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Carolina's Pipeline Just Got Dangerous | Robidas, Poirier & Nadeau · stormTRacker Podcast | Carolina Hurricanes & NHL Hockey

• 0:34
  SPEAKER_01: Well, December was another great month for Carolina Hurricanes prospects.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_01: Justin Robadaff, Justin Poirier, and Bradley Nadeau led the pack again, with goaltenders Roslan Kazev and Yonka Bondras also standing out.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_01: Joining me as always to discuss the top five prospects of the month from Cade's Prospects, Nick Bass.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_01: Howdy, Nick.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_01: Hello.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_01: Hey Nick, uh, happy new year.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_01: Hope you had a great holiday season.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: It wasn't horrible.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so that's great.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I hope you were uh fortunate in getting family together and uh spending some time with friends as well.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_01: I know you're busy with your school as usual, so uh it's great to have you on and joining us again.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_01: So let's get started.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_01: Uh to kick off the top five prospects of the month, that number five.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_01: Interestingly enough, it's Ruseland Kazaio.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_01: Now, Kazayev currently playing with the Greensboro Gargoyles, and of course, he started the season.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_01: He was he was in Chicago, and then when the Hurricanes were able to pick up uh goaltender uh Caden Primo from uh Toronto and waivers, of course, uh they had to move uh Kazaya back to uh to Greensboro.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um Darren York said something interesting when he was drafted.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_01: He said uh he's incredibly powerful and balanced.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_01: Our goalie coaches were just so impressed with that balance in combination with that power.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_01: So they really thought this guy had some great things.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_01: Of course, he's a huge goaltender, uh, checking in at 6'4 and uh in 200 pounds, so he's a big guy.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_01: What did you see from uh Ruzland Kazayev in uh in December?
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: The biggest thing to me was that the technical aspects of his game that needed some shoring up uh have gotten a lot better over the past calendar year.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: That was the thing that was kind of holding him back because everybody knows the athleticism that he has, but now that the technical aspects are sort of rounding out into frame and he's making the routine saves and not giving up egregious rebounds all the time, and he's still getting out of position a lot, but that's just gonna probably be his game.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um he he just he is getting better at kind of learning when to rein it in and stuff like that.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: But it was just a very solid month for Rousan and uh I hope he continues it.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_01: Now you had something called the Ruseline is coming uh in your recent article.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_01: What was that about?
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: It's a spectacular question because I I'm gonna be real.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: I don't honestly not that I don't remember riding it, but I have not I had not looked back on it in a in a minute because it has been it has been a little bit since I I I wrote it.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I want to double check and make sure because I might have oh, it was supposed to be like Paul Revere um coming in and on on the horse and saying that, but the Russians are coming or whatever the case is, yes.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's great.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_01: Um he's uh his numbers are starting to look pretty good, of course.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_01: His numbers in December were sensational.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_01: Um four games played, 932 save percentage and two uh goals against average.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um great to see it.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_01: I'm a big fan of Bruce Line, of course, and we've seen him at some of the uh development camps uh and also some of the uh uh prospect showcases, so he's a guy we're gonna keep an eye on for sure.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_01: So let's move to number four.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_01: One of the guys I've really been excited about, and I've been talking a little bit about uh this gentleman with uh Andrew Rinaldi on the Chicago Wolves side, and that's Justin Robodaugh.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_01: Now, Robodaugh has been on a tear, as you know, he's been smoking hot, and he's a guy that uh again uh drafted later, he was 147th in 2021.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_01: Uh checks in at 5'8 and 180 pounds, but here's a guy that you know he's got 15 goals in his first 30 games, but I know December was a big month for him, so what did you see from uh Justin?
