Revisiting the classics: 2016 Carolina Hurricanes Training Camp Cheat Sheet
As I can find them, mainly through Archive.org’s Wayback Machine, I’ll be reposting articles and such from websites that no longer exist that I think may be of interest, either because they’re still informative or might be amusing to look at in hindsight. This is one of those articles, originally published on September 23rd, 2016 on Section328.com. Enjoy?
Training camp opens TODAY, and between the excitement of that and the NEW Section328.com, I thought it was time to get off my butt and give the people some content. And, in true Workrate fashion, it’s damn near 5000 words.
As training camp can get confusing with not only all the Hurricanes but Checkers and guys from junior and random tryout guys, you may end up watching the Red & White game at the Canes Carnival and thinking “I don’t know who that guy is but if I admit that I lose all my Canes street cred!”
WORRY NOT. Below is a little bit of information about everyone in camp, from Cam Ward to Ben Gleason. Print this out, memorize it (or just reference it from your smartphone), and when #78 does something cool at the Red & White and everyone is scrambling to figure out who he is, you can drop your Steven Lorentz knowledge on them. Bam.
Enjoy!
#4 — Haydn Fleury, defenseman
After being the Canes first round selection (7th overall) in 2014, Fleury spent the last two seasons in Red Deer, continuing his junior hockey career for the Red Deer Rebels of the WHL. This season, he’ll be entering his first professional season either with the Hurricanes or the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL. He got hurt while participating in the Traverse City prospect tournament, where he was held out for the rest of the tournament as a precautionary measure, but he’s expected to be healthy for camp.
#5 — Noah (FREAKIN) Hanifin, defenseman
The fifth overall selection in the 2016 draft, Hanifin made the Canes roster out of camp last season, and went on to play 79 games at the NHL level as an 18/19 year old (he turned 19 on January 25th). His spot on the Canes essentially guaranteed this coming season, the 19-year-old appears to have gained some size in the offseason, and looks to take the next step in his career progression.
#7 — Ryan Murphy, defenseman
A former first round selection himself, Murphy has spent parts of the last four seasons with the Hurricanes, but has been unable to stick at the NHL level during that time. Having just signed a two-year extension and now unable to be sent to the AHL without clearing waivers, Murphy is likely to stay at the NHL level this season, though how much he plays remains to be seen. Easily the biggest split between analytics people (who love him) and casual fans (many who’ve lost patience with him), the Murphy situation will be interesting to see play out this season.
#11 — Jordan Staal, forward
The only Staal left in town, Jordan was having his best season as a Hurricane last year, but saw his numbers drop off when his brother Eric was dealt to the Rangers, or when linemate Andrej Nestrasil suffered an injury that put him out for the rest of the season. I’ll let you pick the #narrative — just know that in order for the Canes to be successful this season, the first half Jordan Staal will have to be on the ice.
#13 — Raffi Torres, forward
Here on a PTO (Professional Try Out), meaning that the only thing the Canes have committed to Torres is locker room space and gear. Is highly unlikely to make the Canes 23-man roster. Hasn’t played a full NHL season since 2011–12 due to injuries and suspensions. At his best, a grinder and pest who somehow manages to put pucks in the net. At his worst… well, do a Google search.
#15 — Andrej Nestrasil, forward
Was on the verge of a breakout year playing on a line with Jordan Staal and Joakim Nordstrom until Toronto broke him and put him in an #asscast on February 25th. Looks to be back and healthy which is good news for the Canes, as the Staal/Nordstrom/Nestrasil line was the Canes most consistent line last year. Unlikely to ever be a 30-goal scorer in the league, but gets in front of the net and does the dirty (legal) work. Seems to like people — approach with caution.
#16 — Elias Lindholm, forward
Took a step backward this past season with the goalscoring, but whether that’s a case of bad puck luck or something else will remain to be seen. Still just 21 years old. Jury is still out on whether he’s a center (the position he was drafted at) or a winger (where he’s played for nearly his entire NHL career). A consistant line and a consistant role might help his production.
#18 — Jay McClement, forward
Professional 4th line center and defensive zone faceoff-taker. Does a good job of preventing goals from both teams on the ice. Likely in his last season with the Canes, and at 33 is one of the veteran players on the team, but the ideal this season would be for McClement to eventually lose his job to a younger player and to be a regular healthy scratch by the middle of the season. Nothing personal, Jay.
