Hurricanes Top Prospects February 2026 | Ryabkin's Takeover & Nadeau's Game-Changing Playmaking

One month can change a prospect’s trajectory, and February did exactly that for the Carolina Hurricanes pipeline. We sit down with Nick Bass from Canes Prospects to rank our top five prospects of the month, starting with Ivan Ryabkin’s instant takeover in Charlottetown and moving through a Chicago Wolves core that keeps forcing bigger conversations about NHL readiness.

We dig into what makes Bradly Nadeau so hard to defend beyond the obvious radar-gun shot, how his playmaking is catching up to the release, and what his upper-body injury could mean heading into the AHL playoff stretch. We also hit Justin Robidas’s scoring pace and why his game screams “useful NHL role,” even if the Canes already have a crowd of similar forwards competing for minutes. On the back end of the list, Yegor Velmakin’s standout run in Russia raises a bigger organizational question: what does Carolina do with its goaltending depth when so many contracts and rights decisions are coming due?

From there, we widen the lens with honorable mentions and development checkpoints, including Felix Anger Sorum’s rebound season,Kurban Limatov’s tools and timeline, and Jayden Perron’s surge at Michigan. We close by sorting through expiring Russian contracts, NCAA decisions like the Charlie Cerrato watch, and why college free agency rarely becomes Carolina’s main pipeline strategy. If you enjoy smart, grounded prospect talk, subscribe, share the show with a Canes fan, and leave a review so more people can find us.

Highlights:

• Ivan Ryabkin’s immediate impact in Charlottetown and what his playmaking shows
• Bradly Nadeau’s shot profile, evolving all-around game, and injury update
• Josh Nadeau signing with Laval and what it says about his projection
• Yegor Velmakin’s standout February in the VHL and what comes next
• Justin Robidas’s AHL scoring run, intelligence, and NHL role debate
• Felix Anger Sorum’s rebound season and why an NHL debut feels close
• Honorable mentions including Filip Eckberg, Kurban Limatov, Jayden Perron, and Stanislav Yarovoy.
• Expiring Russian contracts and how playing time drives North America decisions
• Goalie rights and why Velmakin versus Vondras is a tough call
• NCAA outlook for Perron, Justin Poirier, and the Charlie Cerrato watch
• Why Carolina rarely plays the college free agent game
• What we’re watching in the playoffs and how the Canes approach the draft

#canes #hockey #carolinahurricanes #stormtracker23 #canesprospects #thehockeyguy #topshelfhockey #lockedonhurricanes #ahl #chicagowolves #alexandernikishin #bradlynadeau #KHL #darrenyorke

Transcript

Episode Kickoff & February Prospect List

SPEAKER_01 0:31

Well, several Carolina Hurricanes prospects had outstanding months in February, including the Chicago Wolves trio, Felix Anger Sorm, Bradley Nadeau, and Justin Robodah, as well as a couple of Russian prospects, 2025 draftee Ivan Ryapkin, and goalie Igor Valmaken. Joining me as always to discuss the top five prospects of the month and what to expect in the coming month, as well as his most recent 16 thoughts. I'm delighted to welcome in from Kane's Prospects, Nick Bass. Hi there, Nick. Hey Nick, uh good month in February. Um, as I mentioned, the Chicago Wolves trio continued their fine play. Uh we had uh Ivan Ryapkin heading to Charlottown and showing that he can really uh light it up there. So I thought we'd start with number five, and that is Ivan Ryapkin. Uh Ryapkin in February had he played six games, he scored three goals, seven assists for ten points. Darren York said something interesting about Ryapkin at the draft. I thought I'd share it. He had a strong underage season in Russia, goes to Muskegon this past season, got in there late, but basically an unbelievable goal scorer with bite to his game. He drives to the net, he can hit you, he can take hits, he can score off the wrist shot, off the one timer, he can make plays in tight. And he said, you know, we're really excited to get him in the second round. We didn't think he'd be available. What did we see with Ivan in February?

SPEAKER_00 2:04

Uh he's kind of just taken over um Charlottown. Uh he's been really unbelievably good. He's been on their top line. He's been their number one center for the past ever since he got there, basically. Um, he's just been really good. He's uh playmaking's really evident, the shot is there, and um it is really cool to see Charlottetown really buy into Ryapkin, even though this was probably only a one-year thing. Yeah. And it's really cool to just see him on all their a lot of their playoff um you know promotions and stuff like that. And Ivan's just been really, really good in the queue, which is a good sign for things to come.

Bradly Nadeau’s AHL Dominance & Injury

SPEAKER_01 2:40

Well, and a couple of interesting things. Um, so far to date, he's uh played 20 games, he's got 13 goals, 29 assists, so he's lighting up, as you say. And I just noted that he was uh rookie of the month uh for March in the uh in the Quebec Major Junior League as well. So he's not only getting attention in Charlottetown, he's getting it run around the league, which is great. Okay, let's move on to someone we talk about virtually every month, understandably, because he just keeps doing it, and that's Bradley Nadeau. Nadeau, of course, uh he's won a lot of awards this year. He was AHL player of the week twice. He was AHL player of the month of January. He uh he shot that 103 mile an hour uh blast at the All-Star Week, which is kind of fun. Um, and he's he's doing great. Um, one thing I wanted to mention here from the Keynes, they said he brings a high-level shot to the Keynes bottom six with a variety of releases that are equally deadly, but he's not just a shooter. Nado is also a strong playmaker who pre-scans for lanes and actively engages defenders to make his passes deceptive. So they're talking about not only that wicked shot, but some great setup work as well. What did you see with Bradley?