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: It's uh yeah, so Robina is just I I think I've said it a couple times.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um at this point, he's a full fledged NHL player.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: His skill set is is very good for in the AHL right now, but I mean he could probably be a full-time NHL player right now, and it probably wouldn't look out of place.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: The issue is uh he's uh people are gonna just hate that he's 5'8 or 5'9.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: I'm pretty sure it's probably.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_00: But it it's one of those things where if he's four inches taller and is listed at maybe 5'11 or six feet, he probably has a hundred NHL games under his belt at this point.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_00: It's just very unfortunate.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: But it shouldn't be a detractor because again, his game is so well rounded because he can do anything the coach needs him to do.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: He's been able to do, you know, he's worked as a right winger, but he's also been taking a lot of face-offs.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: He does penalty kill, he's one other, he's one of the wolves' most important penalty killers.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: He does power play work either in the bumper, on the wing.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: He does everything you could ask for, and he's just very good in that role.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_00: And again, he's should be an NHLer by now.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_00: It's just unfortunate the height the way it is, but it shouldn't be a big detractor.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_01: Well, the interesting thing is, of course, he's been playing a lot of right wing this year, uh, alongside uh uh Ryan Suzuki and uh of course Bradley Nadeau at different points.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_01: So that's uh that's been an outstanding line.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_01: And uh and great to see it.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_01: Um I agree with you.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_01: I think uh the challenge he has, of course, the Kaints are smallish on the wing side uh with the Baron Club, and I think uh it's gonna be a challenge for him, but I think he's ready as well.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_01: I've been really enjoying his game, and of late, he has just been smoking hot.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_01: So it's great to see that from uh from Justin Robodot.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, number three was someone you talked about last uh last uh month in the honorable mentions, and that was uh Jakob Vondres.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_01: Now we knew a little bit about Vondres because he had played uh junior hockey in Canada a few years ago with the Sutbury Wolves, played quite well.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_01: Uh then he went back to uh to Czech and he's been playing over there, and I guess he's uh he's in the Chechia 2 league right now with part of Ice.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_01: Um what are you seeing with uh with Jakob Vondris?
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_00: He so the biggest thing for me is the year-of-year growth has just been really, really good.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_00: So going from Sudbury to I he played Partibs B last year and it was a struggle at times, but now he's turned into a very reliable goalie for them.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_00: He's played in I think the same amount of games now, and his save percentage and goals against average are some of the tops in the league, and that's not a it's not a junior league, it's a pro league.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_00: He's one of the youngest goalies there, and he's showing that he probably you know might get an I would think another look eventually, especially I I I said it recently, but you know, the Canes only have Primo for this year, they only have Mystikov for one year, they only have Nikita Kwap for one year.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: So I mean, I wouldn't hate seeing them give Jakob Vondres a a North American opportunity going into next year because again, the year of year growth has been really good, and so far in a pro league, he's shown that he can he has a lot of qualities that you like, and uh he's another one of those big, tall athletic goalies that the Kanes have really had a fondness of drafting.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: So I I'd be interested to see what happens with him after this year.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_01: Well, he is it and check in at uh six foot four, as as you rightfully say, and he was in the sixth round 171st in 2022.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_01: But here's what Darren Yort said, right uh right in line with what you're saying as well, Nick.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_01: He said, incredibly smart goalie, lots of little shoulder checks, and being able to recognize side-to-side plays and his athletic and the power to get across.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_01: So it's somebody we're excited to bring into our organization.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_01: So he's a guy that can really move around the net, he can see the ice well, and I think uh obviously Darren York really was excited about him.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_01: I'd love to see him back in North America as well.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_01: I think that's next for him.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_01: So it's great stuff.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_01: Speaking about North America, another gentleman that we get to talk about a lot because he plays so darn well and has been outstanding again this year, and that's Justin Poirier coming in at number two.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_01: Now, Poirier, of course, playing with Maine.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_01: Uh he's been off to an outstanding start in his uh college uh career.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_01: Uh you might remember he was rookie of the month in Hockey East in October, scored a hat trick in one game, uh, and he's doing well.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_01: Right now, he's got 17 goals, 11 assists uh for 28 points.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_01: He's ninth in points in the NCAA, and he's tight for third and goals.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_01: What can you tell us about Justin Poirier?
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, he uh the biggest thing for me going into this year was always going to be how can you translate the skill set that made him a successful Q player to the uh college ranks?
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_00: And so far it's looked good.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_00: He's had some struggles against bigger teams.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_00: Uh like this past weekend against Providence, Maine as a whole just struggled.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_00: And uh he I don't know.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_00: I I uh people have always asked, like, hey, you think this guy's gonna sign?
