pretty happy to get
another offensive weapon herelate in the draft.
And Nordland uh checks in at5'9.
(01:36):
So yeah, he's a shorter player,another one of the small guys uh
that we see.
Uh and and again, uh looks likehe's off to a great start.
What can you tell us aboutBeagle?
SPEAKER_00 (01:47):
Yeah, um, he's one of the more I think the size
kind of held him back because inthe 25 draft it was kind of a
big thing that if you weren'tsix foot, it was going to be
harder for you to get kind oftaken seriously.
And uh Nordland has gone up alevel in competition going to
hockey Els Fenskin this yearcomparatively to I think the
(02:07):
U18, U20, where he has beenplaying.
And uh he's been really good.
Um I I like to see that hisskill, uh mainly his his shot
and his skating, is kind oftranslating early on to the
higher levels, and he'sdefinitely been one of the
better players for his team sofar, and I'm uh pretty glad,
pretty happy with where he iscurrently.
SPEAKER_01 (02:27):
Well, and that's great.
And you know what's interesting,the Canes have been taking these
monsters on the blue line, andthey've been going for uh these
short kings, as you call them,on the forward side, and we'll
talk about some more of those.
Um, but clearly they're goingfor these uh highly skilled, you
know, smaller players, and uhgetting one as late as 183 is an
interesting uh scenario for thecanes.
(02:49):
So Vigo Nordlit uh from Sweden,um let's move on to number four,
and this is a gentleman we'vetalked an awful lot about and uh
kind of excited about him uhafter his 23, 2023 uh training
camp with the Canes, where hewowed everybody, and of course,
uh then uh came over last yearto play with the Chicago Wolves,
(03:13):
and that's Felix Ungersorm.
Interesting comment fromMcKeynes on Ungersorm uh this
summer.
They said his game is a joy towatch, but I'd expect him to
rack up points in Chicago's topsix in the coming years rather
than grind out fourth-lineminutes with the Canes.
So he's a guy that sees the iceso darn well.
(03:33):
We've talked about this manytimes.
He's just uh he's he's so muchfun to watch because he loves to
carry the puck and make thingshappen.
Of course, uh, you know, he'soff to a great start.
What can you tell us about uhFelix Ungersor?
SPEAKER_00 (03:47):
Yeah, with um Bradley Nadeau being up with the
Hurricanes for an extendedperiod of time in that fourth
line grinder role, um Felix hasbeen required to do a lot more
of the heavy liftingoffensively, and so far so good.
I think he's been held pointlessonce so far in this season.
He just honestly has looked alot better as a player.
(04:10):
He looks quicker, and it lookslike everything is starting to
slow down for him, which issomething that happens when
players get more adjusted to thegame.
Um, and you know, right now he'sobviously not playing center,
which was something that didn'twork last year, but it was still
an experience that they wantedto try.
But it looks like he's gettingused to life, uh adjusting
everything to being back on thewing, being back asked to do a
(04:34):
lot more heavy liftingoffensively, and he's been
looking pretty good.
So I'm uh I'm I'm a lot happiernow than where uh he was last
year.
SPEAKER_01 (04:42):
Well, definitely, and he's got three power play
goals, which is a great start,and as you mentioned, uh
certainly filling in for Nadeauat this stage.
In fact, he had a great goal anda setup for Bradley, which was
uh kind of fun.
Um the other thing I noticedwith him as well, uh, Nick, on
this one was that he looks likehe's a little bit bigger and
stronger.
Um, you know, and I know that'suh that's an ongoing thing with
(05:03):
him.
We we talked a lot about how howthin he was and he was getting
pushed around a lot, but heseems to be getting stronger.
And I thought his play in the inthe canes camp, I thought he
looked uh very, very strong anduh and looked like he could play
with men.
So that's a big uh bigdifference for him.
And hopefully he's gonna behealthy this year and he can uh
he can really you knowcontribute to the uh to the
(05:23):
wolves.
So we're excited about UngarSorum.
I think he's back on the radar,and uh if he can continue his
good play after this hot start,that'd be great.
Um okay, another one of thecollegians that we're gonna talk
about uh that you know he's beenon our radar for a long time.
And this guy, Jaden Perron, youknow, when he was drafted, and
(05:44):
you remember this, he wasdrafted 94th by the Kanes in the
third round.
He was rated incredibly highlyin that draft.
Uh Elite Prospects had him at10th.
They they forecasted 10th forhim.
Smott Scouting had him at 13th.
Dauber had him at uh in theirmidseas season rankings at 24th,
and recruit scouting at 31st.
(06:07):
He was expected to go very, veryhigh in that first round, and
and you know, things kind ofchanged, and he's a smaller
player as well.
But um last year, not thegreatest year with uh UND, he's
now with Michigan, I understand.
So what can you tell us about uhJaden Prunt?
SPEAKER_00 (06:25):
Yeah, um it kind of looks like he's found a lot of
what made him successful in hisdraft year.
He's using his skating to hisstrengths, and he's not really
getting bullied a lot off pucks.
Um, big fan of how he gets tothe middle of the ice and has
the want to get to the middleand has success with it.
Um his shot is still just verysolid.
(06:45):
It's a good shot.
Um, and he's been a very bigpart of the Michigan offense for
a Michigan team that's been uh alot better than last year, I
would say.
So uh I'm happy to see himhaving some success going on
early this year.
SPEAKER_01 (07:00):
Well, and he was expected when he went to um UND,
North Dakota, of course, that'swhere uh uh uh Jackson Blake
was, and they kind of followed asimilar plan where they played
in the USHL.
Of course, uh Peran had beenwith uh Chicago Steel and tore
it up in the USHL, and that's abreeding ground the Canes really
love.
And he went off to UND, and itwas expected he'd continue that
(07:22):
fine play, and and uh hopefullyhe's found his game again as he
uh as he gets going withMichigan.
And talking about a playercoming into collegiate ranks,
and we're wondering how he wouldstart.
Well, Justin Poirier is off to agreat start uh with Maine, and
of course he's with Josh Nadeauin Maine, which is kind of
interesting.
And I know you went up to see uhthe Nadeau brothers uh last year
(07:46):
as well.
So he's off to a great start.
Poirier, of course, uh has beena big scorer.
He, you know, in the QuebecMajor League with Dracar.
He had uh some big numbers withthem.
He had a 50 goal year a coupleof years ago, and and I think he
had 43 last year.
So he can score.
He's off to a great start.
What can you tell us aboutJustin?