#20 — Sebastian Aho, forward
Was drafted by the Hurricanes in the second round last year, then went back to Finland and played ridiculous for the Finland U20 team in the Word Juniors so Finland realized maybe he should be playing with the main team and has been playing with the Finland national team ever since, including at the World Cup of Hockey where he played on the first line. Was his Finnish pro team’s leading scorer last season. Did I mention he just turned 19 in July? Might have the biggest rookie impact on the team since Jeff Skinner in 2010.
#21 — Lee Stempniak, forward
Pretty much the definition of “journeyman forward”, having played for six teams in the last three seasons. Scored 51 points last season, which earned him a two year deal with the Hurricanes during the offseason. A little small (5’11”), but seems to be able to put the puck into the net, which the Canes had issues with last season. Another vet (he’s 33) who will play on someone’s wing, but it remains to be seen which one it’ll be.
#22 — Brett Pesce, defenseman
Didn’t make the Canes out of camp, which was expected since he only had 4 games of professional hockey under his belt (all in the AHL) after spending three seasons at the University of New Hampshire. Spent all of three games in Charlotte before being called up to the Hurricanes, and didn’t look back. Switched his number from #54 to #22 this season, solely to screw with the early adopter shirtsey crowd. Been known to RKO someone #FromOutOfNowhere.
#23 — Brock McGinn, forward
Perhaps the most REDvolution flow on the Hurricanes, if not the league. Took a big step forward with his lay in Charlotte this season, but his time in Raleigh was a bit of a mixed bag, where he showed good energy, but was on the ice for a lot of opposing goals. Will struggle to get regular time in Carolina this season, unless injuries give him an opportunity.
#24 — Jake Bean, defenseman
The first of the Canes two first round picks in 2016, Bean is described as an all-around defenseman with excellent vision and puck handling. He’ll play in Traverse City for the Canes and probably hang around training camp for a little bit, but he’s going back to Calgary for another season of junior hockey and Stampede Wrestling stories. And that’s OK.
#25 — Viktor Stalberg, forward
Plays big. 6’3″, 209, but seems bigger. Signed a one-year deal with the Canes after spending the 2015–16 season with the Rangers, where he scored 9 goals and 11 assists. Essentially Brad Malone‘s replacement on the roster, though he’s not one to drop the gloves. Played with more upside earlier in his career with the Blackhawks, but he’ll be a fourth line guy here.
#26 — Matt Tennyson, defenseman
I’ve got nothing here. Signed by the Sharks after being undrafted out of Western Michigan University, Tennyson spent the last four seasons bounching between the Sharks and their AHL affiliate. Seemed to play the Michal Jordan role last season for the Sharks, playing 29 games as the 7th defenseman, but only played 5 games in the AHL. Maybe he was hurt. Hasn’t come to RCI yet, so I haven’t seen him. Signed a two-way deal, so he might be the 7th defenseman for the Canes, or he’ll add some veteran depth to the Checkers.
#27 — Justin Faulk, defenseman
Two-time NHL All-Star was racking up power play goals at a record pace until he wasn’t. Got hurt in practice by Brad Malone, then came back too early and looked like a shell of himself. Wasn’t named to Team USA for the World Cup of Hockey, which is probably a good thing for Canes fans, whether they like it or not. His defense looked shaky at times last year — maybe it was the injury. Maybe.
#29 — Bryan Bickell, forward
To be clear with Bickell, he spent most of last season in the AHL not because of his playing ability, but because of his salary. That said, he’s still coming in to be a fourth line guy and someone to get his butt in front of the net. May be playing for something to prove this season, but regardless — this fourth line is going to look a lot different than it did last season.
#30 — Cam Ward, goalkeeper
Been here so long, I can picture him wearing a Whalers uniform. It was assumed that last season was going to be his last year with the Canes, but he looked more steady than Eddie Lack did (at least to Bill Peters), and the team not only didn’t trade him away, but gave him a two-year extension. Keeps daring someone to take the job from him, and no one seems to.
