The Hurricanes already drafted one goalie in the third round by selecting Daniel Altshuller and they decided to add another goalie in their system by drafting Collin Olson with the 129th overall pick. Olson has spent the last two seasons on the US National Development Team and will play at Ohio State University next season. He's a big guy at 6'3" who is praised for his solid positioning and quick reflexes.

Olson's stats over the last two seasons aren't very impressive as he had a .898 save percentage in 16 games last season and a 2.55 GAA. Young goaltenders (and all goalies in general) are usually a question mark so I wouldn't put much value into his junior numbers at this moment. His performance at Ohio State may paint a more accurate picture of what we can expect from him in the future, though but goalies are usually a mixed bag. The Hurricanes are likely going to lose two of their netminders in their system to free agency and graduation so they needed to replace them and they accomplished that with this draft. Now we just need to wait and see how good Altshuller and Olson will be in the coming years.

I can't say anything about that right now, but here are some thoughts from some more well-educated people who can give us a glimpse into Olson's future.

Minnesota Hockey Prospects

Olson developed nicely after a rough start for the USDP U-17 squad last season. Olson is a big goaltender, which is a good, as the new trend in scouting goalies is that bigger is better. Olson uses his big frame to his advantage as he does a good job keeping square to the shooter and cutting off any angle his opponent might have. Does a good job of closing any gaps down low by using his extremely quick reflexes.

Despite playing sparingly at Apple Valley High School in 2009-10, Olson showed the composure of a seasoned veteran while playing for the USDP. Olson’s draft stock has risen drastically thanks to playing sensational in international play.

The Draft Site

Big goaler who is far from the finished product but has all the tools to continue his development to the higher levels. Plays an excellent positional game and is a cool player when things heat up down low. Functionally strong and holds his position in the paint. Must get quicker.

College Hockey Prospective

Olson has played a solid NCAA type schedule with the NTDP and then carried his performance level over to excel in international play.  His drop from ninth to 21st in the CSB North American goaltender rankings shouldn’t deter his selection in the June draft.  Mark Osiecki and the Buckeyes got a good one to add to their already-young, talented squad.

Olson just turned 18 only two months ago and is still a project in the works. He will need a lot of work and experience before we know what we have in him and that could take years. He certainly has potential because goalies of his size can be tough to beat and it also helps that he's sound positionally. It's uncertain that he will be starting at Ohio State next year but if he plays well, then the Hurricanes could see the organizational depth at goaltender improve considerable amounts from where it is now. That's a big if, though because you never know what you have with goalies but it's never a bad thing to add one who will soon have college experience. We'll just have to wait and see how Olson performs.

The Hurricanes added yet another player from the WCHA to their prospect system this draft by selecting Brendan Woods from the University of Wisconsin with their fifth round pick. Woods turned 20 years old a couple weeks ago and just finished up his freshman year in college where he scored 5 goals and 10 points in 34 games. He has been draft eligible for the last three years but has been recovering from a broken leg, which has hurt his stock big time. An injury like that can end a player's career but it's good to see that Woods was able to recover and get back to playing. He is the son of Bob Woods, a former assistant of the Washington Capitals.

There isn't much out there on Woods, but it has been said that he has regained his skating abilities despite suffering a serious leg injury and he also possesses a decent shot. He is a little old for a player of his level so more should e expected out of him than someone who is 17 or 18 years of age, which isn't terribly good news when you look at his stat line However, it isn't fair to go by that alone because of Woods' injury and it's obviously going to take longer than normal for him to get back into playing shape.

Here's what some experts had to say about him.

Hockey's Future

Woods has good size and skates well for his size.  He has the potential to be a decent power forward, but the offensive part of his game hasn't come around as yet.

The Draft Site

3rd year eligible player, son of Bob Woods former Hershey Bears head coach, went undrafted due to a broken left femur. His rehab was lengthy. Attended Capitals pre-season camp, where his father serves as an assistant coach. He continues to improve foot speed and leg strength. He shoots the puck well, and finds the open spaces to set up. Works the wall and dirty areas. Once moving, he is a load. Short space quickness is the area in need of improvement.

