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32-in-32 Summer Series: Carolina Hurricanes

Chris Babos

Via sportslogos.net

The 32-in-32 Series is an annual event here at DobberProspects and has been condensed from two articles to one. The article will bring you: The highlighted team’s draft; insights into its off-season moves; looking at prospect risers, fallers and likely prospects to play NHL games; and of course, the writers’ top-20 prospects. Articles may be brought back when an important team update occurs, so check back because we plan to fill your hockey withdrawal needs all off-season!

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Make sure to check out the Carolina Hurricans team page here: https://dobberprospects.com/team/carolina-hurricanes/

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The reigning Stanley Cup Champions are poised to be a major contender in the Eastern Conference playoff scene again next season despite rival squads like the Florida Panthers and the Washington Capitals becoming stronger forces this summer. Frederik Andersen represents the only major departure from a winning locker room. Carolina opted to swap out of this year’s first round, leading to a six-player draft class headlined by Swedish second-rounders William Hakansson and Wiggo Sorensson. With a crowded cup-contending lineup in Raleigh, North Carolina, there isn’t much room for prospects to make a jump to the NHL roster without a subtraction from the current group, such as highly-touted 24-year-old defenseman Alexander Nikishin. 

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NHL Draft Recap

Round 2, 51 overall: William Hakansson, Defenseman

2025-26 Stats, Lulea HF (SHL): GP: 22 G: 0 A: 2 P: 2 PPG: 0.09

Carolina moved down the draft board twice to collect assets before a slight move up the draft board to secure William Hakansson with the 51st pick in the second round. The 6-foot-4 teenager recorded two assists across 22 games for Lulea HF in the SHL, the highest level of Swedish hockey. He features an old-school defensive mentality which should translate well to the NHL once he makes the jump to North America. 

Hakansson is expected to remain in Europe this fall with no reason for Carolina to rush his development. If he can improve his offensive output, he projects as a low-end top-four defenseman. Hakansson’s shutdown abilities should allow him to contribute as a bottom-pairing defender in the NHL in a few seasons. 

Round 3, 61 overall: Wiggo Sorensson, Forward

2025-26 Stats, Boro/Vetlanda HC (SWE Div2): GP: 29 G: 20 A: 18 P: 38 PPG: 1.31

Hurricanes General Manager Eric Tulsky took a swing on speed and skills by selecting Wiggo Sorensson towards the end of Round 2 of the 2026 NHL Draft. The 5-foot-10 center played in a lower-level league to help his hometown team (Boro/Vetlanda HC) earn promotion to HockeyEttan while staying close to home to help manage his Type 1 diabetes. Once his hometown team moved up the ranks in Sweden, Sorensson was loaned out to Vaxjo Lakers HC in the U20 Nationell to finish the season.

On the ice, Sorensson is a quick skater with a good first step, but he really shines with his ability to maneuver quickly at top gear without a reduction in speed. He consistently pressures defenders and is difficult to bump off the puck once he gains possession. The 18-year-old forward projects as a two-way forward, so it’ll be interesting to see how he performs against the next level of competition in the third tier of Swedish hockey next fall. 

Round 3, 68 overall: Zachary Lansard, Forward

2025-26 Stats, Regina (WHL): GP: 68 G: 24 A: 32 P: 56 PPG: 0.82

Tulsky spotted a similar draft profile seven picks later with Zachary Lansard, a relentless two-way forward out of Regina in the WHL. He placed third on the Pats in scoring after recording 56 points in 68 games. Lansard more than doubled his point total (19) from the prior season, so a third WHL campaign will be worth keeping an eye on for this 6-foot forward. 

While Lansard isn’t the strongest defensively, he showcases a high compete level that usually translates well at the pro level. If he can become a more consistent player, the Hurricanes could have found another important bottom-of-the-lineup player to help keep theier championship window wide-open.

