Welcome to part 3 of 4 for the Carolina Hurricanes Draft Preview, where this week we will look at defensive prospect options, which has proven to be a fun and difficult challenge.
With how many defenseman the Canes took last year (Badinka, Fransen, Kol, Siryatsky, Shokhrin) and with 2 of those guys being taken within the first 3 rounds, it’s hard to imagine they look defense early unless the play they want is the Best Player Available. This meant going into the deeper round players to try and find options, which was a fun challenge. Without further ado, let’s dig in to these potential prospects.
Sacha Boumedienne
Boumedienne is the only first round defenseman that I will talk about, solely because it’s unlikely they’ll take defense first in this draft after loading up last year. In any case, Boumedienne is a 6’2 LHD that played his season at Boston University at the college level, where he had 3 goals and 10 assists for 13 points in 40 games. (Tracking data from Mitchell Brown)
Boumedienne has a great base with his skating, with scouts raving about the improvement over the season, and his playmaking ability with the puck on his stick is some of the better work in this class. He’s also described as having a higher than average hockey IQ. In my opinion, I like his potential offensively with what I’ve seen. As of now, it hasn’t translated fully. Again, it’s unlikely that the Canes go defense with a round one pick, but Boumedienne would still be a good pick.
Kurban Limatov
It was a treat watching Kurban Limatov film, as the kid can flat out skate like the wind. As a 6’4 defenseman, having the ability to be a great skate in all four directions is such an advantage and Limatov uses that to the full extent. In 55 combined games this season, he had 10 goals and 18 assists for 28 points. (Tracking data from Lassi Alanen)
Limatov is a beautiful skater and uses that in combination with his great size to disrupt plays in the defensive zone while also having ability to make good decisions offensively. This is reflected by his downright insane usage during MHK Dynamo Moskva’s playoff run, where he averaged close to 29 minutes a night over the last 10 games. It’s still kind of up in the air where he will be drafted, as there have been mock drafts/draft rankings that have him anywhere from 30th to 69th, but Limatov would be a solid addition to an already loaded LHD prospect pool.
Dakota Rheaume-Mullen
Again, hard to see the Canes take a defenseman close to the first but Rheaume-Mullen wouldn’t be a bad pick. One of the best skaters in the class, he also boasts an unreal work ethic. In 35 games for the University of Michigan, he had 3 goals and 6 assists for 9 points. (data from Mitchell Brown)
One of the trends that the Canes have drafted in defenseman has been great skaters with one solid habit. In a guy like Timur Kol, it was defensive ability. In a guy like Noel Fransen, it was offensive ability. Rheaume-Mullen’s would be his unwillingness to give up on a play. He will work harder than everyone else and he will skater better than everyone else. Standing at almost 6’1, one of the drawbacks is his physicality as he isn’t as big as the players he goes against. Again, you bet on the projectability of the skating and work ethic in the 3rd round if he’s there. Elite Prospects compared him to Jalen Chatfield.
Maxim Agafonov
Steady is the name of the game with Agafonov, combining good defensive skills with a solid foundation with his offensive skillset. Standing 6’2 while being a right handed defenseman, he’s also described as being mature physically, being able to use his size effectively. In 59 games this season across the MHL and VHL (with 10 games for Salavat Yulaev U18 team in the playoffs), he had 8 goals and 13 assists for 21 points.
Defenders can’t really go directly at Agafonov thanks to his stick work and physicality. He forces players outside and is able to shut plays down easier than some. He’s able to carry the puck in transition, which is an extremely valuable asset at the NHL level and is somewhat easy to translate to that level. He gets dragged down because of his skating ability but that’s something that can be worked on with the right development. He’s an interesting option in the 4th round or beyond.
Theodor Hallquisth
It’s always a good thing (in my opinion) when a player that didn’t turn 18 until a week ago gets a good amount of games in at the highest level of hockey in his country, which Hallquisth did. Granted, it was only 12 games, but that was the most out of any draft eligible defenseman in the SHL. He spent the majority of the year with the J20 Nationell side, but he still looked pretty solid and has a nice amount of projectibility. In a combined 61 games across 3 levels of Swedish hockey, he had 9 goals and 23 assists for 32 points. (data from Lassi Alanen)
Let’s start with the weakest aspect of his game, his skating. It’s not good, but that is a skill that can be worked on. The good of Hallquist is just about everything else. Size? 6’2. Handiness (if that matters to you)? Right. Hockey sense? Good. Offensive ability? Good. Defensive ability? Good. You’d wonder why a player like him is so lowly ranked, more than likely being a pick later than the 4th round, and it’s because these traits are still raw. He still has a way to go to being a more effective defenseman, but the traits make for a solid pick.
Ilyas Magomedsultanov
What started as solely a suggestion from Dylan Griffing on who he could imagine the Canes could take turned into one of favorite watches for a prospect who should go in the 4th round or after. Magomedsultanov, a name that is totally fun to type out a ton of times, has solid size, standing at 6’2 and 174 pounds and played for both Loko MHL teams where he had 1 goal and 8 assists for 9 points in 43 regular season games.
Anyone remember when the Canes took 3 LHD with great size and good skating (Kol, Siryatsky, Shokhrin)? Why not add another in the later rounds? Ilyas is a strong skater with great physical play, even with his lower than normal weight. He’s stronger defensively than offensively, with his skating and physical play helping to eliminate chances before they finish. He’s someone you take a chance on in the deeper rounds and bet on the upside in his game.
Liam Pettersson
In the later rounds of the draft, you’d like to try and find guys with skills that can translate to higher levels of hockey but have issues that can be worked on and worked out with the correct development. Pettersson is one of these players, as his skating is very good but he’s raw in other areas. In 52 games this season across the SHL/J20 Nationell/J18 Nationell levels, he had 12 goals and 21 assists for 33 points. Important to note that he absolutely dominated the J18 playoffs, with 11 points in 6 games.
Like I mentioned earlier, Pettersson is an effortless skater. Whether that be in transition or in the offensive zone, he’s able to move around players and create opportunities with a low turnover rate. His defense is something to work on, but the other skills make him an interesting player in the 4th round and beyond. He reminds me a lot of what Noel Fransen was/is.
Francesco Dell’Elce
One of the most improved players year over year, Dell’Elce is an overager that played at UMass this past season, where he was arguably one of the best defenseman in all of college hockey. In 40 games for UMass this season, he had 7 goals and 17 assists for 24 points.
Standing at 6’1 while being a left-handed defenseman, Dell’Elce is all gas, no brakes. Or should I say all offense, decent defense, as Dell’Elce can move the puck with pace and touch that most players struggle to do. Combine that with his skating ability, which is already pretty solid and you create a college hockey player with projectable NHL upside. He would be a solid pick in the middle rounds if they value a player, while slightly older, but one that has immense offensive upside.
Other names to know:
Artyom Gonchar, LHD (Stalnye Lisy, MHL)
Karl Annborn, RHD (HV71 J20, J20 Nationell)
Roman Bausov, RHD (MHK Dynamo Moskva, MHL)
Felix Farhammar, LHD (Oreboro, SHL/J20 Nationell/J18 Nationell)
Mikhail Gamzakov, LHD (Avto Yekaterinburg, MHL)
Bogdan Pestretsov, LHD (Krasnaya Armiya Moskva, MHL)
Of course, there are probably guys I’m missing but these were the ones I feel could be picked.