University of Wisconsin's site

Skated the 2010-11 season for Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL under former Badger assistant coach Kevin Patrick ... scored 14 goals and 26 points in 57 games for Muskegon ... posted six goals and 10 points in 34 games for the Chicago Steel of the USHL in 2009-10 ... skated for Williston Prep before playing in the USHL ... has played baseball, football and soccer in the past

I don't know if it's fair to label him an "over-ager" because the injury definitely set him back a little, but this is a bit of a risky pick by the Hurricanes. In the 5th round, draft position doesn't matter that much and it's all about finding players who you think can turn into something useful. Woods could turn into a good player somewhere down the line but I will hold off on saying anything until another year. The scouting reports suggests that he is more of a grinder and doesn't have a lot of offensive upside, which sounds about right for someone taken in the later rounds. I may have gone with a safer selection but wont be losing much sleep over a late round pick.

The Hurricanes decided to double dip on defensemen with theird second and third picks in the fourth round of this year's draft by selecting Jaccob Slavim from the Chicago Steel of the USHL. Slavin led all Steel defensemen in points last season with 30 in 60 games and he ranked third on the team in +/- with a +6 rating. He is committed to Colorado College and will be playing there next season.

Slavin is described as a two-way defenseman with solid puck-moving skills and good vision. He turned 18 last month and possesses a very strong frame at 6'2" and 170 lbs. He might need to gain a few pounds before he can be more effective physically but the scouts have said that his defensive game is very polished and well-rounded. It's always tough to project defensemen like this because they can either go one way or another. Sometimes their point totals dry up as they get into tougher leagues and other times they will turn into more one-dimensional players. We will learn more about Slavin and where he stands by this time next year after he has a year of college hockey under his belt.

Those who have followed him in the USHL have some promising things to say about him.

Bill Placzek at The Draft Site

A developmental two way defender who is gaining confidence and strength and a bit of physicality. Calm and smart with the puck, and is a good outlet passer. Carries the puck and has stick-handling abilities and soft hands. Good on the point shot. His skating must improve as does his gap control.

Reel Hockey Scouting

Shoots left. Has been doing nothing but improving since last year and may very well prove to become the dark-horse of this year’s NHL Draft. Holds intellect and savvy with the puck and continues to be one of finest defenseman in the USHL. Has become a calm and collected presence across the sheet. Keeps his head-up, reads the play and knows his options before it is time to act. Not mistake free but can always be relied upon to give consistent, honest and simple effort.

Has a smooth and powerful stride. Quick first set of steps and can explode to the puck. Poor backwards skating ability and lacks lateral mobility, which makes it hard to close his gaps properly.

Smart and has tailored his game to make up for his skating deficiency. Pro-active and positions himself well from the start and waits for the puck carrier to make the first move. Is uncanny with getting his stick on the puck to fend off the rush and keep the play to the outside. Does overextend his reach at times though which throws him off balance and causes him to become caught standing still, and not being able to use his size or strength in a second effort. Is not prone to hearing footsteps and remains composed with the puck when under pressure. Huge on-ice awareness and does a good job jamming up lanes and leaving his net-minder a clear view of the puck. Supports his defensive partner very well.

Outstanding vision with the puck and has a nifty pair of mitts. Poised and waits for passing lanes to emerge. Effective at getting crisp, low passes towards the net from atop the blue line but needs to open it up a bit and shoot the puck more. Is the trusted eye on the power play to lead the breakout from the zone. Owns a soft touch with the puck and can distribute it like a pro.

Two-way defenseman that is committed to Colorado College. Is just now coming into his own with an upgradeable frame, high learning curve and severe vision with the puck, all of which will make him extremely intriguing come draft day.

Slavin sounds like most prospects of his age; very skilled in a lot of areas but he has a few things he needs to work on and it looks like skating is one of his key flaws. That could keep him from becoming a good offensive defenseman at the NHL level but he was only 17 this year so it's not like he can't get better. Like I said earlier, we will have a better idea of Slavin as a player in another year or so when he develops. As of right now he doesn't look like anything spectacular but he could be a fine two-way defenseman if he develops well enough. Much has been said about his work ethic so that could be a sign of good things in the future, even if he doesn't project to be more than an AHL-er.

After spending their previous picks on three forwards and a goaltender, the Hurricanes finally took a defenseman with the 115th overall selection by drafting Trevor Carrick of the Mississauga St. Michaels Majors. This was their second of three picks in the fourth round of this year's draft.

