April 10, 2025 • 34 mins
The Carolina Hurricanes prospect pipeline is overflowing with talent, from NHL-ready players like Scott Morrow to rising AHL stars Bradly Nadeau and Ryan Suzuki. The most intriguing story has been Alexander Nikishin, who dominated the KHL this season, while logging 31+ minutes in one of the SKA playoff games. The wait is finally over! Nikishin has agreed to a 2-year deal with the Canes & will be joining the team shortly.
• Jackson Blake impressing at the NHL level with 15 goals while showing incredible board work and willingness to battle in dirty areas despite his size
• Justin Robidas looked comfortable during his brief NHL call-up with a goal and assist in two games, demonstrating his strong 200-foot game
• Alexander Perevalov thriving after a trade to Metallurg Novokuznetsk with 23 points in 26 games in the VHL
• Bradly Nadeau leading all AHL rookies in goal scoring with 29 goals, showcasing his lethal one-timer from the left circle
• Ryan Suzuki having his healthiest and most productive professional season with 54 points in 64 games for Chicago
• Domenick Fensore emerging as one of Chicago's best defensemen despite his smaller stature
• Scott Morrow impressing during his NHL stint with 5 points in 9 games, looking ready for full-time NHL duty next season
• European prospects Joel Nystrom and Dominik Badinka expected to join the Chicago Wolves
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
So a lot's exciting with Carolina Hurricanes
prospects these days.
We recently saw Scott Morrowand Justin Robida with brief
additions with the CarolinaHurricanes and they look good.
They did not look out of placeat all.
And of course, we've beenfollowing Jackson Blake's
development this year and he'sbeen a strong contributor to the
(00:22):
Canes as well.
Lots of other players are inthe mix and, of course,
alexander Nikitian and what'sgoing to happen with Alexander
as we hear lots of rumors aboutthe future for Alexander and the
Canes.
Lots to talk about today andwe're going to talk about the
top five prospects of the monthfor March and joining me to do
that, as always, our prospectguru, mr Nick Bass.
(00:46):
Nick, welcome, hello, hey, nick.
Yeah, a great month in March.
Several of the top prospectsagain continuing their fine play
.
We saw some good things withsome of these prospects, as I
mentioned, getting a cup ofcoffee with the Hurricanes and
we'll talk a little bit aboutthose guys as well.
(01:09):
But, yeah, generally a strongmonth and leading it off at
number five for the month,interestingly enough, is Jackson
Blake, and you know Blake hascertainly been catching
attention of a lot of Canes fansrecently.
His play on the top line hasbeen particularly exciting.
Here's an interesting commentfrom Hockey Forecaster.
(01:30):
When they were talking aboutJackson, they said his father,
jason Blake, was a pesky wingerwith opportunistic scoring
skills.
He's not too far off thatcomparison.
They're talking about Jackson,though he'll need to bulk up a
little bit we see that a littlebit.
In his play.
His speed, energy and competelevel are first rate and he'll
(01:51):
get his nose dirty in order toscore goals.
So some interesting commentsabout Jackson and what did you
see with him in March and whatare your general thoughts on
Jackson Blake?
Speaker 2 (02:01):
yeah, uh, blake had a really good March.
Uh, I always feel bad because Ifeel as if I don't talk about
him enough, um, whenever I dothese prospect things, just
because I don't watch a ton ofNHL hockey at this point.
But, um, from what I've seen,uh, he's been great.
Um, his talent's always beenthere and I think he flashed it
really.
He flashed a lot of what he didreally well at the NCAA level
(02:24):
and then it's starting totranslate a lot more what he did
really well at the end and caalevel and then it's starting to
translate a lot more at the nhllevel.
It just took some time.
Um, his board work isimpressive for a guy of his age
and a guy of his his stature.
It's very, very good.
His compute is obviously reallygood.
He does a lot of things rightand it's good to finally see
blake get on the score sheet.
Even though he's been playingreally well, he just hasn't
(02:46):
gotten great puck luck.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Well, I mean with Blake.
You know he's up to 15 goalsnow, which is something he's
been particularly strong lately.
And it seemed like when hejoined that line with Sebastian
Ajo and Seth Jarvis, that linestarted to take off, and it's no
surprise the way he plays.
And you're right.
You're right, nick, he'samazing on the boards.
(03:09):
How many times have we seen himgo in there and there's a bunch
of folk pushing and shoving andout comes Jason Blake with the
puck.
And the other thing I've noticedand I'm sure you've seen this
as well is his willingness to gointo the dirty areas.
It's astounding.
He'll go to the net.
He has no concern at all what'sgoing on there.
He's going to try to get thatpuck close to the net and it
shows and I think you know hewas a Hobie Baker finalist last
(03:32):
year he's a player thatcertainly has a great pedigree.
I like Jackson Blake and Ithink he's surprised a lot of
folks with the fact that, as theseason has gone on, he's
actually playing better hockey,and that's you know.
After coming out of the collegeranks, as you know, that's a
little bit of a challengebecause their seasons are much
shorter.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
I mean, yeah, but at that same point he looked really
good at the start of the year.
He just didn't have a ton ofice time.
And he's progressed as a playerand now he's earned his ice
time, so I'm not too shocked byit.
He always had the talent.
It just took him a little bitto figure out how to translate
it.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
Yeah, and you're absolutely right, and I think
the future is bright for JacksonBlake and certainly lots more
to come from him.
The Canes are going to becounting on him as they head
into the playoffs, for sure,because he's been one of the
catalysts for the offensive sideof their game and and I think
that's great news.
Number four is a player we'vetalked about a lot.
(04:30):
He's a guy that uh was drafted147th in 2021.
Uh, corey Prondman of theathletic had him at 49,.
Bob McKenzie had him at 80.
So some folks had a much higherin the draft and you know that
he kind of slipped in the drafta little bit because of size.
That's typical.
He's checking in at 5'8 and 180now, so he's a pretty stocky
(04:53):
player.
His play with the Canes in hisshort cup of coffee was quite
impressive A goal and an assistin two games, and he looked
strong on the ice.
He's having a great year.
He's got 48 points in 65 games.
What did you see from JustinRobitaille in March?
Speaker 2 (05:11):
Yeah, he had a really good month at the AHL level and
when the Wolves were in GrandRapids right before he got
called up it just kind of madesense and he's definitely earned
the NHL time that he got and itwas really encouraging to see
that the same traits that madehim really good at the AHL level
which was his, his work ethic,his hockey sense and his
(05:33):
offensive, his 200 foot game andI'm glad that translated
immediately to the NHL and heshowed a lot of good traits
already and you know he's I'vecalled him an NHL guy a lot and
that's just in spite of his size.
He's a guy that can andprobably will play a lot more
NHL games in the future.
It just depends on when.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Yeah, I think Robitaille is a guy that
certainly, from what I've seen,he is very strong on his skates.
They say he plays bigger thanhis size and he is smart man.
He's making things happen outthere.
We saw that on his assist andof course he also scored.
So clearly he's a guy that isgrowing fast and last year, of
(06:17):
course, he was in the EasternCoast Hockey League and part of
that because the Canes didn'thave an AHL affiliate.
But he cut his teeth in theEastern League.
He's come up and he's playedvery, very well in all
situations for the Wolves.
You know he kills penalties.
He's obviously key on the powerplay and I look forward to see
(06:37):
what his contribution is as theWolves head into the playoffs,
which is exciting to see forsure.
Moving to number three is aninteresting one.
We've talked about him a littlebit before.
That's Alexander Perevolov.
Now Perevolov this year seemsto be putting it all together.
He's currently in the VHL withMedelersk, had a pretty good run
(06:59):
with them 23 points in 26 games.