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_00: And I was on the fence about Poirier, and I still am, but I there's a lot more, I think there's more development that I would like to see out of him, and I'm not saying that he should stay in college or he is going to stay in college.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but there's a lot to like, do not get me wrong.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_00: He's one of the best shooters in all of college hockey currently.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_00: He's one of the I would say him, he's definitely up there for probably one of, if not the best, freshmen in college hockey right now, is the guys like Porter Martin and uh Vodkov Nestrchil.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_00: Like, he has been outstanding in that regard.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_00: I just want to see him be a little bit more consistent against like top-tier competition before like giving a full-fledged like, yes, I think he should, or no, I think he shouldn't.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_00: But uh, there is a ton to like about Justin Poirier, and so far the skill set has translated.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_00: I just want to see it happen a little bit more consistently.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_00: But December was really good because he was also named prospect or player of the month, rookie of the month, whatever it was, for hockey in December as well.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so yeah, so he's he's definitely getting uh the accolades.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um, again, a smaller player.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_01: Any concerns with that?
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_01: He checks in at 5'8.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_01: So any concerns with uh with the size question when uh we look at pro possibilities for uh for you?
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_00: I think you're always gonna have some concerns about it because it's again, it's just so rare to see five foot eight players make it to the NHL unless they have a standout attribute.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_00: Luckily for a guy like Justin Poirier, he does have a standout attribute, and that is his shot.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_00: His release is downright ridiculous.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_00: So it's it's one of those things where I am a little worried about it.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_00: I'm always gonna be worried about shorter players, but he he has standout attributes, and it's not like he's terrified of going into board battles and everything like that.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_00: He's perfectly fine handling physicality.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_00: It's just again, he is five foot eight, so people are going to be concerned about it no matter what.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I think uh again, some time to round on his game with Maine, of course, and uh everywhere he's been, he's just been a uh tremendous scorer.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_01: He did that in the queue last year, and of course, he's doing it again this year with Maine, so it's outstanding stuff.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_01: Now, number one, no big surprise, he's always in the the mix of the top five prospects these days, and that's of course Bradley Nadeau.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_01: Now, Dadeau uh had a tremendous December, as we know.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_01: He was player of the week in the AHL, the week uh ending December 7th.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_01: What are we seeing with uh with Bradley Nadeau right now?
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I I was gonna really quickly look it up just to see how many uh under 21 players or just 20-year-old players are at a point per game or higher pace in the AHL because it is something that does not happen that often unless you have a player of the guy of like the kind that Bradley Nadeau is, and it's very not annoying, but it it's one of those things that gets me a little not annoyed, but he has shown that he can hang at the uh NHL level multiple times at this point.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_00: He showed it last year, he showed it this year, and it's one of those things where I I would love to see him continue it, but I I'm not gonna complain when there are still some struggles in his game.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_00: Uh five-on-five play is kind of the big one to me right now, but it has been getting better.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it's just a lot, it's very rare to have these guys that are 21, 20, and under that just go and domin not dominate, but have point per game paces at the the these levels.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_00: And I definitely think Nadeau is one of those guys that should be in line for an NHL spot, and it it might be a hard truth or a harder pill to swallow if the canes do make a move just because he is having this big season, so he's probably gonna be an attractive trade chip.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_01: Well, you know, it's interesting you mentioned that because uh, you know, certainly I've been in many, many discussions with folks on X and other platforms and uh looking at any of these top players, you know they're gonna be looking for a top prospect from the Hurricanes, and certainly Nadeau is one of those guys.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_01: And the Canes are so flush on the wing right now, that's a bit of a challenge trying to fit him in there.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_01: And one of the things that's frustrated me, I don't know about you, but when he's gone up to the canes, he's ended up in the fourth line, and that's not really using the talents that I think this man really has.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_00: Thoughts?