#31 — Eddie Lack, goalkeeper
Adorable scamp. Loves tacos and social media. Started the season horribly, perhaps due to clashing with goalkeeping coach David Marcoux. Or maybe it was the pressure of a new team. Or maybe goalies are voodoo. Regardless, Eddie’s here for two more seasons — the same as Cam — so all that awkwardness of last season will stick around. Luckily, Eddie seems to be taking it in stride. We’ll see what effect new goaltending consultant Curtis Joseph has on Lack (and Ward) this season.
#32 — Michael Leighton, goalkeeper
A late signing for the Hurricanes, Leighton spent last season with the Chicago Blackhawks organization, where he was mainly an excellent AHL goaltender. He won’t have a much different role here for Carolina, as he’ll likely be sent down to Charlotte at the end of camp to split time with whichever young goaltender ends up in Charlotte instead of Florida — most likely Daniel Altshuller. He’ll do his job in the AHL, and if Lack or Ward get hurt, he’ll be able to go into the NHL backup role without too much of a dropoff, and without the team having to worry about a rookie goaltender.
#33 — Derek Ryan, forward
Leading scorer for the Checkers last season after spending his entire pro career overseas. Was only signed to a one-year entry level deal (due to his age at the time — 28) and despite putting up good numbers both in Charlotte and in limited time in Carolina (where he scored two goals in six games), he was rumored to be going back overseas this past offseason. However, he signed with the Canes, and he’ll probably be in the same role this year.
#34 — Phil Di Giuseppe, forward
PDG was one of the players the Canes called up after the December 3rd Night Of Unpleasantness to shake up the franchise. Di Giuseppe did just that, delivering hits and putting up five points in his first six games. He put together a solid season, but will there be room for him on the roster this year? He’ll have to earn his spot in training camp.
#35 — Alex Nedeljkovic, goaltender
First things first: Ne-DELL-kovitch. Now that that’s out of the way, “Ned” is entering his first pro season after some interesting seasons in junior hockey, including being involved in the Flint Firebirds mess (don’t ask — same deal below with Josh Wesley), but his talent has remained strong, despite sometimes playing for some poor teams in front of him. He really shined for Team USA in the World Juniors though, where he at times carried the team on his back with his goaltending. If he has a great camp, he might get a shot at Charlotte, but it’s more likely he’ll get the #1 spot in Florida to get him regular playing time, which really helped fellow goalie prospect Daniel Altshuller last season.
#36 — Patrick Brown, forward
Made the club out of camp during his first pro season in 2014–15, but really shouldn’t have because he wasn’t ready, but injuries and a righthanded shot forced Bill Peters’ hand. Then got sent down, and that first pro season was rough, with Brown playing checking line minutes and not looking overly impressive. However the former Boston College captain had a much stronger second pro season with the Checkers, which led to seven more games at the NHL level and his first NHL goal. Will be interesting to see this season if he builds on last season, because if he can he has the potential to carve out a nice little career as a bottom six NHL player.
#37 — Warren Foegele, forward
A third round pick of the Canes in 2014, Foegele was originally expected to spend a few years at the University of New Hampshire, but he left early in his sophomore year to play junior hockey in the OHL for Kingston. He’s playing in Traverse City & might make a quick appearance at the Red/White game, but the still-unsigned Foegele will be on his way back to Kingston this season.
#38 — Josh Wesley, defenseman
Glen’s son wrapped up his junior hockey career with the Niagara Ice Dogs after a half a season in Flint, which was a trainwreck of a situation for all involved (not Josh’s fault though). He earned an entry level deal with the Canes, and the former 4th round pick will begin his pro career in the AHL or ECHL this season. Still far down a deep defensive prospect pool, there’s no pressure on Wesley to break out this season, so he’ll be in camp mainly to determine whether he’ll be starting the year in Charlotte or Florida.
#39 — Valentin Zykov, forward
A point+ per game player in junior hockey, Zykov’s first pro season was a bit of a mess between growing pains, being moved all around the lineup for Ontario, and injuries. LA sent him to Carolina at the deadline for Kris Versteeg, where he played in only two games for the Checkers due to injury. Has good size and a lot of talent and might be a dark horse to make the Canes 23 man roster, but will probably end up getting first line minutes in Charlotte unless he has a really good camp.
#40 — Daniel Altshuller, goalkeeper
After a rough first pro season and more goalkeeping prospects entering the system, Altshuller looked to be potentially lost in the shuffle, but a great start of the season in the ECHL earned him a promotion to the AHL, and he held his own there. May not have the upside of some of his peers, but regained his prospect status last season.