SPEAKER_00 (08:05):
Yeah, um uh the atmosphere.
Uh I went to Maine two yearsago.
It was a pretty enjoyableexperience getting to watch all
those guys and getting to talkto some people.
It was pretty fun.
Um yeah, Poirier is probably theguy I was most interested to see
how he got along this year, justbecause he's a smaller guy who
(08:28):
was a prolific scorer at thejunior level, going to almost at
this point a professionalleague.
And I just wanted to see how wewould play against guys that are
bigger, stronger, faster, moreexperienced than him.
And I I believe my expectationshave been blown away so far.
Um, he's been he's been animportant play driver for Maine.
(08:50):
He does a lot of things right,he uh will do what needs to be
asked.
And the biggest thing is that uhpeople are gonna get upset just
because 5'9, 185, this guy'sever gonna touch the NHL or why
in God's name do you do this?
But he doesn't play like a guywho is that size because he's
going into board battles, he'swinning them, he's bouncing off
(09:11):
contact, he's creating contactwhen he needs to, he just does
everything physically right, andthat's probably the most
important thing you want to seefrom a guy of his size.
Um, his shot is stillunbelievably good, and the skill
is translating really well.
I guess the one concern that Ihave, which I don't really think
is that much of a concern, ishis skating because it's just a
(09:31):
weirder stance comparatively toother guys.
But uh Justin Pourry has beenreally, really good for a main
team that just upset top fiveteam in the country, and uh I'm
I'm very happy with what he hasdone this season so far.
SPEAKER_01 (09:46):
Yeah, and and you know, for sure, uh he had a hat
trick in one game, so uh I thinkthere was a lot of excitement
with uh with his addition toMaine this year.
And you know, again, uh we'reseeing these smaller players
come in and have an impact.
I mean, we talk a lot about uhLogan Stankhoven, and we watch
him game by game, and he's justuh he's just making things
(10:06):
happen out there.
So I think uh I think Poirier isa guy that we want to keep on
the radar for sure.
And I know we talked about himlast year, and it looks like
he's continuing uh his greatdevelopment.
So, number one on the uh chartuh for the top five this month,
uh you talked about him lastmonth and said, you know, watch
this guy.
He's off to a huge start, and ofcourse, that's Charlie Serrado
(10:29):
with Penn State.
Um now he's right now he's thirdin scoring, so he's off to, as
you say, a great start.
He was drafted 49th by the Canesand surprised a lot of folks
when they picked him in thatsecond round.
A couple of things that I wantedto mention about him, Darren
York said we didn't want to waittoo long for him.
Uh so they knew that that uhhe's a heck of a player, and he
(10:51):
said he's strong on thefaceoffs, his solid two-way
game, smart defensively, and hasa lot of skill.
He he plays exactly the way wewant to play.
So here's a guy that's builtlike a Carolina Hurricane, and
uh that's why, of course, theyjumped on him in that second
round.
And I thought Stephen Ellis saidit right.
He said, All eyes are on GavinMcKenna at Penn State, but they
(11:14):
should be also on Serrado.
Uh he was known for his two-waygame at a younger age, and he's
still doing special things onthe defensive side, but he's
more dangerous as a passer thanmost more most expected him to
be.
Just imagine if he starteddominating as a shooter as well.
The Hurricanes love betting onupside, and Serato, a
(11:37):
second-round pick last year,might be the real deal.
So, Stephen Ellis of DailyFaceoff really likes him.
I think that's a lot of goodwords.
What are you seeing with Seratoso far?
SPEAKER_00 (11:48):
So, the the biggest thing in Serato's game for me is
just be I want to see him atcenter.
I want to see him do what heneeds to do to stay at center
going forward because that wouldbe a really nice thing for any
team to have if they can somehowmanage to get an NHL level
center in the second round thatsticks at center, going to the
(12:08):
NHL.
And with Serato, I don't reallythink you're gonna have to worry
about him not sticking atcenter.
He uh I I said it uh probably acouple of days ago, but uh he
leads the nation in face-offwins and he has a 61% face-off
win percentage, which isdownright ridiculous.
Um, he's a great play driver,he's dangerous in transition,
(12:30):
he's dangerous in just mostoffensive situations, he is net
front when he needs to, andhe'll get under the opponent's
skin if he has the opportunity.
The the passing is unbelievablygood.
It's like he he sees the theplay before the play happens and
can create out of that, and it'sawesome to watch.
Um, defense is still prettygood.
(12:50):
He's still killing penalties,and there's just a lot to like
about Serrado.
And I I know people want toclamor second line center,
second line center, but forright now, I'm still a little
apprehensive just because I wantto see it over a full year
instead of just the first 10-ishgames of a season.
But I mean, can't ask for abetter start from uh Charlie
Serrado this season this season.
SPEAKER_01 (13:11):
Yeah, it's great to see.
And of course, uh, you know,Gavin McKenna is the guy that
everybody talks about as apossible generational player.
And it's great to see Seratoalongside him.
Uh boy, they're gonna be quite aduel, and it'll be interesting
to see how the numbers uh kindof rise for Serrado this year.
I think uh the Canes, of course,hoping that he might be an
answer to some of their centerconcerns in the future.
(13:33):
Of course, Jordan Stahl gettingorders older, so they're gonna
need some help there as well.
So great stuff with CharlieSerato and great to see him at
number one in the top five thismonth.
Now, let's talk a little bitabout some of the honorable
mentions.
Uh you started off with uhPhilip Eckberg, who I mentioned
in the opening.
Eckberg's an interesting one.
(13:54):
Um, a couple of years ago, hewas in that uh under 18 world
tournament.
That's when he really kind ofrose to the attention of just
about everybody uh in thattournament.
He led the scoring with 10 goalsand 18 points in just seven
games.
He was MVP, best forward, namedon the tournament all-star team.
(14:15):
He was all world basically andjust was incredible.
Um and again, he's a smallerplayer.
He checks in at 5'10, and Ithink that's one of the
interesting things aboutEckbert.
He was drafted 221.
Now, the interesting thing wasthere were only 224 players
drafted.
And I remember we talked alittle bit about this before,
(14:35):
after the draft, too, Nick, thata lot of folks wondered why the
heck is he slipping so far down?
Uh, because you know, there wasa lot of uh excitement after his
his play in that under 18tournament.
In any case, uh, he's a guy thatuh you know we're waiting to see
how he's gonna do with theOttawa 67s.
He played there last year aswell.
What can you tell us aboutPhilip Eckworth?
SPEAKER_00 (14:57):
I mean, he's really good.