A couple of things about him.
Them, 23 points in 26 games.
A couple of things about him.
He checks in at six feet andhe's 190 pounds or so.
He's a guy that was picked 71stin 2022, but he was rated much
higher.
Central Scouting Europe had himat 14.
The Keens had him at 25.
Craig Button at 21.
(07:20):
So there were some folks thatreally, really liked Paravlov.
I just want to tell you alittle comment, too, about him.
This is from Corey PromenPromen.
You know he's respected as oneof the better folks who look at
prospects around the globe.
He said Paravlov can make a lotof good things happen with the
(07:42):
puck.
He has excellent stick skills,showing consistent ability to
beat checks one-on-one andcreate inside the offensive zone
with his stick handling.
So some pretty good words aboutAlexander Prevla.
What did you see from Alexanderin March?
Speaker 2 (07:56):
Yeah, that trade from his team that he started with
Umski Kraljev, to Mildred Novokwhose net was actually probably
the best move for his career,because it didn't his past two
years, three years at this point, had been really shaky and that
was a mix of injury, coachingstyles, teams that he was on it
was a whole mix of things.
(08:16):
And now he got traded to a teamthat actually gave him a lot of
opportunity and he took thatopportunity and made a lot out
of it.
He was almost a point-per-gameplayer with them and he was very
instrumental.
They were the number one teamgoing into the playoffs.
Now obviously their team didnot win, but he saw a really
really good year and going intonext year with the same team.
Hopefully I would think that hewould continue that really good
(08:39):
play.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
Yeah, and he's an exciting one, I think you know.
When you look at some of thefolks currently playing in
Russia, I think Pravolov is oneof the guys we want to keep a
close eye on for sure, andeverything is starting to trend
the way that we hoped it would.
Okay, moving to number two andagain we've talked about him
(09:01):
several times, and rightfully soBradley Nadeau.
Nadeau is just tearing it up.
He had a great march and he'shaving as strong or better April
as you've seen.
He's now hit 29 goals for theWolves.
He's actually first in theAmerican Hockey League goal
scoring for rookies and he'stied for seventh overall.
(09:23):
So he's a guy that isdefinitely getting it done.
A couple of comments on Nadeau.
Corey Promen said he can skateby and beat a lot of defenders,
but he's also excellent atcreating with space.
He sees the ice at a high level, making a lot of seam passes
and making tough passes on themove.
(09:43):
Bradley Nadeau, he is somethingelse.
What did he do in March?
Speaker 2 (09:49):
Yeah, nadeau, he just continued his torrid pace
coming back from World Juniors.
He's just played like a man,possessed, and everybody knows
about his shot.
He likes the left circle andthe power play.
He's gotten eight of those.
I think they've been indifferent ways, but he sets up
in the left circle and the powerplay.
He's gotten eight of those.
I think they've been indifferent ways, but he sets up
in the left circle on the powerplay and he really likes it.
His skating has continued toget better.
(10:11):
He's seeing the ice a lotbetter and the traits are
starting to translate more.
The skating is also stillreally good.
The one thing that still needs alittle bit of work and that
just comes with time, is fixingrookie mistakes.
They happen.
Thing that still needs a littlebit of work and that just comes
with time is fixing rookiemistakes.
(10:32):
There they happen a little bit.
It's not often, but it doeshappen a lot.
Happens a few times.
So whenever he fixes up thosemistakes he's going to be a
really good player and it it'salmost historic when a guy who's
not even 20 yet scores 30 atthe AHL level and he's probably
going to score 30 at the AHLlevel.
So he he's probably going toscore 30 at the AHL level, so
he's had a heck of a year andMarch was just a continuance of
that.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
Yeah, I mean, it's amazing how he's.
As you say, he came back fromthat World Junior Tournament and
he has been something else andyou see that one-timer and
that's, you know, working withsome of his key line mates, they
seem to have that down to ascience right now and he's
virtually unstoppable in thatsituation, as we've seen.
So I think his offensive skillswe talked a lot about this in
(11:13):
the past they're definitelygoing to, you know, transfer
over to the NHL as well and Ithink, translate nicely when he
gets a chance and hopefully, youknow, if he continues to work
on his 200-foot game, which is,as you mentioned, some of these
challenges that these youngstershave, is to get that full game
in play Boy.
He's going to be something, noquestion.
(11:35):
So, lots of excitement aroundBradley Nadeau Moving to number
one and he actually has beeninstrumental in Nadeau's success
this year, for sure, as we'vewatched a lot of the highlights
with Nadeau, ryan, suzuki andSuzuki continuing his fine play
this year he's now got 54 pointsin 64 games.
(11:58):
He's a guy that has quietly goneabout his business this year.
He saw a few games with theHurricanes, but he's continued
to play extremely well for theWolves and will be a key, key
asset as they head into theplayoffs.
What did you see from Suzuki inMarch?
Speaker 2 (12:13):
Yeah, again, he was just.
This has been his most healthyseason since coming to the AHL
and it's proven to be his best.
His playmaking is next level.
His ability to move the puck isincredible and his ability to
maybe not manipulate space, buthis ability to create
(12:34):
opportunities for his teammatesis just unbelievable.
He's been a dominant top sixcenter for most of the year.
He's top three in assists.
He's been just unreal and he'sbeen everything the Wolves have
needed him to.
So I'm hoping for another nicelittle run here out of Suzuki,
who it's he's probably an NHLplayer right now.
It's just it, just tough,unfortunately.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
Yeah, I mean that's going to be the interesting
challenge.
He is a restricted free agent.
This summer Last year theyre-upped him for a single year.
It's going to be interesting tosee how this plays out.
Yeah, again, he's having anoutstanding year and he will be
critical as they go forward.
And you know, I've noticed hiswork, particularly on the power
play with Nadeau and with JuhaJaska forming a Troy cop there
(13:23):
and and again, depending on whothe point guys are really
getting something done.
Their power play was deadly fora period in Chicago.
You might've seen that.
They were just unbelievable.
So, he's again a guy with eliteoffensive skills and boy, we
look at his brother doing sovery well with Montreal, and we
kind of continue to have hopesthat Ryan is going to have a
shot at some point with theHurricanes.
(13:45):
Okay, so the top five headingto the final one was Ryan Suzuki
, and now we'll talk a littlebit about some of those
honorable mentions.
We'll kick it off with adefenseman that I've been really
excited about and, of course,when Scott Morrow moved up to
(14:05):
the Canes, his playing timeincreased and of course he
continued to, I think, shine inthat role.
And that's Dominic Pensori inthat role.
And that's Dominic PensoriPensori with Boston University,
you know, two years ago.
He's a guy that was the teamcaptain, he was a Hobie Baker
finalist, or at least wasnominated for Hobie Baker two
(14:27):
years in a row.
He's a guy that has all theskill in the world, you know.
He can skate, he can move thepuck smartly, he's really,
really strengthened thedefensive side of his game and
for a smaller defenseman, heseems to play pretty big.
What did you see from Dominicin March?
Speaker 2 (14:44):
He's turned into one I mean probably right now.
He's been one of the Wolves'best defensemen, if not the best
one.
His ability to kill penaltieshas been instrumental.
His ability to help a powerplay unit, even though he's on
unit two, has been really goodFive on five.
He's super strong in both ends.
His skating is unbelievable andthe size really doesn't bother
(15:04):
him.
It doesn't bother me, itdoesn't really bother anybody.
He's still physical when heneeds to be, which is always
really nice.
So Fensori's been really goodand again I see an NHL player
there.
It's just a matter of when, ifnot if, at this point.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
I agree, and of course he had.
In March he had seven points in11 games.