SPEAKER_00 3:53

It's kind of very evident right now to see how important he is to the Wolves lineup. Um, he's been out the past few games and it they've uh had some difficulties scoring, and it's kind of evident that he is a good amount of the offense, and it was kind of the same thing last year, but it's a little more apparent right now. But yeah, he had a pretty good February. Um, I mean, there's really not much for him to prove left at the AHL level. He's kind of shown that you know he's a pretty complete offensive player, the defense has improved, and it is kind of just a matter of time at this point for him to get a real shot. But uh I'm excited to see him hopefully be back in time for the playoffs for for the Wolves.

SPEAKER_01 4:33

Well, what is his current injury status?

SPEAKER_00 4:36

He has an upper body injury. Uh it's not a concussion, um, but it's just an upper body injury. Uh, I thought he would be back this weekend, but didn't happen. So I wonder about maybe this upcoming weekend by Saturday, maybe, or they are just going to be really cautious with it.

Josh Nadeau’s Pro Signing Reaction

SPEAKER_01 4:54

Yeah, and you had mentioned uh again that he was trying to hit that 30 goal mark, and it looks like uh that's gonna be a little bit elusive. Of course, he's messed he's messed several games this year with call-ups and now injuries, so not a surprise. Um hey, interesting news on uh on his brother today, and I thought we'd just touch on that for a minute, and that's uh Josh Nadil, of course. Josh signing a one-year deal with uh Laval, uh the Laval Rocket, which is the farm team of uh, of course, the Montreal Canadians.

SPEAKER_00 5:22

What do you think about that signing? I think it's good for Laval. Um I would I was really bullish on him and his NHL potential that there's probably a time where he's gonna be an NHL player down the line. Um, you know, I I would still say Bradley's better. Um, there's a lot of things that Bradley does that Josh just can't really do. But at the same point, Brad uh Josh is very good in his own right at offensive. Like he's uh I'd probably say he's a good player, he's a good playmaker. The skating's pretty good. He's a I would there's just a lot of all-around qualities that make Josh a really solid pro player. And uh I'm glad that he did get signed. I'm a little disappointed it wasn't the Keynes, obviously, but um I am pretty happy with I'm happy for him because it's uh it's gonna be a big moment in his career.

Yegor Velmakin’s Breakout Season

SPEAKER_01 6:06

Yeah, with uh with the number of uh players signing from the NCAA, you know, as their seasons wind up, uh if they're not uh gonna be playing further this year, uh we know that uh they're becoming available in some cases, and he was a free agent, of course. And you know, he had such a tremendous year uh when he was working alongside Bradley at that man. Well, wouldn't it be fun to have those guys together with the Wolves? Um, but um unfortunately uh not to be. Um in any case, uh great news for uh for uh Josh as well. Okay, let's move on to number three. He's a goaltender you've talked about before, and that's Igor Belmacen. Belmacen uh has had a great February. He played five games, 1.6 goals against a 952 save percent. So he's been on fire playing with Dynamo St. Petersburg in the VHL. What are you seeing with Igor?

SPEAKER_00 6:59

Yeah, um it was a good month. He kind of took over the the starting role down the stretch um toward playoff time, even though Dynamo St. Petersburg didn't make it. Um there was a lot of good starts. There was a there was a few kind of bad ones toward the very end, but it was still a deep a very good month of February for him. And now that we've hit March and Dynamo St. Petersburg season is over, um kind of just gonna figure out what's gonna happen from there. But overall, it was a really solid February for him.

Justin Robidas climbs into 7th in AHL scoring ranks

SPEAKER_01 7:28

Well, that's great. And Darren York had said this about him. He said, uh, we were impressed with how his season went when they drafted him. He said he got a little better each and every game. A kid we were happy to get here at the end. So he was drafted way late in the draft, so he could be an interesting one as time goes on. Okay, let's move on to number two. Again, a player we've talked about a lot, and that's Justin Robodaugh. Robodaugh, as we had mentioned last time, had an 18-game stretch from December 5 to January 22, where he had 16 goals and 11 assists. So he's he's a guy that when he turns it up, he's deadly. Uh he sits right now in 57 games, he's got 57 points. So he's in seventh uh in the AHL as we sit here today. So he's continuing his fine play. What did we see with Justin Robert on February?

SPEAKER_00 8:17

Yeah, he's just continuing to do what he does. Um, he's a really, really good AHL player at this point. He's probably a little too good for the AHL and probably good enough to be a fourth-line guy at the NHL level, but you know, the Keynes just have so many of them. So but he's been really good. Uh the injury this past weekend kind of stinks. I don't know how long he's gonna be out for, but obviously he didn't play last night. Um, but yeah, he's just been really, really good doing everything that the Wolves really need him to do, and uh I'm happy for him.