#42 — Joakim Nordstrom, forward
A solid two-way forward, Nordstrom scored 10 goals and 14 assists in his first full NHL season. While his play isn’t going to make highlight reels, he’s a smart player who’s rarely caught out of position. Makes films under the pseudonym “Tilda Swinton” during the offseason.
#43 — Erik Karlsson, forward
True fact: One out of every five men in Sweden is named “Erik Karlsson”. A rough first US pro season for Karlsson, where he found himself playing fourth line minutes when he wasn’t a healthy scratch, and he’s not really a “checking line” kind of guy. With a new coaching staff in place in Charlotte, maybe Karlsson will have the opportunity to rebound.
#44 — Julien Gauthier, forward
Oh, he big. Second of the Canes first round selections in 2016, and the type of player armchair GMs have been begging the Canes to draft since I started following them. 6’4″, 225lbs, turning 19 in October, and built like he could chokeslam someone who crosses him. He’s been compared to Rick Nash, and I’ll take that. Some have mentioned that he could make the team out of training camp, but I think that’s an extreme longshot — he’ll more likely end up back in the Q (junior hockey) where he might hit 50 goals.
#45 — Keegan Lowe, defenseman
Best known for pummeling Vinnie Lecavalier about the facial region, Keegan is a solid player, but has dropped down the prospect list just due to the number of super talented defense prospects that have come into the system recently. He’ll we welcome back on the Checkers this season, but his window for the Canes has likely already passed.
#46 — Trevor Carrick, defenseman
A developing defenseman who had a very good season in Charlotte this past season and was one of the team’s top scorers. He was quietly the Checkers best defenseman last season, and may be ready to make the jump to the big club. However, they’re not going to call him up to be the 7th defenseman, so if there’s not a role for him in Raleigh, he’ll return to Charlotte in the top defensive pairing.
#48 — Brody Sutter, forward
A tall center with a good bloodline who took a bit of. step back last season. Spent some time with the big club, but didn’t necessarily impress, and his numbers dipped this past season with the Checkers. Probably going to be an AHL guy for his career, but has a good attitude and works well on a checking line.
#49 — Victor Rask, forward
Rask had the breakout season that fans were expecting from Elias Lindholm, nearly doubling his goal total while tying for second on the team in points. Team management apparently doesn’t think it’s a fluke, as Rask signed a six-year extension to keep him in Raleigh through the 2021–22 season. Smiled that one time — you probably didn’t see it.
#50 — Jeremy Helvig, goaltender
5th round selection this year. Helvig is big (6’4″), and played well for Kingston in juniors this past season. He’s still got time to develop, so he’ll end up back at Kingston this season, but the Canes want to give him a quick look anyway.
#51 — Kyle Hagel, forward
A better person than a hockey player, Hagel is a multiple-time AHL Man Of The Year for his work outside of the rink. Inside, however, he’s a 4th line enforcer. This will be his seventh AHL full season, and he hasn’t sniffed the NHL. He’s technically the property of the Checkers, not the Hurricanes, as they were the one who signed him.
#52 — Hudson Elynuik, forward
A third round selection of the Hurricanes this season, Elynuik was drafted higher than expected, but the Canes liked what they saw with the huge (6’5″, 194lbs) 18-year-old. Elynuik played well in Traverse City, scoring a goal and two assists in three games. Last season was his first playing regularly for his junior team in Spokane, and he’ll return there this season to grow(?) and develop more.
#53 — Jeff Skinner, forward
Arguably had his best season since his Calder trophy winning rookie year in 2010–11. Played 82 games for the first time since his rookie year. Greatly improved his two-way game, and took great strides in becoming a complete NHL player and not just a “shooter”. Favorite to lead the team in goals again this year.
#54 — Dennis Robertson, defenseman
Originally dealt to the Canes from Toronto in the Tim Gleason/John-Michael Liles deal (remember that one?), Robertson was dealt to Chicago in the Kris Versteeg/Joakim Nordstrom deal, then later re-acquired at the deadline for minor league goalie Drew MacIntyre. The Canes have now gone out of their way to acquire Robertson three times (two trades, and a somewhat surprise re-signing this offseason), so they see something in him, even if it’s only for depth in Charlotte. Wore the captain’s “C” for two seasons at Brown University, so that might have had something to do with it.