Uh or he's good for the OHL.
Um, his passing is a standouttrait.
Um it's definitely the passingand the hockey IQ.
He's a smarter player.
The shot is, you know, it'sstill coming along, and I think
there are some injury concernsbecause he's missed a good
amount of game time this year ontwo separate occasions.
(15:19):
Um and I wonder about skating,but uh whenever he is playing
and he is at the top of hisgame, he is a great playmaker
who understands the game at afundamental level, who can make
things happen.
Um I just need to see himhealthy for an extended period
of time.
And when he's been healthy foran extended period of time, he's
(15:42):
been really good.
So I just really want to seethat.
But what he did in the month ofOctober was pretty good for an
Ottawa team that was uh prettygood in the month of October.
So works with me.
Cool.
SPEAKER_01 (15:51):
Well, and you know, he was he was injured at the
prospect showcase as well, sothat kind of might have been the
early injury that he had and hemissed some games.
Um Corey Pronman said this thatwas interesting.
He said uh Eckberg is a superskilled winger, he makes highly
difficult and creative playswith a puck off.
And he's a great playmaker witha good shot who projects to run
(16:13):
a pro power play.
So again, Prondman, who, youknow, with the athletic is one
of the guys that uh we listen toa lot.
He seems to know his stuff andand uh good words about uh
Philip Eckberg.
Um the next guy on the uh on theuh the folks we should be
looking at for honorablementions is none other than
Bradley Nadeau.
(16:33):
Uh Nadeau, of course, uh up withthe hurricanes right now, has
scored his first NHL goal, whichis great.
Uh got off to a great start withthe Wolves.
What can you tell us about whatyou've seen with Bradley?
SPEAKER_00 (16:45):
I mean, he was really good in Chicago for the
few games he's played, and Iwasn't shocked to see him get
called up.
I, you know, I just want to seehim get put in the the best
situation possible for him tosucceed and what's best for his
development.
And I don't know.
Uh I'm I'm really glad he scoredhis first NHL goal.
(17:06):
That's obviously a very bigmilestone, but I don't know how
much of a fan I am of himgetting, you know, 10, 11
minutes a night on a line that'smainly just for checking guys
instead of you know playing withskill.
But you know, it is good thathe's still getting NHL minutes,
but um yeah, he had a good monthof October.
SPEAKER_01 (17:26):
Yeah, I think I'm kind of with you on this too,
Nick.
Um I I keep hoping they wouldmove him up to the to the top
line and give him some minuteswith some folks that could set
him up.
Uh, you know, we we've seenplays where you know he'd be in
a situation where he could shootthe puck and whoever he's with
just can't get him the puck andhe can't get it, uh can't get it
(17:46):
off uh on the net.
So I think he's a guy that uhplays a lot of skill.
One thing I've been very excitedabout is his two-way play.
He's been playing soliddefensively.
Uh he uses the body more thisyear.
We've talked a little bit aboutthat before.
And and I think uh he's in aposition where you know he's
ready to take the next step.
But like you, I think he shouldbe on a line that's uh not the
(18:08):
fourth line.
And uh, and of course, theybrought him in because of the
situation of injuries, but he'llprobably head back to Chicago
once uh Carrier and and uh andas well Robinson returned to
Keynes.
So we'll see more of him, I'msure, in Chicago this year.
Now, speaking of Chicago,someone we've talked about an
awful lot as well, uh, agentleman that's actually
(18:30):
playing a lot of right wing thisyear, played center last year
for the Wolves, and that's uhJustin Robodaugh.
Robodaugh is a guy that uh againuh he's got uh he's got a good
start.
What can you tell us aboutRobodah?
SPEAKER_00 (18:44):
Uh yeah, he's uh been playing more right wing
this year.
He still looks about the same.
He kind of fluctuated last yearbetween center and right wing,
but since the wolves have amostly healthy core that they
don't need him to play incenter, they're just gonna use
him as the wing, which isprobably where he has his most
NHL future.
So I'm interested to see a lotof the stuff there.
(19:06):
But he's been really good.
He's been a lot more of aplaymaker this year instead of a
shooter, and he's just kind ofbeen the Justin Robot eye we
kind of know, which is just thehe's a great playmaker, he's a
fierce competitor, he is verygood defensively, just kind of
just been status quo for him,but he had a very good month of
October.
SPEAKER_01 (19:22):
Yeah, and he's got uh he's got seven points in his
first eight games.
So as you say, he's off to agreat start, and and he's gonna
be right relied upon again a lotwith this Chicago squad,
particularly with Nadoa rightnow with the Canes.
And uh he's seeing a lot of uh alot of top minutes, both uh
killing penalties, of course,and on the power play.
So looking forward to see whatuh Justin Robodaugh can do this
(19:45):
year.
He's a guy that uh I thinkcontinues to grow in the Canes
uh scenario quite strongly.
Uh looked good in the exhibitiongames.
Every time we've seen him in acan's uniform, he looks uh looks
like he can uh he can hold hisown.
So another smaller player, butuh but a stocky guy.
So 5'8 and 180 pounds for uh foruh Justin Robinar.
(20:07):
Okay, wrapping up the umhonorable mentions of someone we
talked a lot about after thedraft, and that was uh Semian
Frolov.
He was uh the first pick for theKeynes in the draft this year in
the second round at 41.
Um interesting that York, DarrenYork, said this about him.
He said this was our top-ratedgoalie, probably one of the best
(20:27):
feet with really athleticside-to-side movement.
And the Keynes coaching staff,goalie coaches, really love
that.
The ability to cross that netback and forth quickly, and and
Frolov can do this.
And Corey Province said he's aclear NHL athlete with decent
size and the exceptional lowerbody quickness to make a lot of
difficult saves.
So he he was rated very highlyas well going into the draft.
(20:50):
How's he started this season uhafter being picked by the Canes?
SPEAKER_00 (20:55):
Uh he's been really good.
Um hasn't really been many gameswhere he's been just flat bad.
Most games he's putting his teamin a place that they have a very
good chance to win, which is allyou can ask for from your
goalie.
He's stolen a couple games withjust stellar performances.
Um right now he's just hurt.
So don't really know what'sgoing on there.
(21:16):
Uh he's uh, I believe on the MHLIR for Spartec Moscow.
So we'll probably have to wait alittle bit to see him in game
action again.
But at least before that, he wasstarting to have a really good
season.
SPEAKER_01 (21:28):
Well, and he's uh again, the MHL is like the is
like uh junior hockey uh in uhin North America.