He's continued to rack up thepoints.
This year he's got 31 points in64 games.
Now he's another story where hestarted last year.
You might recall he was inNorfolk to start the year.
Story where he started lastyear.
You might recall he was inNorfolk to start the year and of
course, the Wolves got into aworld of hurt and came to the
(15:40):
Hurricanes and said can you helpus out?
And one of the players they didsend up with of course was was
Dominic Pensori, I think againgetting the chance to get extra
minutes.
He can skate with the best ofthem.
He's a very smart player.
I really like him and andwhenever I've seen him you know,
in the prospect showcases andcertainly in the action I've
(16:01):
seen with Chicago he's a veryimpressive player.
So yes, I think he's got afuture in the NHL.
I'm not sure, as the Canes arecontinuing to load up their
defensive core.
I'm not sure where that will bewith the Hurricanes, but
certainly he's a guy to keep aneye on.
Where that will be with theHurricanes, but certainly he's a
guy to keep an eye on.
And then another one on theblue and I just mentioned he was
(16:23):
.
His move to the Hurricanesreally gave Fensuri his
opportunity and that's ScottMorrow.
You know Morrow, in nine gameswith the Canes, has five points.
He's a plus player.
I think he looked tremendousand even in those losses I
thought he accorded himselfextremely well.
He's a guy that you know.
He came out of UMass.
(16:43):
He's a guy that can really playoutstanding player.
What'd you see with ScottMorrow?
Speaker 2 (16:50):
Yeah, I don't really have a ton to say because I feel
as if I've said it all withScott Morrow, but he's an NHL
player at this point.
It's not going to be this yearthat he's a full-time NHL player
, because you're going into theplayoffs and he won't do it, but
he's a full-time NHL player.
He has top four potential.
He has power play potential,even though they haven't let him
(17:11):
try it which seemsshort-sighted, but I'm not the
coach.
Try it, which seemsshort-sighted, but I'm not the
coach.
He's just been really good andeverything that has worked at
the AHL level is at the NHLlevel and still working.
The one thing that he justneeds to be a little bit smarter
when he has the puck on hisstick, instead of trying to go,
you know, one on three, heshould wait and try and find an
open teammate.
And it's not to say that hedoesn't have the skill to do it,
(17:33):
it's just you're not there yet.
He's an NHL player through andthrough at this point and I
expect him to have a full-timejob next year.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
Yeah, it's going to be interesting.
As you look at the defensivecore for next year, you've got a
number of players coming back,four of them still on deals next
year.
It looks like there will be acouple of spots open.
Morrow is making his case forsure and I think he surprised a
lot of folks with how much hehas developed his game.
(18:02):
And you know it was interestingto see him teaming with Shane
Goss despair, because you knowyou think about Morrow has
historically been viewed as anoffensive minded defenseman
needed to shore up his defensivegame.
He has looked very strongworking with Ghost and they've
been among the stronger pairs,interestingly enough, when
(18:25):
they've been together.
So you know again a guy thatreally has continued to develop
as the Canes would hope.
And I think his opportunity inChicago, where he saw lots of
minutes, big minutes in allsituations, right, so getting a
chance to actually grow his gameas he should and a right-hand
(18:45):
shot D-man so great stuff withScott Morrow.
Look forward to his increasedplaying time with the Hurricanes
.
And one thing I did see and Idon't know if you've seen a lot
of this too, nick, but hisincredible ability with the puck
to see the ice extremely well,and to make plays just wonderful
(19:08):
.
Speaker 2 (19:09):
Yeah, it's next level stuff.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
Cool, okay, so the final gentleman on your
honorable mentions is well, Iguess it's time to do the
Nikitian watch, because it'sAlexander Nikitian and you know
Nikitian.
Again a strong season in SKAwith St Petersburg SKA 46 points
(19:35):
.
He's had over 50 the twoprevious seasons.
He continues to tear it up andI noticed in the three playoff
games he was in against DynamoMoscow he played massive minutes
.
One game he was, I think, over35 minutes.
I mean it was insane.
So he's a guy that could playthe big minutes.
(19:57):
He was counted on, of course,by SK in a big way and again
drafted in the third round in2020, 69th overall.
This could be one of the stealsof all time.
What did you see with AlexanderNikishi?
Speaker 2 (20:12):
Yeah, he just played like he has for the past two
years Whenever he's fullyhealthy.
He was SKA's defense.
For the most part, he was theirnumber one guy.
The only time he wasn't theirnumber one guy was on the
penalty kill, and he still gotpenalty kill time.
He's just been their best.
He was arguably even in thethree games that they played.
(20:32):
The only other guy that youcould really say was better than
him in that series was Demidov.
Other than that, he wasarguably even in the three games
that they played.
The only other guy that youcould really say was better than
him in that series was demidoff.
Other than that, he was theirbest player.
Even in three games that heplayed, he.
He was absolutely ridiculous.
But the thing is that's just thelevel of play that he has.
It doesn't matter he.
Whenever he steps on the ice,he's the guy.
He's just good.
He's just better than 90 of theguys in the khl, and people
(20:52):
know it.
It's just good.
He's just better than 90% ofthe guys in the KHL and people
know it.
It's just the level of his play.
That just makes him that good.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
Well, what is it that he does?
I mean, what do you see whenyou watch him?
Is it his vision on the ice?
Is it his shooting?
Is it his skating?
What do you see with AlexanderNikitin?
Speaker 2 (21:14):
It's everything.
It's his ability to break outin transition, whether that be
carrying the puck or giving itto a teammate to let them go.
It's his defensive ability,it's his physicality, it's his
skating, it's vision, it's kindof just everything.
He does everything at a prettydecently high level, which is
very rare for a guy as young ashe is and people might not see
23 as that young, but it stillis.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
He does everything at a pretty decently high level
and again, that's just reallyreally good.
Well, and you mentioned he's 23.
He's going to turn 24 inOctober.
Interestingly enough, he's beenin the KHL for parts of six
seasons now, so he came as avery young player and I guess
that's how the Canes were ableto see him in his early years in
(22:02):
the KHL and then draft him.
And again, what do you thinkwhen you see Nikitian heading
into the NHL?
I mean, it's a different game,it's tougher.
What do you see as thepotential for Nikitian as he, uh
, as he becomes a, an NHL player?
Speaker 2 (22:17):
there's gonna, no matter what.
There'll be a transitionaryperiod, just getting used to
North American ice, becausethere is a big difference.
But he's a guy that you know.
I've said it before if JacobSlavin didn't exist, he'd be
your number one left-handeddefenseman, without any question
.
He's going to be able to giveyou big minutes.
He's going to run a power playunit and he's probably going to
do it at a high clip.
(22:38):
Yes, point potential I alwaysstruggle with these, just
because it's not my thing toreally give it, but he can
definitely average numbers.
Probably the Hurricanes haven'tseen in a while, if ever.
I don't really know where thatis, but he can definitely get a
lot of points and that's seen bybeing a near point per game
(23:01):
defenseman over two years.
Speaker 1 (23:01):
Yeah, I mean for sure .
His offensive game has comemiles.
When he was first being drafted, a lot of the pundits were
saying that they didn't see anoffensive part to his game at
that point, and you can see thenumbers.
It's incredible how they wentfrom very, very low to you know
a massive change in a very shortperiod of time.
So he definitely found his mojo.
(23:24):
So let's talk a little bitabout you know where are the
Canes and where is thissituation with Nikitian?
A lot of folks are wonderingwhat's going on.
Of course, we heard that IvanDemidov had been given his
release, really surprisingly, bySKA and has now signed on with
the Montreal Canadiens, andthere are other moves that SKA
(23:45):
has been making.