Felix Anger Sorum’s Impressive Rebound

SPEAKER_01 8:46

Yeah, and I know that uh when you chatted with uh Spirosynastus and I did as well, he was very uh bullish on Robodah. Uh and also uh really thought that Robodah was an incredibly intelligent player, very knowledgeable guy, studied the game, studied the other teams. He was uh player that uh was really uh taking a hard look at uh at how he should play and continue to get better. So uh very impressive uh comments from Spiro's for sure. Um yeah, I think uh if you look at what McCain said, he's they said Robodah is another offensive mind that undersized Keynes forward, so the competition for ice time will be fierce. So yeah, that's a tough, tough situation, unfortunately, as we've talked about so many times with uh with Robodah, but boy, he uh when he's on the ice, he's making things happen, whether it's with Chicago or with the Cams. I'm really excited about number one because this guy has really come back to play. Uh, you know, he had a tough season last year. We talked a lot about that earlier this year, too, Nick, and and he seems to be just continuing to play extremely well. In fact, in his last five games, he's got six points, so he's really getting it done right now, and that's Felix Angersorum. What did we see with Felix last month?

SPEAKER_00 10:04

Uh yeah, he needed to step up and kind of take over for what Nadeau had kind of left off with the injuries, and so he's been pretty solid in the role. Um, there's just so much to people are always going to be a little more apprehensive because he's a slightly undersized playmaking wing that doesn't shoot the puck that often, but he's also the archetype of player that that Keynes fans really haven't seen with the ability with the puck on his sticks, and somebody like Tavo Terravine, and he's just unbelievably good with the puck on his stick being able to make plays. And that it's just something that we haven't they haven't had in a while. And I would fully expect him to have his NHL debut at the end of this year, and you can easily say he's fully earned it just because of the turnaround that he's had go from last year into this year.

Honorable Mentions (Ekberg, Limatov, Perron, Yarovoy) & Playoff Tests

SPEAKER_01 10:55

Yeah, and and Darren York said this about him. He said, I think what we're seeing is the natural progression with Felix. If you look at how he performed at the World Junior Championship, and this was over a year ago, um, you saw a player who was consistently able to use his body to defend a check, and then his elite hockey sense took over to quickly cycle through progressions. So again, uh took him a little longer to find his way. And I I know we also heard from Sparrow Sinastis that uh one of the things about about Felix is he is get getting stronger, and that's a key area they've got him focused on. They want him to get stronger, they want him to be able to play the boards more, and uh to use that uh that great vision and and he's his hockey IQ is as you and I have discussed this off the chart. So yeah, he's outstanding, having a great year. Um again, he's uh he's now up to 54 points uh in 61 games, and he's sitting at 14th in the AHL. So he's right in the mix, and uh, and this is an outstanding rebound season for uh for Felix. So that's the top five. Let's go on to some honorable mentions. And we've talked about this gentleman before, and that's Philip Eckberg. And Eckberg was drafted, as you might recall, right at the end of the draft, basically a couple years ago. Um, and he's a guy that's uh trying to find his way, still playing with the Ottawa 67s in the OHL. Uh Darren York said he's a guy that can score off the rush, he's got a dangerous shot, but at the same time can make you miss with his skills. What have we been seeing with Phillip?

SPEAKER_00 12:31

Uh yeah, he's been good. Um honestly, I think I wanted a little bit more for him, seeing as he is playing in the OHL and he's been getting a lot of good ice time. So I probably wanted a little bit more for him, but overall it was a really solid year for him. Um looking, I'm really interested to see how he does in the playoffs because I think that's gonna be kind of telling for how he's going to be able to adapt to a quicker, more highly physical game at the next level. So I'm I'm interested to see how he's gonna be able to handle the playoffs for for Ottawa.

SPEAKER_01 13:01

Yeah, no, that makes sense. Um and again, uh so far this year, he's uh he's got 46 points in 59 games, so he's uh he's having a better season and uh and certainly will uh will have his best season in the uh Ontario Hockey League when he wraps up this year, which is great. The next guy is uh is a player again that we've really been excited about. Uh third rounder in 2025, drafted number 67, 6'3, almost 200 pounds. Man, Kirbin Limitoff seems like uh you're talking about Kirvin all the time. What did we see from him?

SPEAKER_00 13:36

Yeah, he's been good. Um, Timur Cole's been kind of called up to the KHL for the past few weeks. So he's kind of had to step up and you know, pre-injury he was doing it. He looked really good. Offense, he was uh moving the puck and transition a lot, just looked really solid. The defense is still a work in progress, and I know people are really hyping it up and really hyping him up and wanting him like seeing how quickly he can get to North America. But I'm gonna uh caution you now, he still needs work. Um, and Dynamo Moscow's probably got a plan for him going forward because he's just it he's 18 or just turned 19. He's still super young, so I think we just need to be really patient with him. But the signs and the stuff that he has showed this year is really good.

SPEAKER_01 14:20

One thing I just want to mention from Darren York on Limitop because he was really high on Limitov. He said, a strong skater, great reach. Rarely do you see sort of Russian defensemen like that be aggressive, getting up in the play, sealing, and flushing down in the neutral zone. And what he further went on to say was hey, we knew he was gonna be a player, and we decided after we had moved down and some trading uh in the draft, we wanted to move back up. So they did some uh kind of interesting uh machinations to get back into a position where they could get Limitov. They really wanted him that much. So yeah, uh he's someone we're gonna watch very closely, and and I know you're all over Kerbin Limitov. That's great. The next gentleman we talked about as well, and you know, quite the story on this guy because I've mentioned a number of times that when he was drafted in that third round, 94th and 23, boy, there were so many people that thought he was gonna be drafted higher. Like he was just he was a guy that a lot of folks actually thought he would be drafted in that first round. I think the challenge again, smaller player, 5'9, 175 pounds. But I'm talking about Jaden Perron, and of course, he's uh lighting it up with Michigan. What do you see?