#55 — Roland McKeown, defenseman
Former second round pick of the LA Kings (2014) who came to the Canes in the Andrej Sekera deal. Spent the last four seasons with the Kingston Frontenacs in the OHL — the last two as captain — and will enter his first season of pro hockey this year. Smart player who knows his position, he’d have a better shot at making the team if we see a few injuries, but we don’t want to see that happen, and a year in the AHL never hurt anyone.
#56 — Brendan Woods, forward
Big winger who has spent the last three seasons with the Checkers after two years at the Univerity of Wisconsin. Has a little bit of Bucky Badger anger in him, and not afraid to drop the gloves, but not really an “enforcer”, and went from 9 fights (and >100 PIM) in 2014–15 to three fights (and 39 PIM) for the Checkers in 2015–16. Wanted to fight Phil Kessel in a preseason game last year, so there’s that.
#57 — Andrew Poturalski, forward
Undrafted free agent signed by the Hurricanes to a two-year, entry-level deal after finishing up his college career at the University of New Hampshire, where he was a teammate of current Hurricane Brett Pesce, and probably enjoyed similar box lunches on long bus trips. He ranked 2nd in the NCAA in scoring last season, but he’s 22 years old and at 5’10”, 180 lbs doesn’t have that prototypical size that gets GMs all excited. Still the size of 1.09375 Gerbes.
#58 — Nicolas Roy, forward
Another big dude, who was a prospect, then wasn’t, then was again. Roy was the #1 overall selection in the 2013 QMJHL Entry Draft, where teams watch 15 and 16 year olds and try to guess if they’ll be great players or just piss off their parents and want to be doctors or something. He pissed off some scouts, apparently, and despite size (6’4″, 207lbs) and talent that was there at one time, he lasted until the 4th round of the 2015 NHL draft, where the Canes took him, likely pissed off that the Rangers picked Aleksi Saarela 7 picks earlier and wondering how they could possibly work out a deal that would get Saarela in the future.
Anyway, Roy put up 48 goals (leading the Q) and 90 points (7th in the Q) last season which had he done that the season before would have probably made him a top 5 draft pick, so thanks for holding off, Nicolas.
#59 — Janne Kuokkanen, forward
Part of the “draft Fins in the second round and profit” drafting strategy GM Ron Francis has recently implemented, Kuokkanen isn’t at Sebastian Aho level yet, but that doesn’t mean he’s not a strong prospect. Had a strong showing for Kärpät’s junior team (Kärpät being the team Aho played for last season), but instead to returning to Finland to play potentially for Kärpät’s main club, Kuokkanen will play in Canada for the London Knights OHL team, playing junior hockey with other North American prospects. This somewhat surprising move may make Kuokkanen better prepared for NHL-style hockey, which no doubt will make the Hurricanes front office happy.
#61 — Sergei Tolchinsky, forward
This was the year reality was supposed to set in for Sergei. Junior hockey was one thing, professional hockey was another. And sure enough, after lighting up the AHL in the beginning of the season, Tolchinsky hit a scoring slump as teams began to “figure him out”. But by the end of the season, Tolchinsky began “figuring out” the AHL and started scoring again. He’ll never be the ideal “NHL size”, but he may not need to be. 5’8″, 170lbs, and he might lead the Checkers in scoring this year.
#64 Clark Bishop, forward
Bishop is coming into his first pro season out of junior hockey, where he spent four seasons playing for Cape Breton of the QMJHL, the last two as team captain. Every scouting report I’ve seen talks about his grit, his physicality, leadership, etc. Those are good skills, but no one’s necessarily fawning over his talent. Seems like a great teammate, but remains to be seen what kind of contributor he’ll be.
#65 Ron Hainsey, defenseman
Say it to yourself — Ron Hainsey is only 35 years old. It’s easy to forget when the average age of your other defensemen is barely in its twenties. Hainsey continues to provide leadership and experience to a defensive corps that sees the Sega Genesis as a relic of an ancient time. Not a top two pairing guy (and really hasn’t been during this Hurricanes tenure), he’s fine in a role with less time on the ice, but still available when needed.