So he's uh he's at that levelstill.
I know he's off to a great startwith uh some uh gaudy numbers uh
in his first three games, butwe'll have to see again once he
returns, how's that gonna go?
The Keynes uh goaltendingsituation looking pretty bright
(21:50):
these days.
Uh they have uh they have, ofcourse, their Russian strength
with uh Piotr Kochekov and theyhave Ruzlan Kaziv.
I think he's back up withChicago now, and of course uh
Frolov, another Russian uh justuh just kind of uh waiting in
the wings.
So it's exciting, I think, forthe Kanes fans.
They're gonna see some Russiangoalies uh really uh leading the
(22:10):
charge in the coming years forthe Keynes.
So uh that wraps up the uh thehonorable mentions.
Let's uh let's spend a couple ofminutes and talk about are there
any other players that uh jumpedout at you as well, Nick, in
this month.
SPEAKER_00 (22:25):
Um I mean I think uh I think Igor Velmakin had some
some nice moments whenever hegot the chance to fully start,
just didn't come till after themonth was over.
Um I mean, other than that, itwas kind of a weirder month just
because it wasn't really a lotbesides the the big ones.
(22:47):
A lot of the guys in Russia arekind of just I wouldn't even say
under underperforming, it's justtheir roles are kind of in flux.
Um and then like right now, likea normal guy like a Timor Cole
is currently Timur Cole andAndrey Krutov and Kirbin Limitov
are all with the Russian U-20team getting ready to play in a
tournament.
So, you know, they didn't playthe last few games of the month,
(23:11):
and you know, Fyodor Avramov hasbeen stuck in the MHL and now is
getting you know decentconsistent fourth line minutes
KHL, which is always nice.
Alexander Seriatsky, whenever hedoes get an opportunity, he
plays normally on the secondpairing and gets about 14
minutes a night, which again isgood for a younger guy at the
KHL level.
(23:31):
Um and then whatever's going onwith Nikita Arnimonov, I there's
a lot going on there.
And um, you know, maybe he stayswith Torpedo and continues doing
what's going on now, which isjust fourth or thirteenth
forward in the KHL, or it getssome time in the VHL, or there
(23:53):
is some some rumors about himgetting moved.
So I wonder what's going tohappen there.
SPEAKER_01 (23:57):
Yeah, and of course, he was on our radar a lot last
year.
He got off to such a greatstart.
What about uh I thought we'dspend just a minute and talk
about a couple of folks.
We've uh we've certainly broughtup numerous times on the top
five prospects of the month, andthey're both with the hurricanes
right now, and that would be, ofcourse, uh Charles Alexis Lego
and Joel Nistrom.
How do you feel about their workso far with the Canes?
SPEAKER_00 (24:20):
I think Lego has looked better, in my opinion,
just because he understands theNorth American game, and it's
easier to see him getting caughtup to speed to North America
quicker than others.
Um and I think he fits what theCanes wanted him to do better.
They wanted a penalty killer andthey wanted a physical, strong
(24:41):
defensive presence, which iswhat he is.
And I think Yel Nissram has beenfine.
Um, I think he's been caught outa couple times, and I I
understand why they want to usehim because he is more
experienced in the game ofhockey overall, but this is also
his first year of North Americanhockey, so giving him 19-20
minutes a night is maybe alittle too much right now,
especially since he's only hadlike a handful of AHL games.
(25:04):
But I haven't thought he's beenbad.
I just think he needs more timeto adjust, but I'm glad to see
him get an H opportunity.
SPEAKER_01 (25:11):
Yeah, I mean, uh both of those guys, you know,
they're they're getting it done.
Uh and they're playing someserious minutes.
Uh Nistrom has been playing alittle bit more than uh the go,
but he's uh I think both of themdeserve a lot of credit for what
they're doing because they'rejumping right in and having to
play serious minutes, and as yousay, killing penalties, both of
(25:31):
them have been killing penaltiesand uh along with their regular
shifts.
So great stuff from two guys wetalked about last year, and it's
uh it's uh exciting to see asthe Canes kind of weather a
storm with uh so many keyplayers out at the same time,
and yet they're still right inthe mix, so it's good stuff.
Um, as we head into November,um, anybody on your radar for
(25:52):
this month, Nick?
SPEAKER_00 (25:54):
Um I mean it's kind of just the the normal guys.
Um I would probably just goSerato Poirier, are probably
gonna be the two.
I'm I'm gonna watch the closest,but um a guy that doesn't get a
lot of points, but is definitelyhaving a lot of good
performances right now is uhDominic Bedenka.
Um I've liked a lot of what he'sdone in Chicago so far, even
(26:17):
though he doesn't have like aton of points.
I still think he's had a reallysolid start to his age whole
career.
SPEAKER_01 (26:23):
Yeah, and Bedenka, uh, you know, when we watched
him uh in the exhibition gamesfor the Canes, I thought, man,
he he just looked apart.
Um very calm out there.
He plays with a lot of uhassurance on the ice, he sees
the ice well.
And uh what he's still 19 yearsold, I think.
So I mean he's a young playerand uh and definitely a guy that
(26:43):
uh has some tremendous upsidewith the canes.
We'll look forward to seeingwhat he's doing in uh in
Chicago.
Of course, he's probably seeinga lot of extra ice now with both
uh Lego and and Nistrom up withthe Canes.
So lots of good stuff there.
Well, as always, Nick, uh greatto talk about the Canes
prospects.
Um, really excited as you areabout uh the development of uh
(27:04):
some of the collegian side, uhwatching Sorato and uh and
keeping an eye on Justin Porriaas well.
For those of you who've beenwatching or listening, Nick and
I really appreciate you spenttime with us.
If you like this episode, pleasepress the like button.
If you have any comments orquestions uh or just want to say
hi to Nick or myself, please dothat in the comment section down
(27:27):
below.
And if you want to be alerted offuture episodes of Storm
Tracker, please press thesubscribe button and the bell,
and we'll uh we'll let you knowjust as soon as those are
available.
Once again, Nick and I thank youvery much for spending time with
us today and look forward togetting together with you real
soon right here on StormTracker.
Well, a great start to the season for several Keynes
prospects highlighted byoutstanding play from collegians
Charlie Serratto, JustinPoirier, and Jaden Perron, as
well as recent draftees VigoNordland and Philip Ekbert.
Joining me as always to discussCarolina Hurricanes prospects
(00:53):
from Keynes Prospects, NickBass.
Howdy, Nick.
Hello.
Hey Nick, uh interesting month.