SPEAKER_00 15:33

Yeah, um the move to Michigan has been really beneficial for his career because he's exploded in points. He has a new career high. His ice time's been really good because he's been on the top line most of the time. And most interesting to me, anyways, is that he's been quarterbacking their number one power play unit, which is something that forwards don't get the opportunity to do that often, so it's really good to see that. And, you know, in the Big Ten championship game, he kind of showed why he does that. He was able to take it straight from the blue line into three Ohio State players and just easily scored. It was a really nice goal, and it was something that, you know, you hadn't seen a ton from Perron. So it's nice to see the progression start to come through. And uh, yeah, it's uh really nice for Perron because he's been a big part of the number one team in the country, and uh I'm interested to see how far Michigan goes in the tournament.

SPEAKER_01 16:19

Well, and and you know, we had talked about this opportunity at North Dakota. Uh, you know, I think uh when Jackson Blake left there, they thought, boy, this guy's gonna pick it up and run with it. And uh, and unfortunately it didn't happen. So, you know, it's great to see Michigan. Do you think it's coaching? Do you think it's system? What do you think it is?

SPEAKER_00 16:38

Uh probably system, if I had to bet. I just also sometimes think things don't work out, and sometimes there are better situations elsewhere.

SPEAKER_01 16:46

So yeah. So anyway, good news on Jaden. It's good great to see him uh making some progress as well. A gentleman, again, you've talked about a number of times, and uh, you know, we continue to wonder what his future is going to be, and that's Stannis Lab Yoroboy, uh, playing with Kimmick in the BHL. Uh, Euroboy is a guy that uh again, uh fourth rounder. What are we seeing with him?

SPEAKER_00 17:13

He's been really good. Um it's been very good to see him kind of pick it up as the end of the season come on, and then in the first game of the playoffs, he has two goals and an assist, and he just exploded out of the gate. Last game he didn't get a point, but he was moved up to the top line because he basically was the team's entire offense. He was moving in transition really well. He was making right plays with the puck, just doing everything correctly, except for like one bad play at the very end of the game, but it really didn't matter at the end of the day. But no, he's been really good, and I'm happy to see him be a playoff performer as well and not just be a guy who can only have some flashes in the regular season. So it's nice to see that.

SPEAKER_01 17:51

What do you think his future could be?

SPEAKER_00 17:54

Well, he's got another year in SparTec, no matter what, because he's signed through next year.

16 Thoughts: Russian Contracts & North America Decisions on some of those Players

SPEAKER_01 17:59

So that's right. Okay. Uh Darren York said this about Yarboy. He said he went through the draft a couple of times and worked his way up this year playing regular shifts in the KHL, and that's as a youngster. High-end skill, high-end compete, high-end motor, really sort of that Carolina prototypical forward. So sounds like the right kind of guy. Taking a little bit longer, he's 22 now, so that means he would be done his contract at 23. So you have to kind of wonder unless he has a tremendous year next year, we don't quite know where he could end up. Okay, so that's the uh honorable mentions, and I think some uh some great ones as usual, Nick, and you're all over this. But I wanted to now move to your 16 plots uh notes recently, and I thought they were really interesting in this regard is that we have a number of players who are gonna be having their contracts expire with their Russian teams, uh, wondering what they're gonna do in other parts of the world as well. Um, and you did quite a detailed analysis of that, and I thought it would be interesting to share this uh with uh with the folks. Um so let's start with uh with your Russian players, and there's a bunch of them. Um kicking it off was Alexander Suriatsky. What's uh what's your thought on Suriatsky?

SPEAKER_00 19:18

Um be best for him to stay in the KHL for another year or two. He I would much prefer him getting regular KHL time than trying to come to North America as of right now.

SPEAKER_01 19:28

So yeah, and he's still young. He's 19. Uh, another one of these hulking defensemen at six foot four, but he's kind of slender, I guess. He's only 182 pounds, so he's not not that heavy. He could do some growing while he's at it over in Russia, so that's good. Alexander Pelavan, another blue liner, he's been around for a while. What do you think about Pelovan?

SPEAKER_00 19:48

He's uh he's gonna be a good KHL, VHL defenseman for his career.

SPEAKER_01 19:53

Okay. So again, uh another player that we shouldn't expect to see anytime soon in North America, Timur Mukinov. And I've talked about him a few times, and I really like Mukinov. Again, a smallish player, 5'9, 158, uh, 20 years old. What do you think about Mukinov?

SPEAKER_00 20:10

I mean, I think he could work in North America, but I also think he probably just ends up kind of like Alexander Passion, um, where he's just undersized and it might not work in North America. So I think he's just gonna stay in Russia.

SPEAKER_01 20:25

So I think that's probably reasonable. Alexander Rikov, though, is somebody we've talked about a number of times. Another gentleman that was a fourth rounder, he's uh 20 years old now, so uh age is good. Uh he's had some good runs, but a lot of injury problems. What are you thinking about with Rikov?