#68 Tyler Ganly, defenseman
Ganly fell victim to the numbers game last season, as he found himself a step behind other prospects in Charlotte and had trouble getting on the ice on a regular basis, and later wound up in the ECHL. Ganly got an opportunity at Traverse City recently, taking the place of the injured Haydn Fleury, tying for the team lead in points with four assists (in three games), and getting into the only fight of the tournament (at least for the Canes). That showing might have caused the Canes brass to take a little longer look at him this training camp.
#70 Callum Booth, goaltender
4th round pick in 2015, Booth is a big goalie (6’4″), but still developing. Plays his junior hockey in the Q, so it might be tough to get a full grip on how strong he was last season since the QMJHL sees a LOT of goals, but he kept his save percentage above .900, so he’s got that going for him, which is nice. He’ll be going back to the Q this year.
#71 Lucas Wallmark, forward
Has spent the last few seasons in Sweden, but looks to have his first professional season in North America this season. Smart player who faces the transition from a Swedish professional league to the North American style, so he’ll likely spend the season in Charlotte. Whether that means big minutes or struggling to get fourth line minutes as he adapts remains to be seen, but camp might give the coaching staff some insight.
#72 Andrew Miller, forward
A former Yale captain (sensing a theme here?), Miller played a season and a half for Edmonton’s AHL affiliate before being dealt (kinda) to Charlotte for Zach Boychuk. The Hurricanes organization liked Miller so much they re-signed him to a two-way deal the day he hit free agency. The Oilers organization liked Boychuk so much he signed a PTO to go to Arizona Coyotes camp a few weeks ago. Miller can score (45 goals the last two seasons in the AHL), but he’s likely just an AHL player at this point.
#74 Jaccob Slavin, defenseman
Like Brett Pesce, he “didn’t make” the NHL club out of camp, but that was only a matter of time. Slavin arguably had the best season of all the young defensemen last season, and by the end of the year was playing first pairing minutes. And this was his first pro season. Stayed in town this offseason to get in more work, and was one of (if not *the*) first player(s) at the informal practices at RCI. Shows real leadership on the ice, and will likely be wearing a letter on his jersey sooner rather than later. The future is bright, friends.
#75 Spencer Smallman, forward
A favorite of Section 328 prospect guru Pat Clarke, Smallman is an all-around player, able to snipe shots and do the dirty work as well. Invited to Traverse City this year, Smallman didn’t get to play, but the experience may have helped him prepare for a future visit. Will have his last season in junior this year.
#76 Jake Chelios, defenseman
Originally a depth signing by the Checkers (and not the Canes), Chelios played really well this past season for Charlotte, and earned himself a contract with the Canes organization. He’ll still likely play for Charlotte this season, but if he plays well again and opportunities open up, at least he’s available. Ruggedly handsome. Yes, he’s Chris’ son. Yes, that means his cousin is Nik… never mind.
#78 Steven Lorentz, forward
Seventh round draft picks are a crapshoot, but the Canes might have something with Lorentz. Had another strong season with Peterborough, then went to Traverse City and led the team with three goals. Has good size (6’4″, 201lbs), and goes back to junior hockey this year. Should be someone to watch.
#82 Noah Carroll, defenseman
Sixth round pick in this year’s draft, had a -48 plus/minus for his junior league team which is still a stat people look at, but we were told that his junior league team was horrible and to ignore that. Then he went to Traverse City and played solid minutes and looked impressive, while picking up three assists. He’s going back to Guelph (#PrayForNoah), but Carroll might be a diamond in the rough.
#84 Ben Gleason, defenseman
Tim Gleason’s cousin, not his son. Come on — Tim’s kids are like in grade school. Gleason had a pretty good season in junior with Hamilton, but wasn’t drafted. He was invited to Traverse City and played well enough there to be invited to training camp. Still isn’t Canes property, but a strong showing in camp might earn him a contract. I think. It’s been a while since I read the CBA — I’m rusty.
#86 Teuvo Teräväinen, forward
The potential is there. Put up 13 goals and 35 points for Chicago last season, and looks to get more ice time with the Hurricanes this year. In an ideal world, will team up on a line with Sebastian Aho and Aleksi Saarela (who’s injured and not in camp) and form the Finnish World Order and lead the Canes to the promised land. No pressure. Oh, and if you’re not sure whether Teräväinen is going to be an exciting player, check Chicago fan reactions the day of the trade. Go ahead — it’s fun.