What is your feeling about allof this right now, nick?
Speaker 2 (23:50):
So first up with Demidov.
There's a big differencebetween Demidov's situation and
Nikitin's.
There's a couple, but the mainone was that he was going to go
to Montreal no matter what.
So SKA played nice there.
The big one, and I truly meanthe biggest one is that, like
(24:11):
I've said in the past, nikitinis their captain.
They're not going to let himjust immediately go because,
again, he's their captain.
He's been their captain for twoyears.
It's going to take time, nomatter what.
There's been no doubts fromrussian media that he is coming
to north america.
Daria tuboltsova, who doesincredible work for rg media and
(24:31):
does a lot of work for the khlin russia, for their media stuff
, she's already reported thathe's gonna sign.
It's just, it's not a matter ofwork for the KHL in Russia for
their media stuff.
She already reported that he'sgoing to sign.
It's just.
It's not a matter of if it'sgoing to happen, it's a matter
of when, and people just need to, you know, be patient with it.
It's just going to take time.
Speaker 1 (24:47):
Well, and again, I think there's a lot in this for
sure, as we've heard that youknow, nikitin has, along with
the interest of SKA and Iunderstand that they made an
offer to him at some point tostay with the team.
Along with that, of course, hispartner, I guess.
(25:09):
She has a significant careerthat she's been building in
Russia as well.
He has investments there.
So it's a little bit morecomplex.
On the personal side, and again, I think you know, looking at
just, you know, kind offinalizing everything and
getting them over, there's beendiscussion about the, the
contract discussions,particularly with Cortex, and I
(25:33):
saw something today on X fromHockey Hub basically saying that
there was a discussion thatwould probably clarify what the
next deal with the Canes wouldlook like, and they said it
might be in the $4 million range.
So this is a very complex dealto put together and I think
you're right on that too, nick,that very complex deal to put
together, and I think you'reright on that too, nick, that
(25:55):
folks have to be patient.
The reality is that it soundslike Alexander is going to come
to North America, as you said.
It's been reported fromdifferent folks that believe
that's the case and again, it'sjust is it going to be now?
Is it going to be in the summer?
When will it be?
We're just going to have tohang on to see how that plays
out.
Now.
We did hear, also on the Canesbroadcast the other day, that
(26:18):
Chuck Tracy had been talkingwith Eric Tulsky and Tulsky is
heads down trying to get thisdone.
So lots of work behind thescenes to try to make it happen.
Clearly the Canes understandjust how important Alexander and
Keishon is to their future.
So exciting stuff and followingit very, very closely, for sure
(26:39):
.
Ok, so let's talk a little bitabout some of the players that
we see are coming over to NorthAmerica.
We talked about this last time.
Last time you had some folks onthe radar that you're thinking
about that could end theirseasons in their respective
leagues and potentially headover to North America and play
(27:01):
for the Chicago Wolves.
Now we did talk about YoelNistrom and that deal is done,
so he's coming over to NorthAmerica.
What are your thoughts on that?
Speaker 2 (27:14):
He's a really solid defenseman already.
He's going to be the Wolves'one of their better skaters.
He's going to be one of theirbetter defensemen.
He's just a very good playeralready.
So interested to see how thatgoes.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
Well, again a right shot guy and lots of confusion
on the size of Nystrom.
I don't know if you saw it, butthe Chicago Wolf site has him
at 5'9", the Canes site has himat 5'11" and Elite Prospects has
him at 6'2".
Speaker 2 (27:44):
So I'm not sure where he is.
He is 5'11".
Speaker 1 (27:48):
He's 5'11" Okay.
So he is 5'11" Okay.
So one thing that Darren Yorkhad said when they drafted him
was that he felt like he was adefenseman that was not far from
being able to play in the NHLeven at that stage.
So he's continued his work withFarzastad over in the SHL
(28:11):
another season there, a verygood season, and he gets a
chance to head over to Chicago.
So I'm, like you, very excitedto see what he's going to do.
Another guy that is currentlyunder contract to the Canes and
apparently there's somethinggoing on with him that would be
Dominic Badinka Now Badinkaagain.
(28:31):
He was playing in Sweden withMalmo and their junior team this
year.
He's 19 years old.
He's a big guy.
When he was drafted, scottWheeler said he's got size,
moves the puck, sees the icewell, likes to carry it in,
influence, play and plays hardand confidently.
What are you thinking aboutbadinka's potential of heading
(28:53):
over to north america?
Speaker 2 (28:56):
um, yeah, that's a um .
More reports have come out fromsweden that they do like these
recaps of like, hey, this iswhere this guy is doing, or this
is what this team is thinking,and badinka is going to come to
north america.
It's a matter of when, if notjust if it's going to happen.
(29:16):
He's expected to play the fullseason next year with chicago,
no matter what.
Um, because he is now no longerunder contract with malmo.
Okay, um, so yeah, that that'llbe another interesting thing.
His defensive game isdefinitely farther ahead than
the offense, and maybe that'sjust because the SHL is a very
notoriously tough league fordefensemen to rack up points.
(29:37):
But it's still noteworthy tosay that I think his offensive
aspects are there.
There's potential, it's justright now.
It's more raw than hisdefensive game, which is pretty
solid.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
Yeah, and again a big player.
The Canes got him in the secondround, so he's a guy that was
rated highly, a first-round guyfor a lot of folks who are
putting together mock drafts, soI think definitely someone
we're going to be interested in.
Anyone else that you're hearingthat may be heading to North
America right now Nick.
Speaker 2 (30:10):
Top of my head.
No, it's just kind of the guysthat I've talked about before.
Other than that I haven'treally heard anything.
I did really quickly about thereport about um the after the
nikishin's elc.
I wouldn't read too much intothat.
First up that report it didn't.
It came from arthur kairulan.
(30:31):
It was not hockey news hub thatactually reported, it was
arthur kai rulin.
But I still wouldn't put a lotof stock into it because it's
again, it's, this whole thing isa developing thing.
It's not like a snap yourfingers and everything's done,
so just I wouldn't put a lot ofstock into that at all okay,
well, again we're.
Speaker 1 (30:49):
We're getting a lot of information.
Some of it is quality, as youmentioned.
There's certain folks wedefinitely want to be aware of
and what they're saying, andthen there's other folks we're
not so sure.
So anyway, hey, nick, closingthoughts, what do you got to say
?
Speaker 2 (31:06):
I think I'm just going to continue pounding the
drum of please be patient.
It just takes a lot of time forthings to develop.
Um, there's probably going tobe a lot more information over
the coming, you know, days,weeks.
It's just, you know, thesethings are, it's sensitive.
A lot of these nhl teams can'treally, or don't want to say
anything out loud because itwill jeopardize it.
(31:28):
But you know, I've tried tostay on top of it, which is just
following a lot of Russianmedia and trying to figure out
what they're saying, whatthey're thinking, what they got.
So, yeah, just everybody,please be patient.
Speaker 1 (31:43):
Well, you've said this all along, nick, and I give
you a lot of credit.
You've been very clear forseveral months now that you know
we need to understand thecomplexity of trying to bring
Nikitian over and bring him overquickly after the end of the
season, and it seems like thereis some of that right now.
So, yeah, kudos to you, man,for having that clarity and
(32:07):
passing that on to us as well.
So, nick, it's been greattalking prospects, I know we'll
get together in the coming days.
We'll definitely be doing adraft show again this year and
some other things.
We might have a chance to gettogether after the season ends
for a lot of these teams andchat a little bit about some of
the prospects as well and keepfolks totally up to date on
(32:29):
what's happening with the Canesprospects around the world.
It's been great to spend thetime with you and I've really
appreciated your insight andknowledge on so many of these
players, boy.