SPEAKER_00 20:42

This one is probably more interesting to me, just because he did just have a really nice KHO season where he set career highs. Um, and through the first two games in the playoffs, he's been scratched, healthy scratched. Um, for guys that haven't been as good as he has been this season. So they brought him over last year for development camp, which I thought was interesting. And um, yeah, I think that's gonna be one that I might look at a little more closely.

SPEAKER_01 21:08

Okay, cool. Now, someone else you've uh certainly talked about enough uh or a lot in different situations uh to keep us tuned in on Theodore Avramov. Now, Avramov uh again, uh he's a big player, 6'3, almost uh just under 200 pounds. He's a guy that uh folks say can really shoot the puck and do some cool things. What are you seeing uh with his future?

SPEAKER_00 21:31

Yeah, um another guy that they brought over last year for Dev Camp, and me and myself and Matt were both really impressed with what we saw because he was a 19-year-old and he was doing some things a 19-year-old shouldn't be able to do. And that size is really good. And uh, as we've seen the past two years is that Sochi is really not giving him any sort of real opportunity besides, you know, maybe a run of four or five games. And I wouldn't be entirely shocked if by next year he's playing in Chicago.

SPEAKER_01 22:01

You know, it's interesting. Uh one of the challenges that the Cades have with some of these players, of course, is they're just not getting the playing time at the level that they want them to be playing to continue to develop their game. And that's why I think we've seen some of these players coming over as younger players, some of them even at nineteen years old. Um, and we saw the same thing as they they uh when they signed Ivan Ryapkin, again, very young player to be playing in the AHL this year, and of course he's moved to Charlottown. But I think you're onto something. Think that uh some of these players are gonna find their way across the ocean. Uh Timur Cole, uh again, a defenseman we like a lot, big guy. Uh he's been having a tremendous season alongside Kirbin Limitov, but has now been recalled to the KHL. What are you thinking about with Timur?

SPEAKER_00 22:48

It's kind of ridiculous that he was playing MHL games at this point in his career. Um, I mean, his gate his time on ice average was over two minutes a night better than anybody else in the MHL this year. He was almost a point for game defenseman. Um and he barely got KHL time this year. And since they don't have a VHL team, he should have been playing in the VHL at this point, but just couldn't because they don't have a VHL team. So again, this is another one I wouldn't be shocked if he's playing in North America next year just because of the situations kind of surrounding it. Um yeah, and right now he's getting healthy scratched for Dynamo Moscow in the KHL playoffs. So I'm hoping he plays for their MHL team in the playoffs. Uh they'll start playing probably next week, just have to wait for some other series to get over. But yeah, it's uh kind of a weird situation with Cole.

SPEAKER_01 23:37

Well, he saw some ice last year on uh SKA, correct? Uh with the in the KHL alongside Alexander Nikation.

SPEAKER_00 23:44

So when Nikation was hurt, he was the guy that they kind of plugged in to play when he was out, and then he still was getting seventh man time for a lot of it.

SPEAKER_01 23:54

So yeah. But I thought, boy, I thought once he uh kind of uh started cutting his teeth in the KHL, he'd probably stick around, but uh hasn't worked out quite the same this year, so yeah, he might be best served to head across the ocean. And he certainly him and Limitov are they're both capable defensemen, as you've mentioned a number of times, Nick. And I think uh boy, they they with the right kind of grooming, they've got a real future for sure. So we'll keep an eye on Tim Ricole. Alexander Pravilov is a guy I've been interested in for a long time. He's got a pretty nice uh package, he checks in at six feet, 205 pounds. He was a third rounder. Pravilov was a guy a lot of folks uh thought could play. Uh, what do you think about Alexander?

SPEAKER_00 24:37

It kind of sucks that he's had so many injuries in this point in his career. He's had multiple KHL stints that have just been cut short because of injuries, and it really sucks. Um, this has probably been the best form of Alexander Pervalov so far, but I don't really know how they're gonna handle it or kind of what they view it as. So seeing as he's already 22, um, I'm leaning on the side of he'll probably just stay in Russia for the foreseeable future. Um, but I've been wrong before, so I wouldn't be shocked. But I think personally it's probably Russia.

SPEAKER_01 25:13

Yeah, he's had a pretty good year this year. He's uh in 58 games uh with uh Metalurg, he's got 20 goals and 14 assists. So it's a better year for him. It's probably his first year in a long time he's actually played much. As you say, he's been injured so darn much, it's insane. But he's a guy that's got the right kind of package. Um, he's got uh he's got a lot of skill, so we'll see where that one goes. And then uh wrapping up the Russian players with expiring contracts was someone who was uh talked about earlier, Igor Velmakin.

SPEAKER_00 25:43

Yeah. Um I uh Matt and I talked about talk about this a lot just because the goalie situation for the hurricanes in North America outside the NHL, and I guess in the NHL, is right now the only goalie that they have signed through next year is Rushlon Hejayev. Other than that, every other goalie is expected to be a free agent. So I've been in the camp of he's had good KHL runs and he had a really nice year in the VHL, so I wouldn't be opposed to giving him just a chance in North America, just a one-year deal, because that's what the ELC age limit would be. Um just see what he does, but at the same point, he is 23 now, so it's kind of on the older side. But again, it it doesn't hurt to give a guy that you drafted a try, but again, he's 23, so I'm not 100% sure.

