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Canes Prospects Ignite the Ice: From College Rinks to Chicago Wolves! · stormTRacker Podcast | Carolina Hurricanes & NHL Hockey

• 0:33
  SPEAKER_01: Well, a great start to the season for several Keynes prospects highlighted by outstanding play from collegians Charlie Serratto, Justin Poirier, and Jaden Perron, as well as recent draftees Vigo Nordland and Philip Ekbert.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_01: Joining me as always to discuss Carolina Hurricanes prospects from Keynes Prospects, Nick Bass.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_01: Howdy, Nick.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_01: Hello.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_01: Hey Nick, uh interesting month.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_01: We had uh some of the usual suspects, but we also had some newcomers to the top five prospects of the month.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_01: And as we look at October's top five, we kick it off with an interesting one, Vigo Nordland.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so Nordland was drafted 183rd by the Canes this year.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_01: Uh Darren York said this about Nordlin after the draft.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_01: He said this was somebody that maybe sort of slipped in the draft because of his size, and we're pretty happy to get another offensive weapon here late in the draft.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_01: And Nordland uh checks in at 5'9.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, he's a shorter player, another one of the small guys uh that we see.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_01: Uh and and again, uh looks like he's off to a great start.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_01: What can you tell us about Beagle?
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, um, he's one of the more I think the size kind of held him back because in the 25 draft it was kind of a big thing that if you weren't six foot, it was going to be harder for you to get kind of taken seriously.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: And uh Nordland has gone up a level in competition going to hockey Els Fenskin this year comparatively to I think the U18, U20, where he has been playing.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: And uh he's been really good.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um I I like to see that his skill, uh mainly his his shot and his skating, is kind of translating early on to the higher levels, and he's definitely been one of the better players for his team so far, and I'm uh pretty glad, pretty happy with where he is currently.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_01: Well, and that's great.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_01: And you know what's interesting, the Canes have been taking these monsters on the blue line, and they've been going for uh these short kings, as you call them, on the forward side, and we'll talk about some more of those.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but clearly they're going for these uh highly skilled, you know, smaller players, and uh getting one as late as 183 is an interesting uh scenario for the canes.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_01: So Vigo Nordlit uh from Sweden, um let's move on to number four, and this is a gentleman we've talked an awful lot about and uh kind of excited about him uh after his 23, 2023 uh training camp with the Canes, where he wowed everybody, and of course, uh then uh came over last year to play with the Chicago Wolves, and that's Felix Ungersorm.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_01: Interesting comment from McKeynes on Ungersorm uh this summer.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_01: They said his game is a joy to watch, but I'd expect him to rack up points in Chicago's top six in the coming years rather than grind out fourth-line minutes with the Canes.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_01: So he's a guy that sees the ice so darn well.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_01: We've talked about this many times.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_01: He's just uh he's he's so much fun to watch because he loves to carry the puck and make things happen.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_01: Of course, uh, you know, he's off to a great start.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_01: What can you tell us about uh Felix Ungersor?
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, with um Bradley Nadeau being up with the Hurricanes for an extended period of time in that fourth line grinder role, um Felix has been required to do a lot more of the heavy lifting offensively, and so far so good.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_00: I think he's been held pointless once so far in this season.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: He just honestly has looked a lot better as a player.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_00: He looks quicker, and it looks like everything is starting to slow down for him, which is something that happens when players get more adjusted to the game.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and you know, right now he's obviously not playing center, which was something that didn't work last year, but it was still an experience that they wanted to try.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: But it looks like he's getting used to life, uh adjusting everything to being back on the wing, being back asked to do a lot more heavy lifting offensively, and he's been looking pretty good.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm uh I'm I'm a lot happier now than where uh he was last year.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_01: Well, definitely, and he's got three power play goals, which is a great start, and as you mentioned, uh certainly filling in for Nadeau at this stage.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_01: In fact, he had a great goal and a setup for Bradley, which was uh kind of fun.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_01: Um the other thing I noticed with him as well, uh, Nick, on this one was that he looks like he's a little bit bigger and stronger.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, and I know that's uh that's an ongoing thing with him.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_01: We we talked a lot about how how thin he was and he was getting pushed around a lot, but he seems to be getting stronger.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_01: And I thought his play in the in the canes camp, I thought he looked uh very, very strong and uh and looked like he could play with men.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_01: So that's a big uh big difference for him.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_01: And hopefully he's gonna be healthy this year and he can uh he can really you know contribute to the uh to the wolves.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_01: So we're excited about Ungar Sorum.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_01: I think he's back on the radar, and uh if he can continue his good play after this hot start, that'd be great.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_01: Um okay, another one of the collegians that we're gonna talk about uh that you know he's been on our radar for a long time.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_01: And this guy, Jaden Perron, you know, when he was drafted, and you remember this, he was drafted 94th by the Kanes in the third round.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_01: He was rated incredibly highly in that draft.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_01: Uh Elite Prospects had him at 10th.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_01: They they forecasted 10th for him.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_01: Smott Scouting had him at 13th.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_01: Dauber had him at uh in their midseas season rankings at 24th, and recruit scouting at 31st.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_01: He was expected to go very, very high in that first round, and and you know, things kind of changed, and he's a smaller player as well.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_01: But um last year, not the greatest year with uh UND, he's now with Michigan, I understand.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_01: So what can you tell us about uh Jaden Prunt?
