RALEIGH, N.C. - The first business trip of the 2024-25 hockey season for the Carolina Hurricanes is officially here, with the organization's up-and-coming talent traveling to Tennessee on Thursday.
Participating in the 2024 Prospects Showcase presented by Invisalign, the prospects will play three games in four days between Friday and Monday, going head-to-head with the rising talent from the Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators, and Tampa Bay Lightning.
When are the games?
- Friday, September 13 vs. Tampa Bay - 6 p.m. ET
- Saturday, September 14 vs. Florida - 3 p.m. ET
- Monday, September 16 vs. Nashville - 2 p.m. ET
Can we watch the games?
Yes.
Links to watch all games will be posted to the front page of Hurricanes.com approximately 10-15 minutes before puck drop.
Who is playing?
To view the Canes' roster for the event, click here.
The roster for the event features 14 players drafted by the team, including 2023 first-round pick Bradly Nadeau, 2023 second-round pick Felix Unger Sorum, 2021 second-round pick Scott Morrow, and 2024 Hobey Baker Award Hat Trick Finalist Jackson Blake (2021, fourth round).
Other Hurricanes draft picks on the roster include Noel Gunler (2020, second round), Aleksi Heimosalmi (2021, second round), Gleb Trikozov (2022, second round), Anttoni Honka (2019, third round), Domenick Fensore (2019, third round), Justin Robidas (2021, fifth round), Charles-Alexis Legault (2023, fifth round), Ruslan Khazheyev (2023, fifth round), Justin Poirier (2024, fifth round) and Ronan Seeley (2020, seventh round).
Carolina’s roster also includes free agent signing Yaniv Perets, as well as invitees Skyler Brind’Amour, Carter Kowalyk, Zakary Lavoie, Connor Lockhart, Brandon McCallum, Luca Testa, and Antonin Verreault.
Who are we keeping an eye on?
With the departures of forwards Jake Guentzel, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Stefan Noesen, and Teuvo Teravainen this summer, the window of opportunity is open for one or some of the young bucks up front.
A lot of eyes gravitate toward Nadeau, who signed after his college season ended and made his NHL debut in the team's regular-season finale; Blake, who was a Hobey Baker Finalist in April and also debuted in Columbus; and Unger Sorum, who dazzled at 2023 training camp.
Nadeau made the transition from the BCHL to the NCAA look effortless and Associate General Manager Darren Yorke has said on multiple occasions that he believes the jump between those two leagues is bigger than the NCAA to the pro game. But only time will tell exactly how that leap goes for the now 19-year-old, who stayed in Raleigh all summer to work on his game.
Blake is a constant highlight-producing machine. Posting 40 goals across two seasons at North Dakota, he was only the second sophomore at UND in the last 30 years to hit the 100-point mark (Zach Parise, 2003-04). He also became only the second player in the last decade to hit 60 points in a campaign at UND (Brock Boeser, 2015-16). Both Boeser and Parise have enjoyed a wealth of success in the NHL, and many are eager to see what Blake produces as he begins his pro career in the fall.
As for Unger Sorum, he's been playing against grown men in Sweden for the past two years. One of the final cuts at camp last year, he impressed Rod Brind'Amour mightily and will now be playing in North America for the first time this season. Whether that's in Raleigh or Chicago remains to be seen.
