Canes Pick Nine Players On Second Day of Draft
Carolina selects six forwards, one defenseman and two goaltenders
With their first pick of the day, 62nd overall in the second round, the Hurricanes selected forward Felix Unger-Sorum. The 5'11", 170-pound right wing spent most of the 2022-23 season in the J20 Nationell, Sweden's top junior league, recording 46 points (10g, 36a) in 42 games with Leksands IF's under-20 team and tying for the team lead in assists. Unger Sorum, 17, added nine points (4g, 5a) in seven playoff games, finishing second on the team in points and tied for first in goals during the postseason. He also skated in seven Swedish Hockey League (SHL) games with Leksands IF last season, making his SHL debut against Lulea on Jan. 3. Born in Trondheim, Norway, he represents Sweden internationally and won a silver medal at the 2023 IIHF Under-18 World Championship, tallying 10 points (2g, 8a) in seven games. Unger Sorum joins Espen Knutsen (204th overall, 1990) as just the second Norwegian-born draft selection in franchise history, and at 62nd overall, he is tied with Bjorn Skaare (Detroit, 1978) for the second-highest Norwegian-born draft choice in NHL history, behind only Marius Holter (Dallas, 42nd overall, 2002). He was ranked 57th overall among European skaters by NHL Central Scouting.
Carolina traded the 71st overall pick to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for the 94th overall pick and the 100th overall pick.
The Hurricanes traded the 94th overall pick to the San Jose Sharks on July 13, 2022, along with Steven Lorentz and Eetu Makiniemi, in exchange for Brent Burns and Lane Pederson. Carolina then reacquired the pick from San Jose, along with the 100th overall pick, in exchange for the 71st overall pick, and selected forward Jayden Perron. The 5'9", 166-pound right wing registered 72 points (24g, 48a) in 61 games with the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League (USHL), ranking tied for fifth in scoring among all USHL skaters and leading his team in assists and power-play assists (21). Perron, 18, added six points (4g, 2a) in six playoff appearances, leading the team in goals during the postseason. Named the USHL's Forward of the Week twice in 2022-23, he closed the regular season with points in 22 of his final 25 games (Jan. 29-April 21: 9g, 30a), with 12 multi-point outings over that span. Perron also posted 45 points (17g, 28a) in 60 games during his first USHL season in 2021-22, earning selection to the league's All-Rookie Team. The Winnipeg, Man., native is committed to play college hockey at the University of North Dakota next season, alongside Steel teammate and fellow Hurricanes draft pick Michael Emerson (190th overall). Perron was ranked 43rd overall among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting.
Carolina acquired the 100th overall pick from San Jose, along with the 94th overall pick, in exchange for the 71st overall pick. With their first pick of the fourth round, the Hurricanes selected forward Alexander Rykov. The 6'0", 176-pound right wing skated in 20 VHL games with Chelmet Chelyabinsk in 2022-23, tallying 11 points (4g, 7a) in Russia's second-highest professional league. Rykov, 17, also skated in six Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) contests with Traktor Chelyabinsk, making his KHL debut against Ak Bars Kazan on Oct. 16. Over the last two seasons, the Magnitogorsk, Russia, native has also recorded 24 points (10g, 14a) in 41 games with Belye Medvedi Chelyabinsk of the MHL, Russia's top junior league. Rykov was ranked 23rd overall among European skaters by NHL Central Scouting.
Carolina selected forward Stanislav Yarovoi with the 126th overall pick in the fourth round. The 5'11", 190-pound right wing played his first KHL season with HC Vityaz in 2022-23, registering 16 points (9g, 7a) in 45 games and skating in three postseason contests. Yarovoi, 19, was twice named the KHL Rookie of the Week (Oct. 10, Dec. 12) and tallied seven points in nine games in December (5g, 2a). The Tuymany, Russia, native also recorded 12 points (5g, 7a) in five MHL games with Russkie Vityazi last season, earning MHL Forward of the Week honors on Sept. 12, and added one assist in three VHL games with HC Ryazan. He has earned 53 points (22g, 31a) in 91 career MHL games, including a career-high 33 points (14g, 19a) in 56 games in his first full MHL season in 2021-22. Yarovoi was ranked 47th overall among European skaters by NHL Central Scouting.