Carrick is billed as a defensive defenseman with decent offensive potential. Most scouting reports I have read on Carrick are very mixed. There are some guys who do not see him as anything special but others have praised his strong defensive game and how well he plays in his own zone. The general consensus on Carrick is that he is a very good defenseman and his skill-sets can translate well to the NHL but he isn't going to be the next Chris Pronger. Those who have seen Carrick play have mostly good things to say about him.

Corey Pronman of Hockey Prospectus

95. Trevor Carrick, Defense, Mississauga-OHL

Carrick did not have the kind of great season points-wise you would like to see, but scouts have consistently sung praises for him. He's an above-average skater who moves with ease in all four directions and is able to generate a good first step off his backward movements. He has the ability to join the rush very effectively but won't always be that aggressive in joining the offense. Carrick has an average-sized frame but is notably physical. While he's not a mean punisher or anything, he consistently finishes his checks hard, wins the majority of battles he is involved in, and protects the front of his own crease pretty well. Carrick has puck-moving skills beyond simple outlet passes, as he can move it up moderate distances and will show power play ability despite his poor counting numbers. He doesn't have much puck skills, though, and when he's handling it outside of straight line movements, he can look quite rigid. Carrick does fine in his own end and that's more where he'll be leaned on at the pro level considering his size and ability to close gaps efficiently.

The Prospect Blog

Carrick seems to be the type of player who was born to play hockey. The third of fourth brothers, Carrick has always been a layer who impressed. Dating back to his Markham Major’s days, Carrick has always displayed a nice projectable upside. He has always looked to be a player who could have NHL level potential, but this year he has really established himself as a potential high draft pick for June. After joining the Majors this year after a year with the Stouffville Spirit of the OJHL, he was a pretty raw prospect who really had some good upside, but I was not sure about where he would fall in the NHL Draft. Once he got use to the pace of play and started to become comfortable with his surroundings and adjusted to the style of play, he started to really show growth. He projects out as a smart defensive first defenceman with some interesting offensive upside. I’m not sure how much offense he will produce at the next level, however he does show potential with the offensive size of his game.

Strengths

Carrick has many attributes that make him a player to watch for the NHL Draft. First and foremost is his intelligence. He is extremely strong positionally and is always in the right place. He is quite strong at playing his gaps tight in his own zone, and rarely will give opposition forwards much room in his own zone. He has an active stick in passing lanes and is always knocking down pucks. He is quite effective at engaging physically down low and along the boards, and good at pinning opposition forwards out of the play. He rarely if ever will simply stick check an opposition forward and always engages physically in his own zone. He is an excellent skater who has above average footwork and acceleration. His footwork while transitioning from offensive to defensive skating and rarely will be beat wide. He makes good overall decisions with the puck on his stick, more so within 5-10 feet of him, not necessarily when he stretches the ice.

Weakness

The one aspect of his game that Carrick needs to continue to develop is his offensive abilities. He makes smart, intelligent plays with the puck, but struggles with his stretch passes. When he has no options within a close proximity, he can force the puck into pockets of the ice that are over populated. He makes poor reads down the ice, and has makes poor, low percentage passes that can end up as icing, or as a turnover. He has shown some good growth offensively as the season moved forward, but some of the decisions that he makes need to be improved. I do wonder much better he will get offensively, but it shouldn’t limit his long term upside as a smart defense first defenceman.

Projection

Carrick is projected to be a top 4 defense first defenceman. He will be able to play a strong defensive role, and add some occasional secondary scoring from the back end. He still has offensive growth, just not sure how much offensive impact he will have at the NHL level.

Draft Ranking:

Carrick is projected to be a second round draft selection, and should be a 31st – 40th overall selection for the NHL Draft.

Last Word on Sports

Carrick is primarily a defensive defenceman.  He shows great intelligence and excellent positioning on the ice.  He is rarely caught out of position, and plays an effective positional game.  He gives his opponents very little space on the ice and pressures the puck carrier well.  He cuts down passing and shooting lanes with smart positioning, and an active stick.  He is also an effective shot blocker.  Carrick is not a huge hitter, however he does well in board battles and in fighting for position.  Carrick has also been known to drop the gloves on occasion to stick up for teammates, but he’s not someone who will go out looking for a fight either, he just doesn’t back down when it comes to him.