We had uh some of the usualsuspects, but we also had some
newcomers to the top fiveprospects of the month.
And as we look at October's topfive, we kick it off with an
interesting one, Vigo Nordland.
(01:15):
Okay, so Nordland was drafted183rd by the Canes this year.
Uh Darren York said this aboutNordlin after the draft.
He said this was somebody thatmaybe sort of slipped in the
draft because of his size, andwe're pretty happy to get
another offensive weapon herelate in the draft.
And Nordland uh checks in at5'9.
(01:36):
So yeah, he's a shorter player,another one of the small guys uh
that we see.
Uh and and again, uh looks likehe's off to a great start.
What can you tell us aboutBeagle?
SPEAKER_00 (01:47):
Yeah, um, he's one of the more I think the size
kind of held him back because inthe 25 draft it was kind of a
big thing that if you weren'tsix foot, it was going to be
harder for you to get kind oftaken seriously.
And uh Nordland has gone up alevel in competition going to
hockey Els Fenskin this yearcomparatively to I think the
(02:07):
U18, U20, where he has beenplaying.
And uh he's been really good.
Um I I like to see that hisskill, uh mainly his his shot
and his skating, is kind oftranslating early on to the
higher levels, and he'sdefinitely been one of the
better players for his team sofar, and I'm uh pretty glad,
pretty happy with where he iscurrently.
SPEAKER_01 (02:27):
Well, and that's great.
And you know what's interesting,the Canes have been taking these
monsters on the blue line, andthey've been going for uh these
short kings, as you call them,on the forward side, and we'll
talk about some more of those.
Um, but clearly they're goingfor these uh highly skilled, you
know, smaller players, and uhgetting one as late as 183 is an
interesting uh scenario for thecanes.
(02:49):
So Vigo Nordlit uh from Sweden,um let's move on to number four,
and this is a gentleman we'vetalked an awful lot about and uh
kind of excited about him uhafter his 23, 2023 uh training
camp with the Canes, where hewowed everybody, and of course,
uh then uh came over last yearto play with the Chicago Wolves,
(03:13):
and that's Felix Ungersorm.
Interesting comment fromMcKeynes on Ungersorm uh this
summer.
They said his game is a joy towatch, but I'd expect him to
rack up points in Chicago's topsix in the coming years rather
than grind out fourth-lineminutes with the Canes.
So he's a guy that sees the iceso darn well.
(03:33):
We've talked about this manytimes.
He's just uh he's he's so muchfun to watch because he loves to
carry the puck and make thingshappen.
Of course, uh, you know, he'soff to a great start.
What can you tell us about uhFelix Ungersor?
SPEAKER_00 (03:47):
Yeah, with um Bradley Nadeau being up with the
Hurricanes for an extendedperiod of time in that fourth
line grinder role, um Felix hasbeen required to do a lot more
of the heavy liftingoffensively, and so far so good.
I think he's been held pointlessonce so far in this season.
He just honestly has looked alot better as a player.
(04:10):
He looks quicker, and it lookslike everything is starting to
slow down for him, which issomething that happens when
players get more adjusted to thegame.
Um, and you know, right now he'sobviously not playing center,
which was something that didn'twork last year, but it was still
an experience that they wantedto try.
But it looks like he's gettingused to life, uh adjusting
everything to being back on thewing, being back asked to do a
(04:34):
lot more heavy liftingoffensively, and he's been
looking pretty good.
So I'm uh I'm I'm a lot happiernow than where uh he was last
year.
SPEAKER_01 (04:42):
Well, definitely, and he's got three power play
goals, which is a great start,and as you mentioned, uh
certainly filling in for Nadeauat this stage.
In fact, he had a great goal anda setup for Bradley, which was
uh kind of fun.
Um the other thing I noticedwith him as well, uh, Nick, on
this one was that he looks likehe's a little bit bigger and
stronger.
Um, you know, and I know that'suh that's an ongoing thing with
(05:03):
him.
We we talked a lot about how howthin he was and he was getting
pushed around a lot, but heseems to be getting stronger.
And I thought his play in the inthe canes camp, I thought he
looked uh very, very strong anduh and looked like he could play
with men.
So that's a big uh bigdifference for him.
And hopefully he's gonna behealthy this year and he can uh
he can really you knowcontribute to the uh to the
(05:23):
wolves.
So we're excited about UngarSorum.
I think he's back on the radar,and uh if he can continue his
good play after this hot start,that'd be great.
Um okay, another one of thecollegians that we're gonna talk
about uh that you know he's beenon our radar for a long time.
And this guy, Jaden Perron, youknow, when he was drafted, and
(05:44):
you remember this, he wasdrafted 94th by the Kanes in the
third round.
He was rated incredibly highlyin that draft.
Uh Elite Prospects had him at10th.
They they forecasted 10th forhim.
Smott Scouting had him at 13th.
Dauber had him at uh in theirmidseas season rankings at 24th,
and recruit scouting at 31st.
(06:07):
He was expected to go very, veryhigh in that first round, and
and you know, things kind ofchanged, and he's a smaller
player as well.
But um last year, not thegreatest year with uh UND, he's
now with Michigan, I understand.
So what can you tell us about uhJaden Prunt?
SPEAKER_00 (06:25):
Yeah, um it kind of looks like he's found a lot of
what made him successful in hisdraft year.
He's using his skating to hisstrengths, and he's not really
getting bullied a lot off pucks.
Um, big fan of how he gets tothe middle of the ice and has
the want to get to the middleand has success with it.
Um his shot is still just verysolid.
(06:45):
It's a good shot.
Um, and he's been a very bigpart of the Michigan offense for
a Michigan team that's been uh alot better than last year, I
would say.
So uh I'm happy to see himhaving some success going on
early this year.
SPEAKER_01 (07:00):
Well, and he was expected when he went to um UND,
North Dakota, of course, that'swhere uh uh uh Jackson Blake
was, and they kind of followed asimilar plan where they played
in the USHL.
Of course, uh Peran had beenwith uh Chicago Steel and tore
it up in the USHL, and that's abreeding ground the Canes really
love.
And he went off to UND, and itwas expected he'd continue that
(07:22):
fine play, and and uh hopefullyhe's found his game again as he
uh as he gets going withMichigan.
And talking about a playercoming into collegiate ranks,
and we're wondering how he wouldstart.
Well, Justin Poirier is off to agreat start uh with Maine, and
of course he's with Josh Nadeauin Maine, which is kind of
interesting.