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_00: It it's very um uh it's very dumb to have a guy who is an offensive spark plug be on your fourth line with guys like Mark Jankowski and Eric Robinson.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_00: Nothing disrespecting against those guys, but Bradley Nadeau is a genuinely good top six offensive talent.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, power play two, those sporadic minutes they get, and fourth line where he ends up with 10, 11 minutes a night, I don't see how that benefits him a ton.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, obviously you like seeing him with the NHL level, but I'd like to see him get a little bit more of an opportunity, especially when the team has some struggles scoring, as we all have seen for the past however many years.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_01: And I mean, he's a natural scorer, as we know, and we've seen him do that at all levels.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_01: So that's uh that's nothing new for Bradley.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_01: Uh now called the show, which is interesting.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_01: I've uh heard that a number of times.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_01: They called Bradley the show, so that's kind of cool.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_01: And uh, and I think he's a guy, again, that uh he had a big December.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_01: He had uh five goals and four assists in eight games.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_01: So he's definitely he's definitely trending the right way.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_01: I hope he stays with the Canes and plays with the Canes uh certainly in the next year or two.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_01: Um I'll be disappointed if he's packaged up in one of these deals, so we'll have to wait and see.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_01: But I'm sure as we get to the deadline, his name is gonna pop up three goals.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_01: So he's definitely uh having an outstanding season again.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_01: He plopped 32 goals last year, and I think he's probably gonna push towards that again this year.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so that's the top five.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_01: Let's talk about some honorable mentions and some folks that uh I know you have some very strong interest in.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_01: We had some Russians this month, which is kind of fun.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_01: And we have Theodore Avramov uh kicking it off.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_01: He's uh a big winger, uh, definitely uh drafted uh 188th uh in 24.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_01: So many of these players drafted late.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_01: They're in New York said, yeah, he can shoot.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_01: He has a massive shot that he's able to get off and beat goalies clean from distance.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_01: So he's a guy that can really fire the clock.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_01: What are you seeing with uh Theodore Appomart?
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, the I just need to stop seeing him bounce around from league to league because it gets very annoying and it messes with the player's development, and especially for a 20-year-old, it's not I mean, I I want him to stay in the VHL where he's currently a point per game, and he's shown that that's probably the level he needs to be at to have proper development because he'll get good playing time, he'll get good situational playing time, and it's probably the level of competition he needs.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_00: Going to the KHL and getting minimum time, not good.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_00: Going to the MHL and playing a lot, sure, that's fine.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_00: But at that same point, I want to see him just get constantly challenged in situations where I think he'll have the most development, and that'll be the VHL.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_00: But so far in the VHL, he has looked pretty solid, so I hope he stays there and continues that.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_01: Well, it's interesting when you talk about uh these different leagues, and he's played in all three this year, so that's kind of an interesting scenario, as you say, Nick.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_01: He's he is bouncing around.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_01: Um, he's playing with Lorsk right now in the VHL.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_01: Now, that would be similar to the American Hockey League.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_01: Uh for those trying to see where the BHL fits, uh the MHL would be more like junior hockey, and of course the KHL is their top league.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_01: So again, um, yeah, hopefully he can get some time.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_01: He's a big young player that uh I guess he's got some strong offensive attributes, and we'll look forward to see what he can do with that.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um next up, we've talked about previously as well, and somebody I'm very excited about and have been for some time since the Kings drafted him this year, and that's uh Philip Eckberg.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_01: Now, Eckberg was drafted 221st out of 224 players.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_01: So we remember talking about that, and that's quite the story.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_01: And here he is, really playing some outstanding hockey for the Ottawa 67s and the OHL.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_01: Darren York said uh this about uh Philip Eckberg when he was drafted.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_01: He said he got off to a slow start last year.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_01: He was battling an illness in Ottawa, so some of the games at the very beginning of the year, he wasn't able to play the entire game.
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_01: Once he was able to manage it, his season took off, culminating with leading Sweden at the under 18 tournament.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_01: 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.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_01: So, some very, very strong words for Ekbert.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_01: Again, a smaller player, but a guy that's got a mat skill.
• 18:08
  SPEAKER_01: What have you been seeing with him so far?