Round 3, 105 overall: Michael Berchild, Forward

2025-26 Stats, USNTDP (USHL): GP: 21 G: 8 A: 11 P: 19 PPG: 0.90

A creative forward with the puck, “Mikey” Berchild plays a strong game for a 5-foot-9 winger. He wins more battles than you’d expect before using smooth skating skills and creative puck control to maintain possession for his team. The 18-year-old needs to improve his playmaking and defensive abilities to earn a shot in professional hockey, but his work ethic should keep him in the conversation as a bottom-six winger with a high motor. 

Round 4, 125 overall: Ryder Fetterolf, Goalie

2025-26 Stats, Ottawa (OHL): GP: 41 Rec: 29-9-3 GAA: 2.07 SV%: .923 SO: 6 

Fetterolf, the 2026 CHL Goaltender of the Year, led all of Canadian hockey with a .923% save percentage and a 2.07 goals against average in 2025-26. After posting a 29-9-3 record with six shutouts for the Ottawa 67’s last season, the Pittsburgh, PA-born netminder expects to return closer to home with a commitment to Penn State University, but when he sees Happy Valley is still in question. 

Fetterolf is still able to compete in OHL action while retaining his college eligibility thanks to the new transfer agreement between the CHL and the NCAA. The 6-foot netminder showcased the ability to make saves at the CHL level, so his next stop will be controlling the game in college hockey. Whether or not he heads to Penn State this fall or returns to Ottawa (OHL) remains to be seen. 

Round 6, 165 overall: Zachary Jovanovski, Goalie

2025-26 Stats, Guelph (OHL): GP: 52 Rec: 25-20-4 GAA: 3.39 SV%: .890 SO: 1 

Jovanovski backstopped the Guelph Storm (OHL) to 25 wins last season with a serviceable 3.39 GAA and a .890 SV% across 52 games. That performance in his draft-eligible season earned him a late-round selection from the defending Stanley Cup champions. If he can continue to improve his goals against average in his draft+1 season, it will go a long way to solidifying his status as a prospect in Carolina’s deep goalie system. To answer the unspoken question from hockey fans everywhere, Jovanovski is not related to former first-round draft selection Ed Jovanovski. 

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Off-Season Moves

Incoming

Outgoing

Re-signed

Notable RFAs

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In the System

Risers

Charles-Alexis Legault, D:

 2025-26 Stats: Chicago (AHL) GP: 24 G: 3 A: 5 P: 8 PPG: 0.33

If the Hurricanes decide to trade away restricted free agent Alexander Nikishin, the organization may already have a potential in-house replacement available in Legault. The 22-year-old skated 12 games with Carolina before a laceration from a skate blade required surgery and cost him several months of action.  When he returned in Feb. 2026, he was assigned to Chicago (AHL), where he amassed 8 points in 24 games. Legault is expected to be the first defender recalled from Carolina’s depth chart if he is unable to crack the lineup over veteran Jalen Chatfield, Sean Walker, and/or Nikishin at training camp this summer.

Dominik Badinka, D:  

2025-26 Stats: Chicago (AHL) GP: 68 G: 6 A: 8 P: 14 PPG: 0.20

If Leagault is the first defensive option recalled by Carolina, Badinka has a solid argument to be a solid “1B” option. The 6-foot-3, right-handed defender showcases solid two-way ability, but could use improvement to his offensive output after totaling 14 points in 68 games, a 0.20 points per game rate in his first crack at professional hockey. The 20-year-old will be best served with another developmental season in the minors with Chicago (AHL). He needs a little more size (205 pounds) to battle consistently at the NHL level. 

Justin Robidas, F:

2025-26 Stats: Chicago (AHL) GP: 58 G: 23 A: 37 P: 60 PPG: 1.03

Robidas filled an important leadership role as an alternate captain on Carolina’s farm team last season,  while scoring at a point-per-game pace (60 points in 58 games). It was a slight increase over his first pro season, where the undersized (5-foot-8) forward amassed 55 points in 70 contests. The 23-year-old is quickly speeding towards non-prospect status, but he still has a season or two to impress the decision-makers in Carolina to give him a crack at NHL competition. 