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, um it kind of looks like he's found a lot of what made him successful in his draft year.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: He's using his skating to his strengths, and he's not really getting bullied a lot off pucks.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: Um, big fan of how he gets to the middle of the ice and has the want to get to the middle and has success with it.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_00: Um his shot is still just very solid.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_00: It's a good shot.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and he's been a very big part of the Michigan offense for a Michigan team that's been uh a lot better than last year, I would say.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: So uh I'm happy to see him having some success going on early this year.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_01: Well, and he was expected when he went to um UND, North Dakota, of course, that's where uh uh uh Jackson Blake was, and they kind of followed a similar plan where they played in the USHL.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_01: Of course, uh Peran had been with uh Chicago Steel and tore it up in the USHL, and that's a breeding ground the Canes really love.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_01: And he went off to UND, and it was expected he'd continue that fine play, and and uh hopefully he's found his game again as he uh as he gets going with Michigan.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_01: And talking about a player coming into collegiate ranks, and we're wondering how he would start.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_01: Well, Justin Poirier is off to a great start uh with Maine, and of course he's with Josh Nadeau in Maine, which is kind of interesting.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_01: And I know you went up to see uh the Nadeau brothers uh last year as well.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_01: So he's off to a great start.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_01: Poirier, of course, uh has been a big scorer.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_01: He, you know, in the Quebec Major League with Dracar.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_01: He had uh some big numbers with them.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_01: He had a 50 goal year a couple of years ago, and and I think he had 43 last year.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_01: So he can score.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_01: He's off to a great start.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_01: What can you tell us about Justin?
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, um uh the atmosphere.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I went to Maine two years ago.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_00: It was a pretty enjoyable experience getting to watch all those guys and getting to talk to some people.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_00: It was pretty fun.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um yeah, Poirier is probably the guy I was most interested to see how he got along this year, just because he's a smaller guy who was a prolific scorer at the junior level, going to almost at this point a professional league.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_00: And I just wanted to see how we would play against guys that are bigger, stronger, faster, more experienced than him.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_00: And I I believe my expectations have been blown away so far.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_00: Um, he's been he's been an important play driver for Maine.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_00: He does a lot of things right, he uh will do what needs to be asked.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: And the biggest thing is that uh people are gonna get upset just because 5'9, 185, this guy's ever gonna touch the NHL or why in God's name do you do this?
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: But he doesn't play like a guy who is that size because he's going into board battles, he's winning them, he's bouncing off contact, he's creating contact when he needs to, he just does everything physically right, and that's probably the most important thing you want to see from a guy of his size.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, his shot is still unbelievably good, and the skill is translating really well.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_00: I guess the one concern that I have, which I don't really think is that much of a concern, is his skating because it's just a weirder stance comparatively to other guys.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_00: But uh Justin Pourry has been really, really good for a main team that just upset top five team in the country, and uh I'm I'm very happy with what he has done this season so far.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and and you know, for sure, uh he had a hat trick in one game, so uh I think there was a lot of excitement with uh with his addition to Maine this year.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, again, uh we're seeing these smaller players come in and have an impact.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, we talk a lot about uh Logan Stankhoven, and we watch him game by game, and he's just uh he's just making things happen out there.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_01: So I think uh I think Poirier is a guy that we want to keep on the radar for sure.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_01: And I know we talked about him last year, and it looks like he's continuing uh his great development.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_01: So, number one on the uh chart uh for the top five this month, uh you talked about him last month and said, you know, watch this guy.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_01: He's off to a huge start, and of course, that's Charlie Serrado with Penn State.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_01: Um now he's right now he's third in scoring, so he's off to, as you say, a great start.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_01: He was drafted 49th by the Canes and surprised a lot of folks when they picked him in that second round.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_01: A couple of things that I wanted to mention about him, Darren York said we didn't want to wait too long for him.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_01: Uh so they knew that that uh he's a heck of a player, and he said he's strong on the faceoffs, his solid two-way game, smart defensively, and has a lot of skill.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_01: He he plays exactly the way we want to play.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_01: So here's a guy that's built like a Carolina Hurricane, and uh that's why, of course, they jumped on him in that second round.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_01: And I thought Stephen Ellis said it right.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_01: He said, All eyes are on Gavin McKenna at Penn State, but they should be also on Serrado.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_01: Uh he was known for his two-way game at a younger age, and he's still doing special things on the defensive side, but he's more dangerous as a passer than most more most expected him to be.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_01: Just imagine if he started dominating as a shooter as well.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_01: The Hurricanes love betting on upside, and Serato, a second-round pick last year, might be the real deal.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_01: So, Stephen Ellis of Daily Faceoff really likes him.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_01: I think that's a lot of good words.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_01: What are you seeing with Serato so far?