They're on all differentcorners of the world for sure.
So thanks so much for that.
Really appreciate it, nick, andfor all of you who've been
watching or listening today, wethank you very much for spending
(32:53):
time with us.
If you like this episode,please press the like button.
If you have comments oranything you'd like to say or
questions for Nick or I, justplease put those in the comment
section down below.
And if you want to be alertedof future episodes of Storm
Tracker, please press thesubscribe and the bell buttons
and we'll make sure you're madeaware of those just as soon as
(33:15):
they're available, as always.
Nick and I thank you so muchfor joining us today.
We look forward to gettingtogether with you real soon
right here on storm tracker.
Thank you.
So a lot's exciting with Carolina Hurricanes
prospects these days.
We recently saw Scott Morrowand Justin Robida with brief
additions with the CarolinaHurricanes and they look good.
They did not look out of placeat all.
And of course, we've beenfollowing Jackson Blake's
development this year and he'sbeen a strong contributor to the
(00:22):
Canes as well.
Lots of other players are inthe mix and, of course,
alexander Nikitian and what'sgoing to happen with Alexander
as we hear lots of rumors aboutthe future for Alexander and the
Canes.
Lots to talk about today andwe're going to talk about the
top five prospects of the monthfor March and joining me to do
that, as always, our prospectguru, mr Nick Bass.
(00:46):
Nick, welcome, hello, hey, nick.
Yeah, a great month in March.
Several of the top prospectsagain continuing their fine play
.
We saw some good things withsome of these prospects, as I
mentioned, getting a cup ofcoffee with the Hurricanes and
we'll talk a little bit aboutthose guys as well.
(01:09):
But, yeah, generally a strongmonth and leading it off at
number five for the month,interestingly enough, is Jackson
Blake, and you know Blake hascertainly been catching
attention of a lot of Canes fansrecently.
His play on the top line hasbeen particularly exciting.
Here's an interesting commentfrom Hockey Forecaster.
(01:30):
When they were talking aboutJackson, they said his father,
jason Blake, was a pesky wingerwith opportunistic scoring
skills.
He's not too far off thatcomparison.
They're talking about Jackson,though he'll need to bulk up a
little bit we see that a littlebit.
In his play.
His speed, energy and competelevel are first rate and he'll
(01:51):
get his nose dirty in order toscore goals.
So some interesting commentsabout Jackson and what did you
see with him in March and whatare your general thoughts on
Jackson Blake?
Speaker 2 (02:01):
yeah, uh, blake had a really good March.
Uh, I always feel bad because Ifeel as if I don't talk about
him enough, um, whenever I dothese prospect things, just
because I don't watch a ton ofNHL hockey at this point.
But, um, from what I've seen,uh, he's been great.
Um, his talent's always beenthere and I think he flashed it
really.
He flashed a lot of what he didreally well at the NCAA level
(02:24):
and then it's starting totranslate a lot more what he did
really well at the end and caalevel and then it's starting to
translate a lot more at the nhllevel.
It just took some time.
Um, his board work isimpressive for a guy of his age
and a guy of his his stature.
It's very, very good.
His compute is obviously reallygood.
He does a lot of things rightand it's good to finally see
blake get on the score sheet.
Even though he's been playingreally well, he just hasn't
(02:46):
gotten great puck luck.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Well, I mean with Blake.
You know he's up to 15 goalsnow, which is something he's
been particularly strong lately.
And it seemed like when hejoined that line with Sebastian
Ajo and Seth Jarvis, that linestarted to take off, and it's no
surprise the way he plays.
And you're right.
You're right, nick, he'samazing on the boards.
(03:09):
How many times have we seen himgo in there and there's a bunch
of folk pushing and shoving andout comes Jason Blake with the
puck.
And the other thing I've noticedand I'm sure you've seen this
as well is his willingness to gointo the dirty areas.
It's astounding.
He'll go to the net.
He has no concern at all what'sgoing on there.
He's going to try to get thatpuck close to the net and it
shows and I think you know hewas a Hobie Baker finalist last
(03:32):
year he's a player thatcertainly has a great pedigree.
I like Jackson Blake and Ithink he's surprised a lot of
folks with the fact that, as theseason has gone on, he's
actually playing better hockey,and that's you know.
After coming out of the collegeranks, as you know, that's a
little bit of a challengebecause their seasons are much
shorter.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
I mean, yeah, but at that same point he looked really
good at the start of the year.
He just didn't have a ton ofice time.
And he's progressed as a playerand now he's earned his ice
time, so I'm not too shocked byit.
He always had the talent.
It just took him a little bitto figure out how to translate
it.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
Yeah, and you're absolutely right, and I think
the future is bright for JacksonBlake and certainly lots more
to come from him.
The Canes are going to becounting on him as they head
into the playoffs, for sure,because he's been one of the
catalysts for the offensive sideof their game and and I think
that's great news.
Number four is a player we'vetalked about a lot.
(04:30):
He's a guy that uh was drafted147th in 2021.
Uh, corey Prondman of theathletic had him at 49,.
Bob McKenzie had him at 80.
So some folks had a much higherin the draft and you know that
he kind of slipped in the drafta little bit because of size.
That's typical.
He's checking in at 5'8 and 180now, so he's a pretty stocky
(04:53):
player.
His play with the Canes in hisshort cup of coffee was quite
impressive A goal and an assistin two games, and he looked
strong on the ice.
He's having a great year.
He's got 48 points in 65 games.
What did you see from JustinRobitaille in March?
Speaker 2 (05:11):
Yeah, he had a really good month at the AHL level and
when the Wolves were in GrandRapids right before he got
called up it just kind of madesense and he's definitely earned
the NHL time that he got and itwas really encouraging to see
that the same traits that madehim really good at the AHL level
which was his, his work ethic,his hockey sense and his
(05:33):
offensive, his 200 foot game andI'm glad that translated
immediately to the NHL and heshowed a lot of good traits
already and you know he's I'vecalled him an NHL guy a lot and
that's just in spite of his size.
He's a guy that can andprobably will play a lot more
NHL games in the future.
It just depends on when.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Yeah, I think Robitaille is a guy that
certainly, from what I've seen,he is very strong on his skates.
They say he plays bigger thanhis size and he is smart man.
He's making things happen outthere.
We saw that on his assist andof course he also scored.
So clearly he's a guy that isgrowing fast and last year, of
(06:17):
course, he was in the EasternCoast Hockey League and part of
that because the Canes didn'thave an AHL affiliate.
But he cut his teeth in theEastern League.
He's come up and he's playedvery, very well in all
situations for the Wolves.
You know he kills penalties.
He's obviously key on the powerplay and I look forward to see
(06:37):
what his contribution is as theWolves head into the playoffs,
which is exciting to see forsure.
Moving to number three is aninteresting one.
We've talked about him a littlebit before.
That's Alexander Perevolov.
Now Perevolov this year seemsto be putting it all together.
He's currently in the VHL withMedelersk, had a pretty good run
(06:59):
with them 23 points in 26 games.
A couple of things about him.
Them, 23 points in 26 games.
A couple of things about him.
He checks in at six feet andhe's 190 pounds or so.
He's a guy that was picked 71stin 2022, but he was rated much
higher.
Central Scouting Europe had himat 14.
The Keens had him at 25.
Craig Button at 21.
(07:20):
So there were some folks thatreally, really liked Paravlov.
I just want to tell you alittle comment, too, about him.
This is from Corey PromenPromen.
You know he's respected as oneof the better folks who look at
prospects around the globe.
He said Paravlov can make a lotof good things happen with the
(07:42):
puck.