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Fallers

Nikita Artamonov, W:

2025-26 Stats: Neftekhimik (KHL) GP: 37 G: 3 A: 6 P: 9 PPG: 0.24

Perhaps no Hurricanes prospect has seen his star fizzle out more than Artamonov. The 20-year-old dazzled during his draft-eligible season, scoring 22 goals in 63 games for Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod. Artamonov recorded only one assist in his first 15 games with the club in 2025-26 before being loaned out to Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk. The 5-foot-11 winger totaled 9 points in 37 games to complete an underwhelming developmental season. Artamonov is off to another new KHL squad next fall after being loaned out to Severstal Cherepovets for the upcoming Russian campaign. 

Ivan Ryabkin, C:

2025-26 Stats: Chicago (AHL) GP: 31 G: 1 A: 9 P: 10 PPG: 0.32

Ryabkin started the season with Chicago (AHL), recording 7 points in his first 25 professional games. Carolina returned the dynamic 19-year-old Russian prospect to the Charlottetown Islanders (QMJHL) for the final 20 games of their regular season. Ryabkin scored 13 goals and totaled 42 points for a 2.1 points-per-game average during his short stay in the “Q”. Moving from the professional ranks back to the Major Junior is certainly not an ideal developmental path, which is why Ryabkin finds himself in the fallers section this summer.

Kurban Limatov, D: 

2025-26 Stats: MHK Dynamo Moskva (MHL) GP: 46 G: 12 A: 18 P: 30 PPG: 0.65

Limatov tumbled down the top 20 prospects rankings despite slightly improving his point total from 23 points in 2024-25 to 30 points last season. With reinforcements added to the Carolina prospect system, the 19-year-old defender has seen several wingers pass him by in our new rankings. There is still plenty of runway for the 6-foot-4 blueliner to impress, but he will likely need a season or two to transition to playing in North America before becoming a potential option on Carolina’s back end. 

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Likely to see NHL action

Bradly Nadeau

Felix Unger-Sorum

Charles-Alexis Legault

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Top 20 Prospects

This section is intended to paint a picture of the Carolina Hurricanes prospects whose current trajectory projects them to make the most positive fantasy impact at the time that they reach the NHL. Arrival date and NHL certainty have been taken into consideration; however, potential upside is the most important factor in determining this list.

  1. Bradly Nadeau
  2. Semyon Frolov
  3. Felix Unger-Sorum
  4. Dominik Badinka
  5. Charles-Alexis Legault
  6. William Hakansson
  7. Nikita Artamanov
  8. Justin Robidas
  9. Ivan Ryabkin
  10. Charlie Cerrato
  11. Wiggo Sorensson
  12. Justin Piorier
  13. Noel Fransen
  14. Alexander Rykov
  15. Kurban Limatov
  16. Timur Kol
  17. Zachary Lansard
  18. Fyodor Avramov
  19. Simon Forsmark
  20. Mikey Berchild

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Final thoughts

Carolina finally delivered a title behind a strong organizational crew of committed veterans like Jordan Staal, Sebastian Aho, and Andrei Svechnikov. Carolina plays a very specific brand of tough, aggressive hockey, and the Hurricanes’ prospect pool reflects that organizational philosophy. Carolina has taken big swings on potential, mostly from the European and Russian hockey ranks, in hopes that those selections will produce NHL-caliber athletes down the road. 

Carolina enters the 2026-27 campaign with nearly the same roster that raised Lord Stanley’s trophy a few months ago, and there is no reason to believe Coach Brind’Amour’s club can’t do it all over again next season (and beyond). 

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Make sure to check out the Carolina Hurricans team page here: https://dobberprospects.com/team/carolina-hurricanes/

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Christopher Babos

Managing Editor, Player Profiles at Dobber Prospects

Twitter/X: @CBabosWrites (Twitter/X) 

IG: Crispy_Image

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