Offensively, Carrick is the steady stay at home type.  He makes good, short crisp passes on breakouts, but can struggle with his accuracy on long stretch pass.  He’s not likely to rush the puck up the ice as his primary concern is his own end of the rink.  In the offensive zone, he pinches rarely (and only when absolutely necessary), however he does possess a decent shot, and keeps it low and accurate from the point.

Carrick is a decent skater but he isn’t going to blow you away either.  He has slightly above average top end speed, but his acceleration could use some work.  His agility and pivots are good but not great.  His lateral mobility, balance, and agility are all good enough that when combined with his smart positioning and high hockey IQ, he is rarely beaten off the rush, and is able to effectively play his position.

We believe Carrick has the ability to become a good defensive defenceman at the next level and would compare his potential to become a player similar to Josh Gorges of the Montreal Canadiens.

… and that is the Last Word.

Like I said, just about everyone has good things to say about Carrick but nothing that blows you away, which is to be expected from a mid-round pick. Although, the folks at The Prospect Blog seem to be a bit higher on him than others (projected him to go in the second round) so maybe they see something in him that others don't. Either way, I think the Hurricanes did well with this pick. Carrick sounds like a very safe selection and has a good amount of potential. He still hasn't turned 18 yet so you know that there's time for him to improve his all-around game and possibly get bigger. As of right now, Carrick sounds like a fundamentally sound stay-at-home defenseman and most NHL clubs have room for a player like that in their system, so I like this pick for Carolina. In the fourth round, the best you can do is draft guys who you think might have a future in the NHL and Carrick is a very safe pick for that.

The Jordan Staal trade might be yesterday's news by now, but there is still a lot to talk about concerning the aftermath of the deal. I mentioned this in my initial post on the trade, but adding Jordan Staal and subtracting Brandon Sutter not only strengthens the forward corps, it also changes the complete makeup of the team. The Hurricanes now have two centers who they can use in a power vs. power type role, but they lost their key matchup guy in Sutter and are going to need to find a new third line center. While there are a few players like Sutter available in free agency (Paul Gaustad, Jay McClement, etc.) who the Canes can sign, having Jordan Staal on the team allows Kirk Muller to do a lot of different things with his forwards than he could last season. 

For the last two or three years, the third line has always been Carolina's matchup line and Sutter's defensive strengths were a large reason for that. Now that Sutter is gone, does this mean the Canes need to find another player like him so they can continue to use their forwards that way? Not necessarily. Jordan Staal has played the same role as Sutter in the Pens system, albeit not as extreme, so the Hurricanes can play somewhat of a different system next year. Both Eric and Jordan both being capable of handling tough minutes means that they don't have to completely bury their third line like they did last season and possibly use them in more offensive situations instead of making them strictly a checking unit. This is assuming that they want to take the power vs. power approach with their top-six, which is very possible.

Relieving the third line of some defensive responsibility could definitely help the Hurricanes in terms of scoring depth but it also opens up the door for some younger prospects like Jeremy Welsh and Zac Dalpe. One of the reasons Dalpe struggled to fit in the lineup was that he couldn't score enough to be in a top-six role and he isn't good enough defensively to play on Sutter's line. Using the third line in a more protected role could give him more of a permanent position on the team. Same goes for Jeremy Welsh, who could be able to take over Sutter's spot but a lot about him is unknown at this point.

After the jump, we will discuss more possibilities for the third line and how Carolina might roll their forwards with both Staals in the mix next season.

The later rounds of the draft are always tough to get worked up about because the odds of a player from rounds 4-8 turning into a quality NHL player are somewhat low. That being said, some GMs have an eye for finding talent in the later rounds while and draft prospects who turn into quality role players at the NHL level. Sometimes it depends on the GM, the scouting staff and other times it is just plain old luck. Almost every draft has a few late round picks who go on to do great things in the pros but it usually takes years before we find out if they are any good and a lot of times, these players don't even stay with the team that originally drafted them. It's just really tough to tell how any of these players will turn out right now.