The Hurricanes acquired the 139th overall pick from the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 28, 2022, in exchange for Ethan Bear and Lane Pederson, and used the pick to select defenseman Charles-Alexis Legault. The 6'3", 199-pound blueliner posted nine points (2g, 7a) in 40 games during his freshman season at Quinnipiac University in 2022-23, helping the Bobcats win their first national championship. Legault, 19, spent the 2021-22 season with the West Kelowna Warriors of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), tallying 18 points (6g, 12a) and 66 penalty minutes in 36 games. He added 11 points (2g, 9a) in 11 BCHL playoff games, ranking tied for second on the team in assists during the postseason. Legault also played parts of two seasons in the USHL, earning five points (3g, 2a) in 25 games with the Muskegon Lumberjacks and Lincoln Stars from 2019-21. The Montreal, Que., native played for Canada White at the 2019 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, scoring one goal in six games. Legault was ranked 179th overall among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting.
Carolina selected goaltender Ruslan Khazheyev with the 158th overall pick in the fifth round. The 6'4", 201-pound goaltender made 23 MHL appearances with Belye Medvedi Chelyabinsk in 2022-23, posting an 8-8-7 record, 2.38 goals-against average, .923 save percentage and two shutouts. He also earned a 2-3 record, 2.34 goals-against average, .929 save percentage and one shutout in five MHL playoff games. Khazheyev, 18, has played 33 career MHL games over the past two campaigns, registering an 11-11-8 record, 2.48 goals-against average and .920 save percentage. The Chelyabinsk, Russia, native was ranked ninth overall among European goalies by NHL Central Scouting.
Carolina acquired the 163rd overall pick from Chicago on July 8, 2022, in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft (Nils Juntorp). With their first pick in the sixth round, the Hurricanes selected forward Timur Mukhanov. The 5'7", 178-pound left wing played most of the 2022-23 season in the VHL with Omskie Krylia, recording eight points (4g, 4a) in 31 games. Mukhanov, 18, also earned 17 points (8g, 9a) in 15 MHL games with Omskie Yastreby, where he was a teammate of fellow Hurricanes draft pick Gleb Trikozov (60th overall, 2022). A native of Glazov, Russia, he also made his KHL debut with Avangard Omsk in 2022-23. Mukhanov was ranked 27th overall among European skaters by NHL Central Scouting.
The Hurricanes selected forward Michael Emerson with the 190th overall pick in the sixth round. The 6'1", 197-pound right wing registered 64 points (30g, 34a) in 60 USHL games with the Chicago Steel in 2022-23, ranking tied for third on the team in goals, sixth in points, second in power-play goals (13) and fourth in game-winning goals (5). His two shorthanded goals also tied for the team lead, and he was one of just two Steel skaters with multiple goals at all three strengths. Emerson, 19, added three goals in six playoff contests, finishing second on the team in goals and tied for first in power-play goals (2) during the postseason. The Yorktown Heights, N.Y., native has recorded 71 points (34g, 37a) in 102 career USHL games since debuting with Chicago in 2020-21. Emerson is committed to play college hockey at the University of North Dakota next season, alongside Steel teammate and fellow Hurricanes draft pick Jayden Perron (94th overall).
Carolina finished their draft by selecting Yegor Velmakin with the 222nd overall pick in the seventh round. The 6'2", 172-pound goaltender made 12 VHL appearances with Buran Voronezh in 2022-23, posting a 7-4-1 record, 2.17 goals-against average, .937 save percentage and one shutout. Velmakin, 20, also played 21 games with Proton Novovoronezh of the NMHL, Russia's second-highest junior league, earning a 6-10-5 record, 2.30 goals-against average and .915 save percentage. He has made 56 NMHL appearances with Proton Novovoronezh and HK Rossosh over the past three seasons, registering a
25-19-8 record, 1.90 goals-against average and .926 save percentage. The Moscow, Russia, native has also earned a 3-6 record, 1.57 goals-against average and .926 save percentage in nine playoff contests over that span.