SPEAKER_01 26:38

Yeah, um, tough one. We'll have to see how that plays out. Um, you know, when we talk about goaltenders moving to other parts of Europe, another goalie in a similar situation is Jacob Vondres. Uh Vondras playing in Chechia 2 this year. We've talked about him before as well. What do you think the future holds for Vondras?

SPEAKER_00 26:59

It's kind of the same boat as Velmakin. Um he's on the he's I think he's 21 right now. He might be 22. I'm not 100% sure.

SPEAKER_01 27:07

But he is 21.

SPEAKER_00 27:08

Yeah. So like his rights expire May 1st, May 15th, June 1st, something like that. Um, like if you want to give him a chance, because it's a drafted guy, uh, you can. You can give him a chance at the same point. If you don't, I mean it's not the biggest deal in the world, but if I'm picking out of the two, I'd probably lean Velmakin because he has top and professional experience at like the KHL comparatively to Vondres, who you know struggled in the OHL a little bit and then had a much better year this year in the second Chechia League, but you also probably wanted to see him get more time in the top league if you wanted to sign him eventually.

SPEAKER_01 27:48

Yeah, I remember when they drafted Vondres, they were pretty high on him. Uh, and as you say, he did play in North America for a year, uh, played junior hockey uh uh in North America as well. Um, yeah, we'll have to see how that goes. A couple of other guys in uh Europe that you mentioned, I suspect neither one will be showing up anytime soon. Niels Juntor came in uh one of the deals for the Keynes. Uh nothing there.

SPEAKER_00 28:14

You know, it is kind of funny because he's top, I think he's top ten in all Keynes prospects scoring right now. If you go to Elite Prospects and sort, I think he's top ten. But uh no, he no, I can confidently say he will not be getting a contract.

NCAA Futures & NCAA Free Agent Reality 2026 & European Possibilities

SPEAKER_01 28:27

Yeah, and the other one, and we've talked about him last month, uh, was uh Simon Forsmark, and of course he just signed a three-year deal with Timra in Sweden, so he's not coming over anytime soon either. So um those guys uh clearly uh not expected to come to North America. So again, um some interesting ones that have potential of coming, but for the most part, I don't think we'll see too many of these folks heading our way anytime soon. Now, we also want to talk uh just for a minute about the college side, just to see what the disposition of those guys might be. Of course, uh Jaden Perron, we talked about a few minutes ago, uh heading back next year to to uh Michigan.

SPEAKER_00 29:09

That is what I would assume as of March 26th. Um I I'm that that's just kind of what I'm thinking. I haven't seen anything that tells me otherwise. So and with Michigan probably losing a lot of guys, they might want to keep him. So that that is just my assumption. Is that more than likely he stays?

SPEAKER_01 29:30

Okay, and and Justin Poirier, of course, just uh finishing up his first year in college hockey. He had a big he's uh so far he's got 18 goals, 11 assists, and 27 games. What do you uh what do you think about Justin? He'll head back, of course, right?

SPEAKER_00 29:45

I you know, if he had a fully healthy year and if he stayed healthy throughout all the games, that one I wouldn't have been shocked if he did sign a contract. But with the injury, I at this point fully expect him to go back. Uh I I wouldn't be shocked if he transferred just because, and the only reason why I say that is because the modern day NCAA and what NIL has become has become so volatile in terms of college sports. But at that same point, he would probably be the go-to guy for Main next year. Like he would be their top dog. So I also wouldn't be shocked if he stayed.

SPEAKER_01 30:20

Yeah, and and he's he's had a great run. I mean, every time he whatever league he goes in, it seems like he lights it up. So it was uh exciting to see him do the same thing um in uh in college hockey. And I believe he had a hat-trick one, if I recall correctly, one of the games he had a hat-trick as well. So yeah, and of course, the big name that we're following very, very, very closely is uh Charlie Serratto. Do you think he'll head back uh to uh Penn or will he come to the games?

SPEAKER_00 30:47

So this is this is a fun one because I I had been I'm still on the fence. If you are a Charlie Serrado fan, like most of us are, you are gonna probably be in the minority and rooting against Penn State coming up Friday, just because you know there's really not a lot for Serrado to prove at the college level, and with the thinking of him being drafted in the second round as a double overager, you know, they the Keynes probably think they can get him signed quicker than others. I'm not saying he is going to sign because that would be reckless of me, and I have no information that he will or will not. At the same point, I would not be entirely shocked if that was the case, if Penn State were to lose. I mean, Friday is probably the earliest, but they wouldn't if again, if he signs, you wouldn't see anything until probably next week. But if you like Serato a lot and want to see him go to the next level, you are probably rooting against Penn State right now.

SPEAKER_01 31:52

Yeah, and he was a little older in the draft, so I think you're onto something they probably didn't expect him to stay very long uh in college ranks. And uh, you know, before he went down, he was uh he was pushing uh Gavin McKenna for uh for the points leadership, of course, on Penn State. And Gavin has had a tremendous year, as it turns out. But um boy, Serato was right there and uh was playing great hockey. So um I'm gonna be like you, waiting to see if maybe uh Charlie signs a deal to join the Chicago Wolves for the rest of this year and maybe get a shot at the Keynes next year. So that'll be interesting to see. And again, um as a centerman, uh, you know, he's there's always a need with the Keynes for centers, so he's in the right position.