The Hurricanes had six picks in the last four rounds of the draft this year, including three in the fourth round alone, so there is a good chance that they could end up with one of these steals but it still feels like a major crap shoot. The Canes already reached on one player, so the smart thing to do would be to take the safer round in the last four rounds but it ultimately won't have too much of an impact. If anyone one of the players they took in the last four rounds turns into a useful NHL-er, then that would be a victory in my eyes.

They started off the fourth round with somewhat of a safe pick by selecting forward Erik Karlsson with the 99th overall selection. Karlsson might share the same name with the Ottawa Senators defenseman who just won the Norris, but he is very, very different from him. He is pegged as a speedy two-way forward with decent puck-handling skills. He is also said to be a terrific skater and was actually ranked high on some blogger's lists for that reason. One person who was high on him was Corey Pronman from Hockey Prospectus, who had him ranked at #54 in his Top 100 Prospects Feature. Here's what he had to say about Karlsson.

Corey Proman from Hockey Prospectus

"This skilled forward bears a strikingly familiar name, but I can't place my finger on where I've heard it before. Oh well, if it was a hockey player, he probably wasn't anyone good. Karlsson is a solid skater, although arguably a grade above. He's a good all-around mover with impressive edge control, a fluid stride, easy power off his push offs, and he gets up to speed quickly. Karlsson is a pretty skilled player who creates a lot with the puck, regularly displaying above-average hands or better anytime the puck gets on his stick. His open ice moves seem to come effortlessly to him as while he has some flash to his game, his puck-handling also gives off the impression that he is in control. Karlsson knows where he needs to go in the offensive zone, sees the ice well, and doesn't seem to have a true hole in his offensive game. He also positions himself fine in his own end. He's a small guy, who needs a boat load of strength and probably will be replacement level at best physically at his peak even though he does attempt to at least engage himself in battles."

International Scouting Services was less optimistic but praised his skating ability.

ISS

A very energetic and explosive two-way player, "the other Erik Karlsson" can really push opponents into making mistakes. He is a great skater with good hands, strong vision and reaction skills and some determination regardless of the role he is playing. He plays a fearless style of physical game despite his smaller frame and hits to win the puck. Karlsson has a very good head for the game and has proven a versatile and dynamic prospect.

Karlsson has yet to play professional at any level and spent last season with Frolunda's junior team in Sweden, scoring 11 goals and 33 points in 57 games. This shows that while he has a lot of skill, it has yet to translate into results on-ice. His size probably prevents him from being as effective as he could be, so that might be why he hasn't scored at too high of a level. Pronman also says that he probably will only be replacement level at best, which doesn't make me too confident about how his future but he appears to have all the right tools to make it in the show. His weight and strength limitations must be more of a detriment to his game than they are to other players. Regardless, I think this is a good pick because Karlsson has time to get stronger and improve his physical game. He's got good potential and is definitely worth a 4th round pick for Carolina.

Following up on the Brock McGinn pick, the Hurricanes decided to think a little more outside the box with their 3rd round selection as they drafted goalie Daniel Altshuller from the Oshawa Generals with the 69th overall pick. I'm generally against drafting goalies early because of how volatile the position is and how difficult they are to project but the Hurricanes needed one. Mike Murphy is heading to the KHL next year, Frederik Anderssen left the organization, Justin Peters is a UFA and almost too old to be considered a prospect and John Muse was in the ECHL for most of last season. Goalies in this organization don't have much leverage with Cam Ward being under contract for so long, but adding another one right now is not a bad decision.

So, what is the outlook for Altshuller? Well, his stats in junior don't look particular impressive (11-16-3, .900 Sv%, 3.55 GAA) but I usually don't judge junior hockey goalies by their basic stats. The OHL is a very high-scoring league and a lot of younger goalies tend to have mediocre save percentages and goals against averages. Case and point, Altshuller had the highest GAA among rookie goaltenders in the OHL last season. He could build off this performance next year and turn into something special or he could not improve at all, because you never really know what you're going to get with young goalie prospects. Either way, he's a few years away from the pros since he hasn't even turned 18 yet and technically wasn't Oshawa's starter next year. We'll have a better idea of what the Hurricanes have with him in a couple years but for now, let's take a look at some opinions from those who actually got to see him play.