He has excellent stick skills,showing consistent ability to
beat checks one-on-one andcreate inside the offensive zone
with his stick handling.
So some pretty good words aboutAlexander Prevla.
What did you see from Alexanderin March?
Speaker 2 (07:56):
Yeah, that trade from his team that he started with
Umski Kraljev, to Mildred Novokwhose net was actually probably
the best move for his career,because it didn't his past two
years, three years at this point, had been really shaky and that
was a mix of injury, coachingstyles, teams that he was on it
was a whole mix of things.
(08:16):
And now he got traded to a teamthat actually gave him a lot of
opportunity and he took thatopportunity and made a lot out
of it.
He was almost a point-per-gameplayer with them and he was very
instrumental.
They were the number one teamgoing into the playoffs.
Now obviously their team didnot win, but he saw a really
really good year and going intonext year with the same team.
Hopefully I would think that hewould continue that really good
(08:39):
play.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
Yeah, and he's an exciting one, I think you know.
When you look at some of thefolks currently playing in
Russia, I think Pravolov is oneof the guys we want to keep a
close eye on for sure, andeverything is starting to trend
the way that we hoped it would.
Okay, moving to number two andagain we've talked about him
(09:01):
several times, and rightfully soBradley Nadeau.
Nadeau is just tearing it up.
He had a great march and he'shaving as strong or better April
as you've seen.
He's now hit 29 goals for theWolves.
He's actually first in theAmerican Hockey League goal
scoring for rookies and he'stied for seventh overall.
(09:23):
So he's a guy that isdefinitely getting it done.
A couple of comments on Nadeau.
Corey Promen said he can skateby and beat a lot of defenders,
but he's also excellent atcreating with space.
He sees the ice at a high level, making a lot of seam passes
and making tough passes on themove.
(09:43):
Bradley Nadeau, he is somethingelse.
What did he do in March?
Speaker 2 (09:49):
Yeah, nadeau, he just continued his torrid pace
coming back from World Juniors.
He's just played like a man,possessed, and everybody knows
about his shot.
He likes the left circle andthe power play.
He's gotten eight of those.
I think they've been indifferent ways, but he sets up
in the left circle and the powerplay.
He's gotten eight of those.
I think they've been indifferent ways, but he sets up
in the left circle on the powerplay and he really likes it.
His skating has continued toget better.
(10:11):
He's seeing the ice a lotbetter and the traits are
starting to translate more.
The skating is also stillreally good.
The one thing that still needs alittle bit of work and that
just comes with time, is fixingrookie mistakes.
They happen.
Thing that still needs a littlebit of work and that just comes
with time is fixing rookiemistakes.
(10:32):
There they happen a little bit.
It's not often, but it doeshappen a lot.
Happens a few times.
So whenever he fixes up thosemistakes he's going to be a
really good player and it it'salmost historic when a guy who's
not even 20 yet scores 30 atthe AHL level and he's probably
going to score 30 at the AHLlevel.
So he he's probably going toscore 30 at the AHL level, so
he's had a heck of a year andMarch was just a continuance of
that.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
Yeah, I mean, it's amazing how he's.
As you say, he came back fromthat World Junior Tournament and
he has been something else andyou see that one-timer and
that's, you know, working withsome of his key line mates, they
seem to have that down to ascience right now and he's
virtually unstoppable in thatsituation, as we've seen.
So I think his offensive skillswe talked a lot about this in
(11:13):
the past they're definitelygoing to, you know, transfer
over to the NHL as well and Ithink, translate nicely when he
gets a chance and hopefully, youknow, if he continues to work
on his 200-foot game, which is,as you mentioned, some of these
challenges that these youngstershave, is to get that full game
in play Boy.
He's going to be something, noquestion.
(11:35):
So, lots of excitement aroundBradley Nadeau Moving to number
one and he actually has beeninstrumental in Nadeau's success
this year, for sure, as we'vewatched a lot of the highlights
with Nadeau, ryan, suzuki andSuzuki continuing his fine play
this year he's now got 54 pointsin 64 games.
(11:58):
He's a guy that has quietly goneabout his business this year.
He saw a few games with theHurricanes, but he's continued
to play extremely well for theWolves and will be a key, key
asset as they head into theplayoffs.
What did you see from Suzuki inMarch?
Speaker 2 (12:13):
Yeah, again, he was just.
This has been his most healthyseason since coming to the AHL
and it's proven to be his best.
His playmaking is next level.
His ability to move the puck isincredible and his ability to
maybe not manipulate space, buthis ability to create
(12:34):
opportunities for his teammatesis just unbelievable.
He's been a dominant top sixcenter for most of the year.
He's top three in assists.
He's been just unreal and he'sbeen everything the Wolves have
needed him to.
So I'm hoping for another nicelittle run here out of Suzuki,
who it's he's probably an NHLplayer right now.
It's just it, just tough,unfortunately.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
Yeah, I mean that's going to be the interesting
challenge.
He is a restricted free agent.
This summer Last year theyre-upped him for a single year.
It's going to be interesting tosee how this plays out.
Yeah, again, he's having anoutstanding year and he will be
critical as they go forward.
And you know, I've noticed hiswork, particularly on the power
play with Nadeau and with JuhaJaska forming a Troy cop there
(13:23):
and and again, depending on whothe point guys are really
getting something done.
Their power play was deadly fora period in Chicago.
You might've seen that.
They were just unbelievable.
So, he's again a guy with eliteoffensive skills and boy, we
look at his brother doing sovery well with Montreal, and we
kind of continue to have hopesthat Ryan is going to have a
shot at some point with theHurricanes.
(13:45):
Okay, so the top five headingto the final one was Ryan Suzuki
, and now we'll talk a littlebit about some of those
honorable mentions.
We'll kick it off with adefenseman that I've been really
excited about and, of course,when Scott Morrow moved up to
(14:05):
the Canes, his playing timeincreased and of course he
continued to, I think, shine inthat role.
And that's Dominic Pensori inthat role.
And that's Dominic PensoriPensori with Boston University,
you know, two years ago.
He's a guy that was the teamcaptain, he was a Hobie Baker
finalist, or at least wasnominated for Hobie Baker two
(14:27):
years in a row.
He's a guy that has all theskill in the world, you know.
He can skate, he can move thepuck smartly, he's really,
really strengthened thedefensive side of his game and
for a smaller defenseman, heseems to play pretty big.
What did you see from Dominicin March?
Speaker 2 (14:44):
He's turned into one I mean probably right now.
He's been one of the Wolves'best defensemen, if not the best
one.
His ability to kill penaltieshas been instrumental.
His ability to help a powerplay unit, even though he's on
unit two, has been really goodFive on five.
He's super strong in both ends.
His skating is unbelievable andthe size really doesn't bother
(15:04):
him.
It doesn't bother me, itdoesn't really bother anybody.
He's still physical when heneeds to be, which is always
really nice.
So Fensori's been really goodand again I see an NHL player
there.
It's just a matter of when, ifnot if, at this point.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
I agree, and of course he had.
In March he had seven points in11 games.
He's continued to rack up thepoints.
This year he's got 31 points in64 games.
Now he's another story where hestarted last year.
You might recall he was inNorfolk to start the year.
Story where he started lastyear.
You might recall he was inNorfolk to start the year and of
course, the Wolves got into aworld of hurt and came to the
(15:40):
Hurricanes and said can you helpus out?
And one of the players they didsend up with of course was was
Dominic Pensori, I think againgetting the chance to get extra
minutes.
He can skate with the best ofthem.
He's a very smart player.
I really like him and andwhenever I've seen him you know,
in the prospect showcases andcertainly in the action I've
(16:01):
seen with Chicago he's a veryimpressive player.