And I know you went up to see uhthe Nadeau brothers uh last year
(07:46):
as well.
So he's off to a great start.
Poirier, of course, uh has beena big scorer.
He, you know, in the QuebecMajor League with Dracar.
He had uh some big numbers withthem.
He had a 50 goal year a coupleof years ago, and and I think he
had 43 last year.
So he can score.
He's off to a great start.
What can you tell us aboutJustin?
SPEAKER_00 (08:05):
Yeah, um uh the atmosphere.
Uh I went to Maine two yearsago.
It was a pretty enjoyableexperience getting to watch all
those guys and getting to talkto some people.
It was pretty fun.
Um yeah, Poirier is probably theguy I was most interested to see
how he got along this year, justbecause he's a smaller guy who
(08:28):
was a prolific scorer at thejunior level, going to almost at
this point a professionalleague.
And I just wanted to see how wewould play against guys that are
bigger, stronger, faster, moreexperienced than him.
And I I believe my expectationshave been blown away so far.
Um, he's been he's been animportant play driver for Maine.
(08:50):
He does a lot of things right,he uh will do what needs to be
asked.
And the biggest thing is that uhpeople are gonna get upset just
because 5'9, 185, this guy'sever gonna touch the NHL or why
in God's name do you do this?
But he doesn't play like a guywho is that size because he's
going into board battles, he'swinning them, he's bouncing off
(09:11):
contact, he's creating contactwhen he needs to, he just does
everything physically right, andthat's probably the most
important thing you want to seefrom a guy of his size.
Um, his shot is stillunbelievably good, and the skill
is translating really well.
I guess the one concern that Ihave, which I don't really think
is that much of a concern, ishis skating because it's just a
(09:31):
weirder stance comparatively toother guys.
But uh Justin Pourry has beenreally, really good for a main
team that just upset top fiveteam in the country, and uh I'm
I'm very happy with what he hasdone this season so far.
SPEAKER_01 (09:46):
Yeah, and and you know, for sure, uh he had a hat
trick in one game, so uh I thinkthere was a lot of excitement
with uh with his addition toMaine this year.
And you know, again, uh we'reseeing these smaller players
come in and have an impact.
I mean, we talk a lot about uhLogan Stankhoven, and we watch
him game by game, and he's justuh he's just making things
(10:06):
happen out there.
So I think uh I think Poirier isa guy that we want to keep on
the radar for sure.
And I know we talked about himlast year, and it looks like
he's continuing uh his greatdevelopment.
So, number one on the uh chartuh for the top five this month,
uh you talked about him lastmonth and said, you know, watch
this guy.
He's off to a huge start, and ofcourse, that's Charlie Serrado
(10:29):
with Penn State.
Um now he's right now he's thirdin scoring, so he's off to, as
you say, a great start.
He was drafted 49th by the Canesand surprised a lot of folks
when they picked him in thatsecond round.
A couple of things that I wantedto mention about him, Darren
York said we didn't want to waittoo long for him.
Uh so they knew that that uhhe's a heck of a player, and he
(10:51):
said he's strong on thefaceoffs, his solid two-way
game, smart defensively, and hasa lot of skill.
He he plays exactly the way wewant to play.
So here's a guy that's builtlike a Carolina Hurricane, and
uh that's why, of course, theyjumped on him in that second
round.
And I thought Stephen Ellis saidit right.
He said, All eyes are on GavinMcKenna at Penn State, but they
(11:14):
should be also on Serrado.
Uh he was known for his two-waygame at a younger age, and he's
still doing special things onthe defensive side, but he's
more dangerous as a passer thanmost more most expected him to
be.
Just imagine if he starteddominating as a shooter as well.
The Hurricanes love betting onupside, and Serato, a
(11:37):
second-round pick last year,might be the real deal.
So, Stephen Ellis of DailyFaceoff really likes him.
I think that's a lot of goodwords.
What are you seeing with Seratoso far?
SPEAKER_00 (11:48):
So, the the biggest thing in Serato's game for me is
just be I want to see him atcenter.
I want to see him do what heneeds to do to stay at center
going forward because that wouldbe a really nice thing for any
team to have if they can somehowmanage to get an NHL level
center in the second round thatsticks at center, going to the
(12:08):
NHL.
And with Serato, I don't reallythink you're gonna have to worry
about him not sticking atcenter.
He uh I I said it uh probably acouple of days ago, but uh he
leads the nation in face-offwins and he has a 61% face-off
win percentage, which isdownright ridiculous.
Um, he's a great play driver,he's dangerous in transition,
(12:30):
he's dangerous in just mostoffensive situations, he is net
front when he needs to, andhe'll get under the opponent's
skin if he has the opportunity.
The the passing is unbelievablygood.
It's like he he sees the theplay before the play happens and
can create out of that, and it'sawesome to watch.
Um, defense is still prettygood.
(12:50):
He's still killing penalties,and there's just a lot to like
about Serrado.
And I I know people want toclamor second line center,
second line center, but forright now, I'm still a little
apprehensive just because I wantto see it over a full year
instead of just the first 10-ishgames of a season.
But I mean, can't ask for abetter start from uh Charlie
Serrado this season this season.
SPEAKER_01 (13:11):
Yeah, it's great to see.
And of course, uh, you know,Gavin McKenna is the guy that
everybody talks about as apossible generational player.
And it's great to see Seratoalongside him.
Uh boy, they're gonna be quite aduel, and it'll be interesting
to see how the numbers uh kindof rise for Serrado this year.
I think uh the Canes, of course,hoping that he might be an
answer to some of their centerconcerns in the future.
(13:33):
Of course, Jordan Stahl gettingorders older, so they're gonna
need some help there as well.
So great stuff with CharlieSerato and great to see him at
number one in the top five thismonth.
Now, let's talk a little bitabout some of the honorable
mentions.
Uh you started off with uhPhilip Eckberg, who I mentioned
in the opening.
Eckberg's an interesting one.
(13:54):
Um, a couple of years ago, hewas in that uh under 18 world
tournament.
That's when he really kind ofrose to the attention of just
about everybody uh in thattournament.
He led the scoring with 10 goalsand 18 points in just seven
games.
He was MVP, best forward, namedon the tournament all-star team.
(14:15):
He was all world basically andjust was incredible.
Um and again, he's a smallerplayer.
He checks in at 5'10, and Ithink that's one of the
interesting things aboutEckbert.
He was drafted 221.
Now, the interesting thing wasthere were only 224 players
drafted.
And I remember we talked alittle bit about this before,
(14:35):
after the draft, too, Nick, thata lot of folks wondered why the
heck is he slipping so far down?
