Takeaways From The 2023 Southeast Rookie Showcase

RALEIGH, NC. - With three games in four days in the rear-view mirror, the Carolina Hurricanes' prospects put together a ton of positive moments during this past weekend's event in Florida.

Going 3-0 with victories over the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Nashville Predators, here are some players that stood out along the way.

Ryan Suzuki

It's been a turbulent few years for Carolina's top selection in 2019. Injuries have unfortunately impacted his development, but the now 22-year-old looked every bit of a first-round pick at the event.

As Assistant General Manager Darren Yorke said ahead of the action, the tournament is, "more about the process than the results," but Suzuki checked both boxes, producing two goals and an assist in the three-game sweep.

Also showcasing his bag of tricks going 3/3 in the shootout, it feels as though a clean bill of health has the forward ready for an imperative year in his career.

"Obviously, the bar is higher for Ryan, but each and every game he got a little bit better and a little bit better.  The defensive side of his game, especially in the win over Nashville, was great.  He was forcing turnovers, he had his stick on the ice and was coming back through the middle, being above his center.  The little things that he needs to do to be the player that we expect him to be, and to be the player that he expects to be, he did.  All of those little details are important to show in a tournament like this, where some may think it's all about the points." - Canes Assistant General Manager Darren Yorke

Domenick Fensore

If you haven't seen the 2019 third-round pick play and you were able to catch some of this weekend's action, boy, were you treated to a show.

Let's cut to the chase - this kid is really, really talented.

With world-class skating abilities and the smarts to go along with them, Fensore is a dream for a coach on the power play. He showcased all of those traits together on the club's very first goal of the tournament, lurking netside to stuff one home on the man advantage.

The obvious drawback is that he's listed at 5-foot-7, 151 lbs., but the question certainly begs, how much does that matter?

Given that Carolina has a treasure chest's worth of NHL defensemen, it feels logical to say that Fensore won't be in Raleigh to start the season, but wherever he does wind up will certainly warrant your watching.

"I don't know a better skater.  He's smooth and he can move the puck.  You can tell that he's used to doing a lot himself, so it's one of those things where it's figuring out the pro game will be his adjustment.  But he can fly.  He's got all the tools, there's no question about it.  He's got a lot of fire, which you want in a player.  He deserves to play a lot in all situations and here at the Showcase he did really well for himself." - Canes Assistant Coach Tim Gleason

Vasily Ponomarev

For 21 players on this weekend's roster, this event was about putting one foot in front of the other and showcasing their growth. Then, there's Vasily Ponomarev.

Rod Brind'Amour said bluntly to the media last week that he didn't think the Showcase mattered a ton to the 21-year-old and that the real work for him would begin when the big club's training camp starts on Thursday. With that being said though, the center certainly took care of business in the trio of contests.

Perhaps he didn't stand out as a dominant player on the ice every shift, however, he certainly appeared more refined than some of his counterparts across the ice. Producing a goal and three assists in the three games, the 2020 second-round choice will now have to show that he can get it done against the NHLers, challenging for a permanent spot in Raleigh this season.

"I don't think he's far away [from being an NHL player.]  He's had a great summer.  We've seen him here at [Invisalign Arena] every day.  He's working hard.  It's kind of hard to tell because he hasn't played at this level, but we'll see.  He's definitely improving." - Canes Head Coach Rod Brind'Amour

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