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, um, it's always just going to be the Canadian junior tax right now, just because it's easier to score in those leagues comparatively to the some of the other leagues that I get to watch for prospects.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_00: But Ekbert's been good.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_00: He's one of Ottawa's most consistent players offensively, and uh it's not like Ottawa desperately needs it, but it has been very good.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_00: The shooting has been evident so far.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_00: He was riding a nice little goal streak.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um he's looked good so far.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, I don't really have anything that I would like to see him work on right now.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_00: He just needs to continue producing.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_01: Well, it's interesting.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_01: I I remember when the draft was going on, and there were some of us watching, we had kind of been aware of of some of the fine play of uh Eckford previously going into the draft, and uh he just kept slipping.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_01: And what do you what do you think the reason was?
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_01: Why why do you think he fell so far down?
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_00: His height started with a five.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's one of those things where the NHL is trying to shift to a ton of tall players where you know it can work, but you're also seeing guys get drafted who are in their you know second OHL season and they have maybe two or three points, but they're six foot three or six foot four, so they have to be good.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_00: So I I think that's a big reason why Eckberg fell personally.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and so far, of course, uh he's almost a point a game, as you said.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_01: He's playing extremely well, he's got 15 goals in 32 games, so he's off to a great start for the 67s.
• 19:37
  SPEAKER_01: And that's a great program as well in the Ontario Junior League.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_01: The 67s have delivered a lot of great players to the National.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_01: So he's uh he's in a good situation there as well.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_01: So you go from smaller to big, and we're back to one of these uh hulking defensemen again, and we talked about them frequently.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_01: Another Russian uh playing with uh Dynamo Moscow in the MHL right now, and that's Kirbin Limitov.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_01: Limitov, again, checking in at six foot four, just under 200 pounds.
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_01: What are you seeing with Kirbin?
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_00: He's uh he's incredibly fun to watch just because he's such a dynamic skater for his size.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_00: The offensive traits are starting to show it a little bit more.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I think it's really worked out for Dynamo Moscow of pairing Timur Cole and Kirbin Limendoff together from now on.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_00: Because that is a pair that can play, you know, 23 or more minutes a night, and they do consistently.
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_00: And so far it's been working out really well.
• 20:29
  SPEAKER_00: And Kirbin has been a big part because Timur Cole.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_00: Is allowed to be a little bit more creative offensively, which is something that he has been getting a lot better at.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_00: So Kerbin is allowed to be this defensive anchor, and it's worked very well so far.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_01: Well, and I see uh it seems like readily uh you're popping something up on teamer Cole getting more points.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_01: So it's uh obviously it's working well.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and again, uh you know Darren York said something very similar to what you said as well, Nick.
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_01: And he said, a strong skater with great reach.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_01: They were quite impressed with him.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_01: Uh and they said, Boy, when we can pick up players like uh Limitov, we've got to move up and grab them.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_01: So they actually had a deal that actually moved them up so they could get him.
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_01: So definitely another one of these young defensemen that uh gets gay, can do it all, and uh we'll watch him closely for sure.
• 21:17
  SPEAKER_01: Now, someone I've liked for a long time, we haven't really talked about him before, we've talked about him briefly, I think, in passing, is uh is Timur Mukinov.
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_01: Now, Mukinov was someone I was really excited about.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_01: Uh he was drafted 163rd in 2023, a smaller guy again, checking into 5'9, 185.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_01: But you know, you look at that, drafted at 163, but Central Scouting Europe had him at 27, McKeans had him at 98, Dauber had him at 46, and Elite Prospects at 34.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, this guy was really rated highly going into that draft.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_01: In fact, some folks, as you can see, thought he was going to be a second rounder and he slipped way back.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_01: What are you seeing with uh Timur Mukinath?
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_00: So in December, he bounced around a lot of the leagues.
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_00: He wasn't getting a lot of consistent playing time with Severstall, so he went to the MHL side first and then went to the VHL.
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_00: I think he not that he's like regressed in any sort of way, but I do think the VHL time that he is getting right now is probably the best for him, just because if you're not getting consistent playing time at the KHL level, let him go to the VHL and kind of keep working on the things that'll make him a more complete player.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_00: And so far it's looked okay.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I just think that you know they made the right decision in just moving him down.