So yes, I think he's got afuture in the NHL.
I'm not sure, as the Canes arecontinuing to load up their
defensive core.
I'm not sure where that will bewith the Hurricanes, but
certainly he's a guy to keep aneye on.
Where that will be with theHurricanes, but certainly he's a
guy to keep an eye on.
And then another one on theblue and I just mentioned he was
(16:23):
.
His move to the Hurricanesreally gave Fensuri his
opportunity and that's ScottMorrow.
You know Morrow, in nine gameswith the Canes, has five points.
He's a plus player.
I think he looked tremendousand even in those losses I
thought he accorded himselfextremely well.
He's a guy that you know.
He came out of UMass.
(16:43):
He's a guy that can really playoutstanding player.
What'd you see with ScottMorrow?
Speaker 2 (16:50):
Yeah, I don't really have a ton to say because I feel
as if I've said it all withScott Morrow, but he's an NHL
player at this point.
It's not going to be this yearthat he's a full-time NHL player
, because you're going into theplayoffs and he won't do it, but
he's a full-time NHL player.
He has top four potential.
He has power play potential,even though they haven't let him
(17:11):
try it which seemsshort-sighted, but I'm not the
coach.
Try it, which seemsshort-sighted, but I'm not the
coach.
He's just been really good andeverything that has worked at
the AHL level is at the NHLlevel and still working.
The one thing that he justneeds to be a little bit smarter
when he has the puck on hisstick, instead of trying to go,
you know, one on three, heshould wait and try and find an
open teammate.
And it's not to say that hedoesn't have the skill to do it,
(17:33):
it's just you're not there yet.
He's an NHL player through andthrough at this point and I
expect him to have a full-timejob next year.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
Yeah, it's going to be interesting.
As you look at the defensivecore for next year, you've got a
number of players coming back,four of them still on deals next
year.
It looks like there will be acouple of spots open.
Morrow is making his case forsure and I think he surprised a
lot of folks with how much hehas developed his game.
(18:02):
And you know it was interestingto see him teaming with Shane
Goss despair, because you knowyou think about Morrow has
historically been viewed as anoffensive minded defenseman
needed to shore up his defensivegame.
He has looked very strongworking with Ghost and they've
been among the stronger pairs,interestingly enough, when
(18:25):
they've been together.
So you know again a guy thatreally has continued to develop
as the Canes would hope.
And I think his opportunity inChicago, where he saw lots of
minutes, big minutes in allsituations, right, so getting a
chance to actually grow his gameas he should and a right-hand
(18:45):
shot D-man so great stuff withScott Morrow.
Look forward to his increasedplaying time with the Hurricanes
.
And one thing I did see and Idon't know if you've seen a lot
of this too, nick, but hisincredible ability with the puck
to see the ice extremely well,and to make plays just wonderful
(19:08):
.
Speaker 2 (19:09):
Yeah, it's next level stuff.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
Cool, okay, so the final gentleman on your
honorable mentions is well, Iguess it's time to do the
Nikitian watch, because it'sAlexander Nikitian and you know
Nikitian.
Again a strong season in SKAwith St Petersburg SKA 46 points
(19:35):
.
He's had over 50 the twoprevious seasons.
He continues to tear it up andI noticed in the three playoff
games he was in against DynamoMoscow he played massive minutes
.
One game he was, I think, over35 minutes.
I mean it was insane.
So he's a guy that could playthe big minutes.
(19:57):
He was counted on, of course,by SK in a big way and again
drafted in the third round in2020, 69th overall.
This could be one of the stealsof all time.
What did you see with AlexanderNikishi?
Speaker 2 (20:12):
Yeah, he just played like he has for the past two
years Whenever he's fullyhealthy.
He was SKA's defense.
For the most part, he was theirnumber one guy.
The only time he wasn't theirnumber one guy was on the
penalty kill, and he still gotpenalty kill time.
He's just been their best.
He was arguably even in thethree games that they played.
(20:32):
The only other guy that youcould really say was better than
him in that series was Demidov.
Other than that, he wasarguably even in the three games
that they played.
The only other guy that youcould really say was better than
him in that series was demidoff.
Other than that, he was theirbest player.
Even in three games that heplayed, he.
He was absolutely ridiculous.
But the thing is that's just thelevel of play that he has.
It doesn't matter he.
Whenever he steps on the ice,he's the guy.
He's just good.
He's just better than 90 of theguys in the khl, and people
(20:52):
know it.
It's just good.
He's just better than 90% ofthe guys in the KHL and people
know it.
It's just the level of his play.
That just makes him that good.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
Well, what is it that he does?
I mean, what do you see whenyou watch him?
Is it his vision on the ice?
Is it his shooting?
Is it his skating?
What do you see with AlexanderNikitin?
Speaker 2 (21:14):
It's everything.
It's his ability to break outin transition, whether that be
carrying the puck or giving itto a teammate to let them go.
It's his defensive ability,it's his physicality, it's his
skating, it's vision, it's kindof just everything.
He does everything at a prettydecently high level, which is
very rare for a guy as young ashe is and people might not see
23 as that young, but it stillis.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
He does everything at a pretty decently high level
and again, that's just reallyreally good.
Well, and you mentioned he's 23.
He's going to turn 24 inOctober.
Interestingly enough, he's beenin the KHL for parts of six
seasons now, so he came as avery young player and I guess
that's how the Canes were ableto see him in his early years in
(22:02):
the KHL and then draft him.
And again, what do you thinkwhen you see Nikitian heading
into the NHL?
I mean, it's a different game,it's tougher.
What do you see as thepotential for Nikitian as he, uh
, as he becomes a, an NHL player?
Speaker 2 (22:17):
there's gonna, no matter what.
There'll be a transitionaryperiod, just getting used to
North American ice, becausethere is a big difference.
But he's a guy that you know.
I've said it before if JacobSlavin didn't exist, he'd be
your number one left-handeddefenseman, without any question
.
He's going to be able to giveyou big minutes.
He's going to run a power playunit and he's probably going to
do it at a high clip.
(22:38):
Yes, point potential I alwaysstruggle with these, just
because it's not my thing toreally give it, but he can
definitely average numbers.
Probably the Hurricanes haven'tseen in a while, if ever.
I don't really know where thatis, but he can definitely get a
lot of points and that's seen bybeing a near point per game
(23:01):
defenseman over two years.
Speaker 1 (23:01):
Yeah, I mean for sure .
His offensive game has comemiles.
When he was first being drafted, a lot of the pundits were
saying that they didn't see anoffensive part to his game at
that point, and you can see thenumbers.
It's incredible how they wentfrom very, very low to you know
a massive change in a very shortperiod of time.
So he definitely found his mojo.
(23:24):
So let's talk a little bitabout you know where are the
Canes and where is thissituation with Nikitian?
A lot of folks are wonderingwhat's going on.
Of course, we heard that IvanDemidov had been given his
release, really surprisingly, bySKA and has now signed on with
the Montreal Canadiens, andthere are other moves that SKA
(23:45):
has been making.
What is your feeling about allof this right now, nick?
Speaker 2 (23:50):
So first up with Demidov.
There's a big differencebetween Demidov's situation and
Nikitin's.
There's a couple, but the mainone was that he was going to go
to Montreal no matter what.
So SKA played nice there.
The big one, and I truly meanthe biggest one is that, like
(24:11):
I've said in the past, nikitinis their captain.
They're not going to let himjust immediately go because,
again, he's their captain.
He's been their captain for twoyears.
It's going to take time, nomatter what.
There's been no doubts fromrussian media that he is coming
to north america.
Daria tuboltsova, who doesincredible work for rg media and
(24:31):
does a lot of work for the khlin russia, for their media stuff
, she's already reported thathe's gonna sign.