Uh, because you know, there wasa lot of uh excitement after his
his play in that under 18tournament.
In any case, uh, he's a guy thatuh you know we're waiting to see
how he's gonna do with theOttawa 67s.
He played there last year aswell.
What can you tell us aboutPhilip Eckworth?
SPEAKER_00 (14:57):
I mean, he's really good.
Uh or he's good for the OHL.
Um, his passing is a standouttrait.
Um it's definitely the passingand the hockey IQ.
He's a smarter player.
The shot is, you know, it'sstill coming along, and I think
there are some injury concernsbecause he's missed a good
amount of game time this year ontwo separate occasions.
(15:19):
Um and I wonder about skating,but uh whenever he is playing
and he is at the top of hisgame, he is a great playmaker
who understands the game at afundamental level, who can make
things happen.
Um I just need to see himhealthy for an extended period
of time.
And when he's been healthy foran extended period of time, he's
(15:42):
been really good.
So I just really want to seethat.
But what he did in the month ofOctober was pretty good for an
Ottawa team that was uh prettygood in the month of October.
So works with me.
Cool.
SPEAKER_01 (15:51):
Well, and you know, he was he was injured at the
prospect showcase as well, sothat kind of might have been the
early injury that he had and hemissed some games.
Um Corey Pronman said this thatwas interesting.
He said uh Eckberg is a superskilled winger, he makes highly
difficult and creative playswith a puck off.
And he's a great playmaker witha good shot who projects to run
(16:13):
a pro power play.
So again, Prondman, who, youknow, with the athletic is one
of the guys that uh we listen toa lot.
He seems to know his stuff andand uh good words about uh
Philip Eckberg.
Um the next guy on the uh on theuh the folks we should be
looking at for honorablementions is none other than
Bradley Nadeau.
(16:33):
Uh Nadeau, of course, uh up withthe hurricanes right now, has
scored his first NHL goal, whichis great.
Uh got off to a great start withthe Wolves.
What can you tell us about whatyou've seen with Bradley?
SPEAKER_00 (16:45):
I mean, he was really good in Chicago for the
few games he's played, and Iwasn't shocked to see him get
called up.
I, you know, I just want to seehim get put in the the best
situation possible for him tosucceed and what's best for his
development.
And I don't know.
Uh I'm I'm really glad he scoredhis first NHL goal.
(17:06):
That's obviously a very bigmilestone, but I don't know how
much of a fan I am of himgetting, you know, 10, 11
minutes a night on a line that'smainly just for checking guys
instead of you know playing withskill.
But you know, it is good thathe's still getting NHL minutes,
but um yeah, he had a good monthof October.
SPEAKER_01 (17:26):
Yeah, I think I'm kind of with you on this too,
Nick.
Um I I keep hoping they wouldmove him up to the to the top
line and give him some minuteswith some folks that could set
him up.
Uh, you know, we we've seenplays where you know he'd be in
a situation where he could shootthe puck and whoever he's with
just can't get him the puck andhe can't get it, uh can't get it
(17:46):
off uh on the net.
So I think he's a guy that uhplays a lot of skill.
One thing I've been very excitedabout is his two-way play.
He's been playing soliddefensively.
Uh he uses the body more thisyear.
We've talked a little bit aboutthat before.
And and I think uh he's in aposition where you know he's
ready to take the next step.
But like you, I think he shouldbe on a line that's uh not the
(18:08):
fourth line.
And uh, and of course, theybrought him in because of the
situation of injuries, but he'llprobably head back to Chicago
once uh Carrier and and uh andas well Robinson returned to
Keynes.
So we'll see more of him, I'msure, in Chicago this year.
Now, speaking of Chicago,someone we've talked about an
awful lot as well, uh, agentleman that's actually
(18:30):
playing a lot of right wing thisyear, played center last year
for the Wolves, and that's uhJustin Robodaugh.
Robodaugh is a guy that uh againuh he's got uh he's got a good
start.
What can you tell us aboutRobodah?
SPEAKER_00 (18:44):
Uh yeah, he's uh been playing more right wing
this year.
He still looks about the same.
He kind of fluctuated last yearbetween center and right wing,
but since the wolves have amostly healthy core that they
don't need him to play incenter, they're just gonna use
him as the wing, which isprobably where he has his most
NHL future.
So I'm interested to see a lotof the stuff there.
(19:06):
But he's been really good.
He's been a lot more of aplaymaker this year instead of a
shooter, and he's just kind ofbeen the Justin Robot eye we
kind of know, which is just thehe's a great playmaker, he's a
fierce competitor, he is verygood defensively, just kind of
just been status quo for him,but he had a very good month of
October.
SPEAKER_01 (19:22):
Yeah, and he's got uh he's got seven points in his
first eight games.
So as you say, he's off to agreat start, and and he's gonna
be right relied upon again a lotwith this Chicago squad,
particularly with Nadoa rightnow with the Canes.
And uh he's seeing a lot of uh alot of top minutes, both uh
killing penalties, of course,and on the power play.
So looking forward to see whatuh Justin Robodaugh can do this
(19:45):
year.
He's a guy that uh I thinkcontinues to grow in the Canes
uh scenario quite strongly.
Uh looked good in the exhibitiongames.
Every time we've seen him in acan's uniform, he looks uh looks
like he can uh he can hold hisown.
So another smaller player, butuh but a stocky guy.
So 5'8 and 180 pounds for uh foruh Justin Robinar.
(20:07):
Okay, wrapping up the umhonorable mentions of someone we
talked a lot about after thedraft, and that was uh Semian
Frolov.
He was uh the first pick for theKeynes in the draft this year in
the second round at 41.
Um interesting that York, DarrenYork, said this about him.
He said this was our top-ratedgoalie, probably one of the best
(20:27):
feet with really athleticside-to-side movement.
And the Keynes coaching staff,goalie coaches, really love
that.
The ability to cross that netback and forth quickly, and and
Frolov can do this.
And Corey Province said he's aclear NHL athlete with decent
size and the exceptional lowerbody quickness to make a lot of
difficult saves.
So he he was rated very highlyas well going into the draft.
(20:50):
How's he started this season uhafter being picked by the Canes?
SPEAKER_00 (20:55):
Uh he's been really good.
Um hasn't really been many gameswhere he's been just flat bad.
Most games he's putting his teamin a place that they have a very
good chance to win, which is allyou can ask for from your
goalie.
He's stolen a couple games withjust stellar performances.