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_00: So I I mean he's he's another small, skilled guy.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_00: He's 5'9, so he's a good skater, he's good at the puck on his stick.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_00: It's just the other aspects of his game that if they do get rounded out, I'd be interested in.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_01: Probably slipped a little bit in the draft because of his size, which isn't entirely fair to him because of how hard he works.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_01: So again, uh the Cades taking shots at players uh later in the draft, the way we talked about several today that were well down in the draft, uh, but interesting players, and you know, who knows?
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_01: Uh if they get a chance to come to North America, maybe we'll have some fun with that.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_01: So that wraps up the uh honorable mentions.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_01: I wanted to bring up something interesting that uh I've seen you've been talking about lately as well, Nick, and that's players that are look like they're gonna sign elsewhere or stay elsewhere and not come over to the Keynes.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_01: One of them was Simon Forsmark, I saw recently.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_01: Why don't you talk about that for a minute?
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_01: Some of the players that we may not see that look like they're gonna extend elsewhere.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_00: So uh uh Simon Forsmark is probably I would say because they lose his rights on January on June 1st, 2026.
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_00: So I would assume he's not coming over since he has signed for the next three, four years in Sweden.
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Oscar Vulley, uh they still have his rights for a little bit longer, but he signed an extension and he will stay in Sweden until 28, and only 23 by the time, I believe.
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_00: And then um the only other player that they would lose rights to right now is Jakob Vondris on June 1st, 2026.
• 24:17
  SPEAKER_00: And I I mentioned it earlier, but I do wonder if his play this year might influence a decision on his future because he's been really good so far.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_01: And and on the same kind of vein, uh, an interesting announcement this week, which was that uh Cam Abbott is heading over to Parjastat.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_01: So this is interesting and remaining uh part of the Keynes organization.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_01: Any thoughts on this move?
• 24:42
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I think it's perfectly fine.
• 24:44
  SPEAKER_00: Uh he was he's after getting moved out of the head coaching role in Chicago, he ended up working as a scout for a little bit.
• 24:54
  SPEAKER_00: And I think Corey had it from Tolski that it was just he had the opportunity to go back to Sweden and continue his coaching career, and that's something he wanted to do, and the Hurricanes didn't want to stand in the way of that, so he's still with the team and he's still working as a scout, but uh at that same point he's just gonna be coaching for our Jest Dad, which is really cool.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_00: And uh I don't know if he'll go back to Carl Skoga, but as long as he stays up with our Jest Dad, which he has so far, uh he'll be coaching a Hurricanes draft pick in Noel Franzen.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_01: Ah, okay.
• 25:26
  SPEAKER_01: And we've talked about Noel Franson before.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_01: He's another one of the defensemen that uh that's certainly on the radar uh for us because he's been playing very, very well in Sweden.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_01: So uh again, another uh another and he's been there for a while too.
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_01: How old is Franson now?
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_00: I believe he is 20.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_00: I don't think he's older than 21.
• 25:46
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 25:46
  SPEAKER_01: All right.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_01: So we've talked about him for the last year or two.
• 25:49
  SPEAKER_01: So he's definitely uh and he's been playing in the SHL, which is the top league in Sweden as well.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_01: So that's good news.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_01: Uh just wrapping up, any other players that you wanted to mention uh in terms of this uh December or any other guys that jumped out at you?
• 26:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um not really December.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_00: If I'm looking forward to next month, yeah, I'm extremely intrigued about the what Ivan Ryapkins gonna do in the very short amount of time this month in the QMJHL.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_00: He'll make his debut Friday.
• 26:22
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm very interested to see what he does there.
• 26:25
  SPEAKER_00: I fully expect him to basically dominate the league physically, and I think the skill is gonna show through a lot more while he's getting more playing time.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm interested there.
• 26:35
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Noel Franzen, if he stays with Far Justad or if he goes down back to Carl Skoga, I because I'm not 100% sure of the transfer situation there because I'm not well versed in the Swedish hockey league rules as a whole.
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_00: Um other than that, uh I'm interested to see you know guys like Serato and Poirier kind of continue their what they're doing in college.