Margann Laurissa from My NHL Draft

Daniel Altshuller joined the Oshawa Generals after a trade with the Belleville Bulls in 2011 and he showed several times throughout the year that he is capable of being a #1 goaltender. He had proved himself in the Central Tier 1 Hockey League, at the 2010 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, and the 2011 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. The Generals split the goaltending duties in 2011-12 between him and veteran incumbent starter Kevin Bailie but, whenever Altshuller started, he was solid and played extremely well. Altshuller's technique was different of that of Bailie since the Nepean native was more active in the crease, especially in playing the puck. Altshuller won his first OHL start and he had a five-game winning streak during the middle of the season. When Bailie had an injury in February, Altshuller secured the #1 job for the month. He had a record of 11-16-3 in 20 games, registering a decision in every game he started. His 3.55 goals-against average won him the F.W. "Dinty" Moore Trophy for the OHL's best rookie GAA; he also had a rather solid .900% save percentage.

Bill Placzek from Draft Site

Developing prospect who is a rookie in the OHL, after leading team Ontario to victory in last year's U-17 challenge and Team Canada to gold in the summer's Ivan Hlinka tourney. He displays excellent lateral quickness and decision-making skills that he has coupled with his strong athleticism.

It sounds like Altshuller is a very good goalie by the eye-test and should be the starter in Oshawa next month. He's got a pretty impressive frame at 6'3" so he must take up a lot of the net and the scouting reports say that he likes to challenge shooters a lot. Another things scouting reports say is that he likes to play the puck a lot but there is no mention about how good he is at playing the puck. I haven't got a chance to see him play so I'm a little iffy to make player comparisons, but the scouting reports make it sounds like he is a Mike Smith type of goaltender. Very active in the crease, plays the puck often and is somewhat of a high-risk goaltender. Goalies who play this style are either lights out or terrible, so hopefully for the Hurricanes he is more of the former.

The Prospect Blog also ranked him as the third best goaltending prospect from the OHL in this draft. Granted, that was out of only four players but he does have a promising outlook going by scouting reports. I'm not sure if I would have spent a third round pick on him but I'm fine with the Hurricanes taking a goalie in this draft since they need another one in their system. How Altshuller turns out is anyone's guess, though.

Using the pick they acquired from the San Jose Sharks in the Ian White trade last year, the Hurricanes added another winger to their organization by selecting LW Brock McGinn of the Guelph Storm. McGinn is the brother of Jamie McGinn of the Colorado Avalanche and most recently finished his second year with the Storm in the OHL. He missed about half of the season with a wrist injury and finished the year with 12 goals, 18 points in 33 games. He also missed six games last season after being suspended for a hit from behind earlier in the year.

It was hard to dig up a lot of information about McGinn because he was projected to go outside the top 100 by a lot of scouts and he wasn't exactly a coveted prospect in this draft. His stat line wasn't particularly impressive last year and most of the scouting reports say that he is more suited for a checking/third line type of role. He also isn't very big for someone in that role (5' 11"/174 lbs) but he is only 18 so hopefully he can size up a little bit. This pick looks like a major reach for the Canes and the opinions from some of the experts reflect this sentiment.

Hockey's Future

"McGinn was named an assistant captain for Guelph in his second season but appeared in just 33 games – missing over two months after suffering a wrist injury in December. He scored 12 goals with 6 assists and was minus-two with 25 penalty minutes. McGinn skated in all six playoff games during the Storm’s series with Plymouth. He scored 1 goal with 1 assist and was minus-three with 8 penalty minutes. McGinn was invited to the NHL Draft Combine and ranked 49th amongst North American skaters in Central Scouting’s final rankings prior to the 2012 NHL Draft."

 

The Prospect Blog

Brock McGinn / Left Wing / 5’11″ / 172 / Feb. 2, 1994

"McGinn has had an interesting season. Missing a significant period of hockey with an injury, but when he was healthy he showed good progression in the offensive side of his game. He brought a good compete level to the ice every time I saw him, and was a good skater. Areas to work on include his three-zone play, as well as his core strength. He should be a mid round draft selection for the NHL Draft."

The Hurricanes definitely went off the board a bit with this pick as McGinn's ceiling doesn't appear to be that high and he has some injury concerns on top of that. Some other bloggers have more confidence in him. Red Line Report says that he is an "underrated" prospect in this draft, Mark Edwards of HockeyProspect.com believes that he can be a good player in the NHL if he gets a little bigger and International Scouting Services praises his determination and gritty playing style.