Um right now he's just hurt.
So don't really know what'sgoing on there.
(21:16):
Uh he's uh, I believe on the MHLIR for Spartec Moscow.
So we'll probably have to wait alittle bit to see him in game
action again.
But at least before that, he wasstarting to have a really good
season.
SPEAKER_01 (21:28):
Well, and he's uh again, the MHL is like the is
like uh junior hockey uh in uhin North America.
So he's uh he's at that levelstill.
I know he's off to a great startwith uh some uh gaudy numbers uh
in his first three games, butwe'll have to see again once he
returns, how's that gonna go?
The Keynes uh goaltendingsituation looking pretty bright
(21:50):
these days.
Uh they have uh they have, ofcourse, their Russian strength
with uh Piotr Kochekov and theyhave Ruzlan Kaziv.
I think he's back up withChicago now, and of course uh
Frolov, another Russian uh justuh just kind of uh waiting in
the wings.
So it's exciting, I think, forthe Kanes fans.
They're gonna see some Russiangoalies uh really uh leading the
(22:10):
charge in the coming years forthe Keynes.
So uh that wraps up the uh thehonorable mentions.
Let's uh let's spend a couple ofminutes and talk about are there
any other players that uh jumpedout at you as well, Nick, in
this month.
SPEAKER_00 (22:25):
Um I mean I think uh I think Igor Velmakin had some
some nice moments whenever hegot the chance to fully start,
just didn't come till after themonth was over.
Um I mean, other than that, itwas kind of a weirder month just
because it wasn't really a lotbesides the the big ones.
(22:47):
A lot of the guys in Russia arekind of just I wouldn't even say
under underperforming, it's justtheir roles are kind of in flux.
Um and then like right now, likea normal guy like a Timor Cole
is currently Timur Cole andAndrey Krutov and Kirbin Limitov
are all with the Russian U-20team getting ready to play in a
tournament.
So, you know, they didn't playthe last few games of the month,
(23:11):
and you know, Fyodor Avramov hasbeen stuck in the MHL and now is
getting you know decentconsistent fourth line minutes
KHL, which is always nice.
Alexander Seriatsky, whenever hedoes get an opportunity, he
plays normally on the secondpairing and gets about 14
minutes a night, which again isgood for a younger guy at the
KHL level.
(23:31):
Um and then whatever's going onwith Nikita Arnimonov, I there's
a lot going on there.
And um, you know, maybe he stayswith Torpedo and continues doing
what's going on now, which isjust fourth or thirteenth
forward in the KHL, or it getssome time in the VHL, or there
(23:53):
is some some rumors about himgetting moved.
So I wonder what's going tohappen there.
SPEAKER_01 (23:57):
Yeah, and of course, he was on our radar a lot last
year.
He got off to such a greatstart.
What about uh I thought we'dspend just a minute and talk
about a couple of folks.
We've uh we've certainly broughtup numerous times on the top
five prospects of the month, andthey're both with the hurricanes
right now, and that would be, ofcourse, uh Charles Alexis Lego
and Joel Nistrom.
How do you feel about their workso far with the Canes?
SPEAKER_00 (24:20):
I think Lego has looked better, in my opinion,
just because he understands theNorth American game, and it's
easier to see him getting caughtup to speed to North America
quicker than others.
Um and I think he fits what theCanes wanted him to do better.
They wanted a penalty killer andthey wanted a physical, strong
(24:41):
defensive presence, which iswhat he is.
And I think Yel Nissram has beenfine.
Um, I think he's been caught outa couple times, and I I
understand why they want to usehim because he is more
experienced in the game ofhockey overall, but this is also
his first year of North Americanhockey, so giving him 19-20
minutes a night is maybe alittle too much right now,
especially since he's only hadlike a handful of AHL games.
(25:04):
But I haven't thought he's beenbad.
I just think he needs more timeto adjust, but I'm glad to see
him get an H opportunity.
SPEAKER_01 (25:11):
Yeah, I mean, uh both of those guys, you know,
they're they're getting it done.
Uh and they're playing someserious minutes.
Uh Nistrom has been playing alittle bit more than uh the go,
but he's uh I think both of themdeserve a lot of credit for what
they're doing because they'rejumping right in and having to
play serious minutes, and as yousay, killing penalties, both of
(25:31):
them have been killing penaltiesand uh along with their regular
shifts.
So great stuff from two guys wetalked about last year, and it's
uh it's uh exciting to see asthe Canes kind of weather a
storm with uh so many keyplayers out at the same time,
and yet they're still right inthe mix, so it's good stuff.
Um, as we head into November,um, anybody on your radar for
(25:52):
this month, Nick?
SPEAKER_00 (25:54):
Um I mean it's kind of just the the normal guys.
Um I would probably just goSerato Poirier, are probably
gonna be the two.
I'm I'm gonna watch the closest,but um a guy that doesn't get a
lot of points, but is definitelyhaving a lot of good
performances right now is uhDominic Bedenka.
Um I've liked a lot of what he'sdone in Chicago so far, even
(26:17):
though he doesn't have like aton of points.
I still think he's had a reallysolid start to his age whole
career.
SPEAKER_01 (26:23):
Yeah, and Bedenka, uh, you know, when we watched
him uh in the exhibition gamesfor the Canes, I thought, man,
he he just looked apart.
Um very calm out there.
He plays with a lot of uhassurance on the ice, he sees
the ice well.
And uh what he's still 19 yearsold, I think.
So I mean he's a young playerand uh and definitely a guy that
(26:43):
uh has some tremendous upsidewith the canes.
We'll look forward to seeingwhat he's doing in uh in
Chicago.
Of course, he's probably seeinga lot of extra ice now with both
uh Lego and and Nistrom up withthe Canes.
So lots of good stuff there.
Well, as always, Nick, uh greatto talk about the Canes
prospects.
Um, really excited as you areabout uh the development of uh
(27:04):
some of the collegian side, uhwatching Sorato and uh and
keeping an eye on Justin Porriaas well.
For those of you who've beenwatching or listening, Nick and
I really appreciate you spenttime with us.
If you like this episode, pleasepress the like button.
If you have any comments orquestions uh or just want to say
hi to Nick or myself, please dothat in the comment section down
(27:27):
below.
And if you want to be alerted offuture episodes of Storm
Tracker, please press thesubscribe button and the bell,
and we'll uh we'll let you knowjust as soon as those are
available.
Once again, Nick and I thank youvery much for spending time with
us today and look forward togetting together with you real
soon right here on StormTracker.
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