• 27:00
  SPEAKER_00: And uh I'm really interested in seeing what the Dynamo Moscow boys can do.
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_00: And I guess also Andre Khrutov to a certain extent, because I forgot, not forgot, but he's now with a different KHL team, so I'm interested to see how that's gonna work.
• 27:15
  SPEAKER_01: So how was uh how did you think Charlie Serato played in uh December?
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_01: Any thoughts on that?
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_00: I thought he was good.
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um Penn State hadn't played a game since November, and then his first game was in a month in a completely different country with a completely different roster at the Spengler Cup, but I also thought he did very well at the Spengler Cup.
• 27:34
  SPEAKER_00: I know those stats aren't gonna blow people away because two points in four games isn't great, but I thought he was a very stabilizing, a good job.
• 27:42
  SPEAKER_00: He did a very good job stabilizing the second-line center position for that team.
• 27:47
  SPEAKER_00: And it's also important to note that this is a group of college kids who were going up against full-blown professional teams from Europe.
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_00: So I was very impressed with how he handled himself both physically and uh with the other aspects of the game.
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_00: I thought he was very solid on the uh power play.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, he had a really, really nice goal from the wing that I thought, you know, it looked really nice.
• 28:09
  SPEAKER_00: He did a good job at five on five.
• 28:11
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't get face-off stats from there because they didn't track him, but he also was a penalty killer for them as well.
• 28:17
  SPEAKER_00: So I thought this was a very good showcase of what Serrado can be against professionals, and I thought he knocked it out of the park for a 20-year-old.
• 28:26
  SPEAKER_01: That's really something.
• 28:27
  SPEAKER_01: And what are you thinking at this stage?
• 28:29
  SPEAKER_01: What are you thinking about uh the end of this season and going into next?
• 28:34
  SPEAKER_01: Do you think he'll remain with uh with uh Penn State or do you think he's gonna uh find a way to the Hurricanes?
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_00: My personal opinion is that I don't see if Penn State goes far enough in the playoffs, I don't see a reason for him to stay in college any longer just because he's had good production for two years now.
• 28:53
  SPEAKER_00: He's been one of their most important players for two years now.
• 28:56
  SPEAKER_00: So if they go pretty far in the playoff, I think I would not be shocked if he got a NHL debut at the end of this year in like 81 or 82, and then he'll play with Chicago going forward, and he'd be an important piece for the Chicago Wolves after that's exciting, and I think uh clearly the Keynes looking for some depth at Santa Rice, and uh he's a guy that's starting to look like he could be part of their center future uh for sure.
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_01: So that's great.
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_01: Well, okay, Nick, as always, uh great fun talking, uh Kane's Prospects.
• 29:30
  SPEAKER_01: I know you've got a lot on your plate coming up, and uh we'll hope to uh to circle back, of course, uh at the end of January and talk about some of these players that we've uh got our eye on for January, and uh and we'll uh continue to follow closely your work on X and where else could we find you?
• 29:48
  SPEAKER_00: Uh canesProspects.com is kind of my my my my big one, I guess, because it's just uh where I write most of my stuff.
• 29:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um so I guess those two are the biggest ones to me.
• 30:00
  SPEAKER_01: Cool.
• 30:01
  SPEAKER_01: Well, we'll make sure that uh we uh check those out and and uh ask all the folks to also if you're looking for any information on Carolina Hurricane's prospects, uh check out uh all the work that Nick does, both on X on an and as well as website.
• 30:15
  SPEAKER_01: So it's great.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_01: Well, okay, Nick, uh we'll look forward to getting together with you again uh very, very soon.
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_01: And of course, uh we thank all those folks who've been spending time with us today to hear about Cain's prospects.
• 30:27
  SPEAKER_01: If you have questions or comments, please leave those in the comment section down below.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_01: If you like this episode, please press the like button, and that would be great.
• 30:36
  SPEAKER_01: If you uh would like to be alerted of future episodes of Storm Tracker, uh please press the subscribe and the bell buttons, and we'll make sure you're made aware as soon as those are available.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_01: As always, Nick and I thank you so much for spending time with us and look forward to getting together with you real soon, right here on StormTracker.