SPEAKER_00 32:37

Also, one one thing about that is um I I had some yesterday or like literally last night when they asked Penn State players who they model their game after, and Serato said pen uh Sam Bennett. And then there were genuine people mad that he said Sam Bennett. I I started just looking at my phone in disbelief because could you do do do people not want a scoring center who is bait a pain in the ass? Do people not want that? I feel as if that would be like the number one thing you want. So I don't quite get the the pushback to that one. And to be fair to Serato, there is a I I've come up with the term dog as just like a he's going to do things that make you he's gonna do things again under your skin. And he is very successful in doing that. So again, I I see the comparison, um, and I don't understand why people will get mad at it.

SPEAKER_01 33:37

Well, considering that uh Sam Bennett was the top player of the playoffs last year, I don't think it would be too bad at all to have someone that mirrors Sam Bennett and the Keynes lineup. I'm with you 100%. I think it'd be great to have a feisty uh player with the skill level that uh certainly that uh Sam Bennett chose. And I know when Bennett was available uh initially as a possible free agent, of course, uh the Keynes were Kaniacs were very interested, and I'm sure the Keynes were as well. In any case, while we're on to the NCAA, I just wondered if there are any players that are floating around in free agency that you've seen that might be of interest to the Kanes. I know there's probably, I don't know, 10 or 15 that have their names floating around right now. Uh some that are getting more attention than others. If we look back, uh, you know, there's guys like Colin Graf that uh came as free agents uh some years ago. Graf's gonna score 20 goals with the Sharks this year. So you can find the odd nugget out there. Um I'm wondering if you've seen any players that have jumped out at you.

SPEAKER_00 34:39

So the thing that I would point out is the Keynes haven't really done that. The most recent one, to my knowledge, was Yan Eve Peretz in whenever that was. It's been a couple years, and then before that, it was the other Cotton brother besides the one they brought. I don't remember if it was David or Jason, but it was one of the cotton brothers.

SPEAKER_01 34:59

David Cotton, I think, yes. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 35:01

So it's been a long time for the Canes to have done that. And for a guy like Colin Graff, and I know people are gonna point out TJ Hughes this year in Michigan. Yes, they're gonna they at least with Graf, he picked the opportunity that would best get him to the NHL as fast as possible. Yeah. For TJ Hughes, it's probably gonna be the same thing. The only real thought that I had was maybe a goalie. So I was looking, I thought about Josh Kotai, who I believe just signed with the Islanders. I know Alex Tracy, um, but I doubt they sign anybody. I would honestly be shocked if they did.

SPEAKER_01 35:42

Yeah. Yeah, I just uh I just thought it'd be interesting to check in on that too, uh Nick, because uh, you know, it's uh there'll be a lot of discussion with some of these guys, and yeah, as you say, TJ Hughes, his name's all over the place, and a few of the other guys as well. So um a lot of interest uh with some of these players. I don't think historically, and I remember I remember back in the day the Toronto Maple Leafs signed some big players, and there were all kinds of Valley Who with some of the players that have been signed over the years. I think uh what's uh Livingston was signed by Nashville. There's a bunch of guys that you can think back back in the day. Um, none of them have really ever mounted to much.

SPEAKER_00 36:19

So it's more just like AHL bodies, in complete honesty. Like a lot of the guys, Toronto has signed, just thinking about like Luke Hames was a big one that people were pointing out, and Jacob Quillin from that Quinnipia they've kind of just been they've just been AHL people for the most part. So a lot of the college free agents kind of top out as like high-end AHL guys or low-end NHL guys. So the and realistically, the Keynes would really only have a need for the top-end AHL guys that aren't taking up vet spots. So that's again another reason why I'm not putting a whole lot of thought into the NA NCAA free agency right now.

SPEAKER_01 36:58

Yeah, and I mean you think about the fact they didn't sign someone like a Josh Nadeau, who they know. He's uh he's been into uh development camp, they know who he is, and obviously the connection with Bradley is huge. If they didn't choose to sign someone like that, you kind of wonder if they would look at anybody else. So I'm kind of with you. I don't expect we'll hear any signings anytime soon. Um, and I know there are some European players as well. Um, I saw somebody had mentioned Patrick Pistola. He was a draft pick of the canes.

SPEAKER_00 37:29

Hey man, and more power to them if they mention them. Uh the only so with Europe, I only got like there might there's a couple guys in Russia that have kind of been rumored around the NHL for a few years. I know this year's bigger name is Vitaly Pinchuk with Dynamo Balls. I did see that. And again, canes really don't have a need just because he would be a bottom six guy, and uh, they have about 30 of them right now. Uh so there's just no point. And so uh, but that is probably the place I would be most interested in looking for AHL guys next year because they've done it the past few years. If you look at Yuhiaska and um more recently, Gavin Beiruther, yes, they like to get Euros as AHL guys, so I wouldn't be shocked if that's the case again.

