Hurricanes use all their picks on second day of NHL Draft
The second day of the NHL Entry Draft proved to be mostly uneventful for the Carolina Hurricanes.
Unless you were Canes assistant coach Rod Brind’Amour, that is. His son, Skyler, was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday in the sixth round at Chicago’s United Center.
The Hurricanes came to Chicago hinting it could be a busy time, possibly with some draft picks traded and moves made. After Friday’s first round, when the Canes used the 12th overall pick on Czech center Martin Necas, general manager Ron Francis indicated he might still be looking to add a forward before the end of the draft.
But by day’s end, the Canes had seven picks and used them all, drafting three forwards, three defensemen and a goaltender on Saturday.
“We’re real pleased with it,” Francis said of the draft. “Starting with our first pick, we got a guy (Necas) who’s highly skilled, has good speed, good hockey sense and plays with a little bit of an edge. A lot of teams had him high on their lists, and we were excited about that.
“I’d be lying if I didn’t say we hoped to take a few less picks. We had a lot of discussions about trying to move picks for players but they just didn’t pan out the way we had hoped.”
Carolina had a pair of second-round picks Saturday and selected Finnish forward Eetu Luostarinen with the first. Luostarinen was closely watched by Robert Kron, the Canes’ head European scout, and former Canes defenseman Joni Pitkanen, now a scout for the team based in Finland, Francis said.
“Probably a little bit of a darkhorse, a sleeper,” Francis said, “but Robert Kron and Joni Pitkanen felt strongly that he has a strong upside.”
The Canes took defenseman Luke Martin, who’s at the University of Michigan, with their other second-round pick.
In an interesting twist, Luostarinen was the first of two players named Eetu taken by the Canes — they selected goalie Eetu Makiniemi, another Finn, in the fourth round. A third Finn, defenseman Ville Rasanen, was the Canes’ final selection in the seventh round.
“We didn’t know we’d have as many picks to spend as we did,” said Tony MacDonald, the Canes’ director of amateur scouting. “The beauty of it is we got a lot of people we’re excited about. We got a couple of centers who are big guys and can skate and make plays. We got some big defensemen and a sleeper goaltender, an under-the-radar type.”
The Canes now go back to Raleigh for the prospects development camp next week. And Francis still has work to do leading up to NHL free agency on July 1.
“We’re still talking,” Francis said.
The second-day breakdown, with comments from Tony MacDonald, the Canes’ director of amateur scouting.
Second round
42nd overall
Eetu Luostarinen, F, 6-2, 178
Siilinjärvi, Finland
Luostarinen, another Finnish draft pick for the Canes, played for KalPa in the Finnish Liiga this past season and also played in the Under-20 league. Had three goals and four assists in limited time with KalPa, playing against older professionals as an 18-year-old.
MacDoanld: “He's got size, he's got skill, he can skate and he can shoot the puck. At this stage of his development he's playing with the men ... and it enhances his game and will make him a better player as he goes forward.”
52nd overall
Luke Martin, D, 6-3, 221
St. Louis, Mo.
Martin plays at the University of Michigan and is described as a physical, stay-at-home defender. The Canes could use more size on the back end, and Martin can give them that. Another player, like the Canes’ Justin Faulk and Noah Hanifin, who spent time in USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program. A Michigan teammate, goalie Jack LaFontaine, is a Canes prospect.
MacDonald: “Luke Martin is a big man, a good skater. He's got more of an offensive dimension that he's shown. You can call him a shutdown defenseman at this point in time but he's more than that. He's got some offense in his game.”
Third round
67th overall
Morgan Geekie, F, 6-2, 178
Strathclair, Manitoba
Geekie made a big offensive jump last season for the Tri-City Americans of the WHL. He had 35 goals and 90 points in 72 games, a 65-point improvement from 2015-16.
MacDonald: “Another guy who has good size. There has been some questions about his skating but we don’t think they’re really that valid. He’s been through a draft but he had a 90-point season on a pretty good team. He’s a reliable player who plays a 200-foot game.”
73rd overall
Stelio Mattheos, F, 6-1, 192
Winnipeg, Manitoba
The Canes picked up another consistent point-producer and two-way player in Mattheos, who had 26 goals and 61 points in 69 games for the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL last season. Was overshadowed by teammate Nolan Patrick, the No. 2 pick of the draft, but also had to take on a bigger role for the Wheat Kings when Patrick was out with injuries.
MacDonald: “He's a big guy who plays a heavy game and is tough to play against. We need some of that in our lineup, we need some of that in our program. He’s going to bring that. He gives 100 percent every night.”
104th overall
Eetu Makiniemi, G, 6-2, 176
Vantaa, Finland
Another Finn brought into the Canes organization, Makiniemi has played for the Jokerit Junior team in Finland. Called a quick, athletic goalie who uses his size well, he has signed a two-way KHL contract with Jokerit.
MacDonald: “Joni (Pitkanen) was high on him and so was Robert Kron. He’s a big goalie, very athletic, very quick. Challenges the shooter. As a goaltender goes we had him higher than most because our guys know him better than most.”
Fifth round (no pick)
Sixth round
166th overall
Brendan De Jong, D, 6-5, 196
Victoria, B.C.
Another D-man with size, De Jong has played for the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL the past three seasons. Was passed over in the draft last year because of questions about his skating and speed, but has improved noticeably in the past year and become more active offensively.
MacDonald: “A shutdown-style kind of guy, he’s a big man but he skates pretty well. He has a little untapped offensive dimension. He’s another player who has been through a draft, but we’re looking for hockey players. Just because a guy has gone through once doesn’t mean he’s not a good prospect.”
Seventh round
197th overall
Ville Rasanen, D, 6-2, 170
Joensuu, Finland
Rasanen split time between the Jokipojat U-20 team and the men’s team, which competes in Mestis, the second-highest division of Finnish hockey.
MacDonald: “He's an under-the-radar guy. He’s a great skater and explsosive player who can put up big numbers similar to the (Miro) Heiskanen kid who was taken early in the first round (third, by Dallas). A poor man’s Heiskanen, if you will. Joni’s very excited abot him. We hope we got a steal in the seventh round.”
This story was originally published June 24, 2017 at 10:42 AM with the headline "Hurricanes use all their picks on second day of NHL Draft."