It's just, it's not a matter ofwork for the KHL in Russia for
their media stuff.
She already reported that he'sgoing to sign.
It's just.
It's not a matter of if it'sgoing to happen, it's a matter
of when, and people just need to, you know, be patient with it.
It's just going to take time.
Speaker 1 (24:47):
Well, and again, I think there's a lot in this for
sure, as we've heard that youknow, nikitin has, along with
the interest of SKA and Iunderstand that they made an
offer to him at some point tostay with the team.
Along with that, of course, hispartner, I guess.
(25:09):
She has a significant careerthat she's been building in
Russia as well.
He has investments there.
So it's a little bit morecomplex.
On the personal side, and again, I think you know, looking at
just, you know, kind offinalizing everything and
getting them over, there's beendiscussion about the, the
contract discussions,particularly with Cortex, and I
(25:33):
saw something today on X fromHockey Hub basically saying that
there was a discussion thatwould probably clarify what the
next deal with the Canes wouldlook like, and they said it
might be in the $4 million range.
So this is a very complex dealto put together and I think
you're right on that too, nick,that very complex deal to put
together, and I think you'reright on that too, nick, that
(25:55):
folks have to be patient.
The reality is that it soundslike Alexander is going to come
to North America, as you said.
It's been reported fromdifferent folks that believe
that's the case and again, it'sjust is it going to be now?
Is it going to be in the summer?
When will it be?
We're just going to have tohang on to see how that plays
out.
Now.
We did hear, also on the Canesbroadcast the other day, that
(26:18):
Chuck Tracy had been talkingwith Eric Tulsky and Tulsky is
heads down trying to get thisdone.
So lots of work behind thescenes to try to make it happen.
Clearly the Canes understandjust how important Alexander and
Keishon is to their future.
So exciting stuff and followingit very, very closely, for sure
(26:39):
.
Ok, so let's talk a little bitabout some of the players that
we see are coming over to NorthAmerica.
We talked about this last time.
Last time you had some folks onthe radar that you're thinking
about that could end theirseasons in their respective
leagues and potentially headover to North America and play
(27:01):
for the Chicago Wolves.
Now we did talk about YoelNistrom and that deal is done,
so he's coming over to NorthAmerica.
What are your thoughts on that?
Speaker 2 (27:14):
He's a really solid defenseman already.
He's going to be the Wolves'one of their better skaters.
He's going to be one of theirbetter defensemen.
He's just a very good playeralready.
So interested to see how thatgoes.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
Well, again a right shot guy and lots of confusion
on the size of Nystrom.
I don't know if you saw it, butthe Chicago Wolf site has him
at 5'9", the Canes site has himat 5'11" and Elite Prospects has
him at 6'2".
Speaker 2 (27:44):
So I'm not sure where he is.
He is 5'11".
Speaker 1 (27:48):
He's 5'11" Okay.
So he is 5'11" Okay.
So one thing that Darren Yorkhad said when they drafted him
was that he felt like he was adefenseman that was not far from
being able to play in the NHLeven at that stage.
So he's continued his work withFarzastad over in the SHL
(28:11):
another season there, a verygood season, and he gets a
chance to head over to Chicago.
So I'm, like you, very excitedto see what he's going to do.
Another guy that is currentlyunder contract to the Canes and
apparently there's somethinggoing on with him that would be
Dominic Badinka Now Badinkaagain.
(28:31):
He was playing in Sweden withMalmo and their junior team this
year.
He's 19 years old.
He's a big guy.
When he was drafted, scottWheeler said he's got size,
moves the puck, sees the icewell, likes to carry it in,
influence, play and plays hardand confidently.
What are you thinking aboutbadinka's potential of heading
(28:53):
over to north america?
Speaker 2 (28:56):
um, yeah, that's a um .
More reports have come out fromsweden that they do like these
recaps of like, hey, this iswhere this guy is doing, or this
is what this team is thinking,and badinka is going to come to
north america.
It's a matter of when, if notjust if it's going to happen.
(29:16):
He's expected to play the fullseason next year with chicago,
no matter what.
Um, because he is now no longerunder contract with malmo.
Okay, um, so yeah, that that'llbe another interesting thing.
His defensive game isdefinitely farther ahead than
the offense, and maybe that'sjust because the SHL is a very
notoriously tough league fordefensemen to rack up points.
(29:37):
But it's still noteworthy tosay that I think his offensive
aspects are there.
There's potential, it's justright now.
It's more raw than hisdefensive game, which is pretty
solid.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
Yeah, and again a big player.
The Canes got him in the secondround, so he's a guy that was
rated highly, a first-round guyfor a lot of folks who are
putting together mock drafts, soI think definitely someone
we're going to be interested in.
Anyone else that you're hearingthat may be heading to North
America right now Nick.
Speaker 2 (30:10):
Top of my head.
No, it's just kind of the guysthat I've talked about before.
Other than that I haven'treally heard anything.
I did really quickly about thereport about um the after the
nikishin's elc.
I wouldn't read too much intothat.
First up that report it didn't.
It came from arthur kairulan.
(30:31):
It was not hockey news hub thatactually reported, it was
arthur kai rulin.
But I still wouldn't put a lotof stock into it because it's
again, it's, this whole thing isa developing thing.
It's not like a snap yourfingers and everything's done,
so just I wouldn't put a lot ofstock into that at all okay,
well, again we're.
Speaker 1 (30:49):
We're getting a lot of information.
Some of it is quality, as youmentioned.
There's certain folks wedefinitely want to be aware of
and what they're saying, andthen there's other folks we're
not so sure.
So anyway, hey, nick, closingthoughts, what do you got to say
?
Speaker 2 (31:06):
I think I'm just going to continue pounding the
drum of please be patient.
It just takes a lot of time forthings to develop.
Um, there's probably going tobe a lot more information over
the coming, you know, days,weeks.
It's just, you know, thesethings are, it's sensitive.
A lot of these nhl teams can'treally, or don't want to say
anything out loud because itwill jeopardize it.
(31:28):
But you know, I've tried tostay on top of it, which is just
following a lot of Russianmedia and trying to figure out
what they're saying, whatthey're thinking, what they got.
So, yeah, just everybody,please be patient.
Speaker 1 (31:43):
Well, you've said this all along, nick, and I give
you a lot of credit.
You've been very clear forseveral months now that you know
we need to understand thecomplexity of trying to bring
Nikitian over and bring him overquickly after the end of the
season, and it seems like thereis some of that right now.
So, yeah, kudos to you, man,for having that clarity and
(32:07):
passing that on to us as well.
So, nick, it's been greattalking prospects, I know we'll
get together in the coming days.
We'll definitely be doing adraft show again this year and
some other things.
We might have a chance to gettogether after the season ends
for a lot of these teams andchat a little bit about some of
the prospects as well and keepfolks totally up to date on
(32:29):
what's happening with the Canesprospects around the world.
It's been great to spend thetime with you and I've really
appreciated your insight andknowledge on so many of these
players, boy.
They're on all differentcorners of the world for sure.
So thanks so much for that.
Really appreciate it, nick, andfor all of you who've been
watching or listening today, wethank you very much for spending
(32:53):
time with us.
If you like this episode,please press the like button.
If you have comments oranything you'd like to say or
questions for Nick or I, justplease put those in the comment
section down below.
And if you want to be alertedof future episodes of Storm
Tracker, please press thesubscribe and the bell buttons
and we'll make sure you're madeaware of those just as soon as
(33:15):
they're available, as always.
Nick and I thank you so muchfor joining us today.
We look forward to gettingtogether with you real soon
right here on storm tracker.
Thank you.
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