SPEAKER_01 38:15

Yeah, and and uh in the case of Beiruther, and I think they've done it a few times, they brought uh uh folks over that uh were you know previously had had a cup of coffee in the NHL and then went to play in Europe and then came back uh and were you know really, I think, solid additions uh for uh for the farm team as well. So I wouldn't be surprised if there's a veteran or two that uh decide hey, they don't necessarily want to play in Europe next year and wouldn't mind playing uh with the Wolves. And the Keynes will have to definitely add some players to the Wolves. Of course, we do know uh interestingly enough, uh Noel Gindler is heading back to uh Sweden, it appears.

SPEAKER_00 38:52

Uh and he can't believe I broke that. That was weird.

SPEAKER_01 38:55

Yeah, I think that's fantastic, and I wanted to mention that. And he had an incredible uh overtime winner last night, so he's uh he's gonna go out in style, I guess. Uh and I, you know, actually he's been playing quite well uh in recent weeks. And I don't know if it's because he knows he's got a nice contract in his jeans or or what the deal is.

SPEAKER_00 39:15

I I would honestly say it's more due to opportunity with Nidau and now Robota out. Yeah.

Playoffs Watchlist & Draft Strategy

SPEAKER_01 39:20

No, I'm sure it is. I was just throwing that out there as well. No, I guess. And again, uh he's a guy that he he's figured it out. Um, you know, second rounder wasn't gonna make the canes. There's no play that he was gonna have there. And uh frankly, it's it's a good situation for him to head back home. So all good. Um, okay, so let's just talk about uh the upcoming month in terms of your vision. What are you looking at uh to see which players you're gonna keep an eye on as we look forward?

SPEAKER_00 39:51

So it's uh a lot of playoffs. Um KHL is fully underway. The MHL will get started in a few uh probably another week because a lot of the MHO guys are are higher level, like their their teams are just overall better. So they gotta wait a little bit. Um other than that, mainly just the wolves in college. It's kind of just my my season for watching you know these prospects is kind of winding down, yes, which is a blessing and a curse, because obviously you know it's been a very long season with a lot of ups and downs. So I'm I'm ready to kind of get toward the end of it, see if we get some guys that come over, see what kind of develops with everything, and start prepping for the draft, which is gonna be something.

SPEAKER_01 40:36

Yeah. Well, this year's draft, uh again, it's uh being rumored to be a strong draft. Unfortunately, the canes are gonna be limited in what they can do unless they can make some moves uh prior to the draft, and of course, they usually do that at the draft to uh to get some additional picks. But as they said right now, they're a little bit light. Uh they have uh a number of rounds they don't even have any picks in, so we'll see.

SPEAKER_00 41:00

I feel as if that will drastically change, and you can kind of pencil in that if you if you personally like a prospect at the end of the first round, I have horrible news to tell you. That first round pick will not be getting used. That that will turn into two seconds, a second, third, and some it'll it's getting turned into multiple picks.

Closing Thoughts

SPEAKER_01 41:19

Oh no, I I think you're probably right, and and I have to give uh the crew a lot of credit. Um, they've been able to uh of course uh manipulate the draft extensively and have chosen to get volume uh in the draft. And uh yeah. Makes my job a lot more fun. So well, you're all over it, Nick, and uh that's uh that's the great thing about it, and that's why we're delighted that uh you spent time with us to bring us up to date on prospects right around the globe, and there are lots of them. Uh one of the things we've talked about in the past is that the Canes are are rich in prospects and they can't keep them all. I mean, there are players uh that are currently in uh in Chicago as an example, uh, that you know we don't know what the future is gonna hold for them. They're they're players that could possibly play in the National Hockey League, but certainly won't get a cup of coffee with the Canes. And so we'll have to see what happens with them. The Wolves, uh, as you mentioned, you're gonna be watching them closely. They've had a little bit of a struggle lately. Uh they do have some injuries, they do have some call-ups. I noticed that uh Charles Alexis the goal was recalled to the Canes. So they're gonna go through some ups and downs, and I know they're gonna be trying to sign some players. They did sign a player that was playing with the Gargoyles, uh, Sean Doyle, who's uh gonna be joining them. So there's some things we'll see there as well. Um I'll be getting together with uh Andrew Rinaldi next week, and we'll take a deeper look into what's happening uh with the uh with the Wolves as well. But as always, uh great to catch up with you on all of the prospects, Nick. And I know we have another month coming up, but I think you're wrapping up here pretty soon in terms of the prospect stuff, but we'll certainly try to get together in a month and and talk about uh the top prospects for March and uh some of the other things you're hearing about prospects around the globe. And it might be that when we get together, uh some of these players will have headed over for you know to play with the wolves or sign a contract or whatever the case is, which is always exciting stuff for us. So maybe Charlie Serato will show up with the Chicago Wolves. That would be fun. In any case, uh, as I mentioned, thanks so much for joining and bringing us up to date on all the great stuff that's going on with the Keynes prospects right around the world. And for all of you who've been watching or listening, of course, Nick and I are delighted you spent time with us. If you like this episode, please press the like button. If you have any questions or comments for Nick, please leave those in the comment section. And of course, if you want to be alerted of future episodes of Strong Track for Ease, subscribe and the bell buttons, and we'll alert you just as soon as they're available. As always, thanks so much for joining Nick and I, and we'll look forward to getting together with you real soon, right here. Let's start with the first time.