There is no doubt that these are nice assets to have but one would think that the Hurricanes could have gotten McGinn much later in the draft than they did here. He was projected to be a mid-round pick and the Canes had seven more selections in this draft so it's easy to believe that he could have been available later and the Hurricanes didn't need to spend one of their second rounders on him. The Hurricanes scouting staff either saw something in him that others didn't or they believe he fills an area of need more than others who were available.

Given that this pick came in the top 50 and how easy it is to find checking forwards, it isn't a stretch to say that this pick could have been used better. I'll refrain from saying anything else until I see more of McGinn at prospect camp and in junior hockey this coming season.

The Hurricanes may have traded their #8 pick for Jordan Staal but they still had nine picks in this year's draft, which is more than enough to help improve a prospect pool that could use some upgrades in a few areas. The biggest area of concern for the Canes organizational depth was on the wings and they took one step to improve that earlier today by drafting Philip Di Giuseppe of the Michigan Wolverines.

Di Giuseppe hasn't even turned 19 yet and he already boasts an impressive physical frame at 6'1" and 200 lbs. He has been known as a goal-scorer but one of his best assets is not shying away from physical play and showing the willingness to get into the dirty areas to score goals. The Hurricanes have a lack of sizable wingers in their organization so Di Giuseppe helps fill a big hole. He just finished his freshman year at the University of Michigan and had a promising 11 goal, 26 point campaign which ranked him sixth on the team.He was previously more than a point-per-game player with the Villanova Knights in the OJHL.

Let's see what some of the experts have to say about him.

Corey Pronman from Hockey Prospectus

Di Giuseppe had a fine freshman season for the Wolverines and showed desirable traits as a toolsy physical scorer, but he still has some work to do. He's a solid skater with fine speed and impresses more in that regard with his balance in the cycle game, on top of having very good agility and edge work as he can be pretty elusive from a standstill. Di Giuseppe is very skilled with the puck, flashing plus ability in that regard. He's can dangle in open ice while being checked in tight and I've seen a few instances where he's made a couple of nice coordinated plays handling the puck from his knees. Di Giuseppe also has good technique on his passes and will regularly make above-average feeds. He does have good vision, but his hockey sense is his one major issue. Much too often, he rushes plays, overreacts to pressure, makes passes to nobody, and looks like he'll need a good number of years to iron out the kinks, although he does play decent defense. Di Giuseppe does a solid job attempting to be effective in the physical game, but he has a pretty skinny build and will need to put on a lot of muscle before his power game becomes something that can translate to the pro game.

Hockey's Future

Talent Analysis

Some will classify Di Giuseppe as a “pure-scorer”. And while there is no doubt that he can put the puck into net, there is far more to his game than just scoring goals. He is equally adept as a playmaker. Two areas that set Di Giuseppe apart from many other freshmen are his tremendous hockey instincts and his ability to cycle pucks down low. He thinks the game extremely well and has a low panic point. Di Giuseppe is also quite good not only around the net but along the boards and corners as well. He sees the ice and follows/supports plays really well too. Di Giuseppe possesses great poise and patience with the puck, and his decision-making is very good.

Future

Phil Di Giuseppe is projected to go late in the first round or early in the second round in the upcoming NHL Draft in June. He is the highest ranked current collegian appearing on Central Scouting’s Mid-term rankings (28th) as well as the International Scouting Services’ (ISS) January rankings (37th).

So it sounds like the Hurricanes have a player with top-six potential, great offensive skills and physical presence. Di Giuseppe is the type of player that the Canes can have great use for but it appears that he's awhile from being NHL ready. Seeing how he is only 18 years old and a freshman in college, that is completely understandable. According to Pronman, most of his issues relate to his decision making and hockey mentality and those are things that can improve as a player gets older. He has all the physical tools, but just needs to develop more before he is ready for the pros.

Overall, I like the pick. He is a few years away from being ready and it's uncertain whether or not he will reach his full potential but the Hurricanes made a safe pick with him. They needed sizeable forwards in their prospect pool and they got one earlier today.

Ever since the season ended, there have been countless rumors across the Internet of the Carolina Hurricanes making a push for a top-tier forward and one of the most popular targets was Jordan Staal of the Pittsburgh Penguins. At first, this all seemed like baseless speculations but the news of Staal rejecting a 10-year contract extension with the Penguins on Wednesday is when things really started to heat up and the trigger was finally pulled last nigh at the NHL Draft. The Hurricanes sent their first round pick, Brandon Sutter and Brian Dumoulin to acquire Staal, which is a big price to give up for any player but Jim Rutherford must have really wanted Staal and believes that he can get a deal worked out with him.

You can go on for hours about what the Hurricanes had to give up to acquire him and how it was an overpayment and it would probably be true. I had been against trading for Staal because the team was going to have to give up at least one roster player and a high quality prospect to get him, and that's what happened with this trade. I've been a big Brandon Sutter supporter and have gone into great detail about how helps the team. He is only in his early 20's and playing some of the toughest minutes in the NHL and is only going to get better. The other piece, Brian Dumoulin, is likely going to be a future top-four defenseman in the NHL. It doesn't help that top-five talents like Filip Forsberg and Mikhail Grigorenko were available for Carolina to take at #8, which would have really bolstered the team's prospect pool. Rutherford's willingness to pass on high-end talents like that in favor of a proven player like Staal tells me that he plans for the Hurricanes to be a competitive team sooner rather than later.

Trying to build a winner on the fly is never a bad thing and the Hurricanes have some good pieces in place but are they ready to be a winning team just now? Most people who take a glance at their current roster heading into free agency would probably say no and I'm inclined to agree with that. Trading for Jordan Staal wont automatically make the Hurricanes a contender but it does make them a better team for next season and it gives them a better core to bulid around up front.

Losing both Sutter and Dumoulin in this trade hurts, but when you look at what Jordan Staal brings to the table, it's hard to say that he won't be a great addition. The reason why Sutter was going the other way in this trade is because Staal essentially plays the same role as him. Both Staal and Sutter played the "heavy lifting" role for their respective clubs last season as they were regularly matched up against opposing team's top lines and were often deployed in the defensive zone. Sutter was given less of a territorial advantage than Staal but neither were playing easy minutes by any stretch. What makes Staal such a special player is that he has been able to drive the play forward and score at a top-six rate while playing in these situations for most of his career. Sutter is a terrific defensive player but it is hard to put his two-way play on the same level as Staal's. With Sutter, the Hurricanes had an ideal third line center who had the potential to play in the top-six. Staal, on the other hand, is a proven top-six player and is good enough defensively to play against tough competition. Staal is also only one year older than Sutter so he still has plenty of upside, and this is why losing Sutter is not as big of a deal as it may seem.

The other thing that I like about acquiring Staal is that both him and Eric give the Hurricanes two centers who do not need sheltered minutes to succeed. This means that Kirk Muller can basically do whatever he wants with the top two lines since both players can be used in a lot of different situations. He can utlize Jordan in a Sutter-type role and free up easier minutes for the first line or he could do the complete opposite and give Jordan a chance to show his offensive talents. Rutherford could also sign a defensive center for the bottom-two lines and it would allow at least one of the Staal lines to start more of their shifts in the offensive zone. The Canes might need to acquire some better players to make this plan work but at least they have a solid forward corps to build around now.

As for the defense, the Canes do have a good stockpile of prospects but losing Dumoulin stings. He was the arguably the best defenseman in college hockey last season and I really thought he could be a top-four defenseman in the next few years. I understand that Rutherford probably values Ryan Murphy and Justin Faulk more than him, but it is still tough to see him go. Perhaps this gives Rutherford more incentive to re-sign Bryan Allen because the Canes are at least one shutdown defenserman short of having what would be considered a solid blue line for next season. It's possible that Sanguinetti or Murphy could make the team out of next season or that Justin Faulk could step into a shutdown role but who knows?

This trade is a enormous risk for the Hurricanes but I kind of like that Rutherford is trying to make this team better next year and am interested to see what else he does to make that happen. My major concern with the trade is that Staal could make the Hurricanes a slightly improved team next year whereas Forsberg/Grigorenko, Sutter & Dumoulin could make them a contender a few years down the line. I'm sure Rutherford has the same concerns and plans to make more moves so that the Hurricanes are better set for next year and the future.