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_00: So, the the biggest thing in Serato's game for me is just be I want to see him at center.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_00: I want to see him do what he needs to do to stay at center going forward because that would be a really nice thing for any team to have if they can somehow manage to get an NHL level center in the second round that sticks at center, going to the NHL.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_00: And with Serato, I don't really think you're gonna have to worry about him not sticking at center.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_00: He uh I I said it uh probably a couple of days ago, but uh he leads the nation in face-off wins and he has a 61% face-off win percentage, which is downright ridiculous.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um, he's a great play driver, he's dangerous in transition, he's dangerous in just most offensive situations, he is net front when he needs to, and he'll get under the opponent's skin if he has the opportunity.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_00: The the passing is unbelievably good.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_00: It's like he he sees the the play before the play happens and can create out of that, and it's awesome to watch.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_00: Um, defense is still pretty good.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_00: He's still killing penalties, and there's just a lot to like about Serrado.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_00: And I I know people want to clamor second line center, second line center, but for right now, I'm still a little apprehensive just because I want to see it over a full year instead of just the first 10-ish games of a season.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_00: But I mean, can't ask for a better start from uh Charlie Serrado this season this season.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's great to see.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_01: And of course, uh, you know, Gavin McKenna is the guy that everybody talks about as a possible generational player.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_01: And it's great to see Serato alongside him.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_01: Uh boy, they're gonna be quite a duel, and it'll be interesting to see how the numbers uh kind of rise for Serrado this year.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_01: I think uh the Canes, of course, hoping that he might be an answer to some of their center concerns in the future.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_01: Of course, Jordan Stahl getting orders older, so they're gonna need some help there as well.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_01: So great stuff with Charlie Serato and great to see him at number one in the top five this month.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_01: Now, let's talk a little bit about some of the honorable mentions.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_01: Uh you started off with uh Philip Eckberg, who I mentioned in the opening.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_01: Eckberg's an interesting one.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_01: Um, a couple of years ago, he was in that uh under 18 world tournament.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_01: That's when he really kind of rose to the attention of just about everybody uh in that tournament.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_01: He led the scoring with 10 goals and 18 points in just seven games.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_01: He was MVP, best forward, named on the tournament all-star team.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_01: He was all world basically and just was incredible.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_01: Um and again, he's a smaller player.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_01: He checks in at 5'10, and I think that's one of the interesting things about Eckbert.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_01: He was drafted 221.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_01: Now, the interesting thing was there were only 224 players drafted.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_01: And I remember we talked a little bit about this before, after the draft, too, Nick, that a lot of folks wondered why the heck is he slipping so far down?
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, because you know, there was a lot of uh excitement after his his play in that under 18 tournament.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_01: In any case, uh, he's a guy that uh you know we're waiting to see how he's gonna do with the Ottawa 67s.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_01: He played there last year as well.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_01: What can you tell us about Philip Eckworth?
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, he's really good.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_00: Uh or he's good for the OHL.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um, his passing is a standout trait.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um it's definitely the passing and the hockey IQ.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_00: He's a smarter player.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_00: The shot is, you know, it's still coming along, and I think there are some injury concerns because he's missed a good amount of game time this year on two separate occasions.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um and I wonder about skating, but uh whenever he is playing and he is at the top of his game, he is a great playmaker who understands the game at a fundamental level, who can make things happen.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um I just need to see him healthy for an extended period of time.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_00: And when he's been healthy for an extended period of time, he's been really good.
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_00: So I just really want to see that.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_00: But what he did in the month of October was pretty good for an Ottawa team that was uh pretty good in the month of October.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_00: So works with me.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_00: Cool.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_01: Well, and you know, he was he was injured at the prospect showcase as well, so that kind of might have been the early injury that he had and he missed some games.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_01: Um Corey Pronman said this that was interesting.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_01: He said uh Eckberg is a super skilled winger, he makes highly difficult and creative plays with a puck off.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_01: And he's a great playmaker with a good shot who projects to run a pro power play.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_01: So again, Prondman, who, you know, with the athletic is one of the guys that uh we listen to a lot.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_01: He seems to know his stuff and and uh good words about uh Philip Eckberg.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_01: Um the next guy on the uh on the uh the folks we should be looking at for honorable mentions is none other than Bradley Nadeau.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_01: Uh Nadeau, of course, uh up with the hurricanes right now, has scored his first NHL goal, which is great.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_01: Uh got off to a great start with the Wolves.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_01: What can you tell us about what you've seen with Bradley?
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, he was really good in Chicago for the few games he's played, and I wasn't shocked to see him get called up.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_00: I, you know, I just want to see him get put in the the best situation possible for him to succeed and what's best for his development.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't know.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I'm I'm really glad he scored his first NHL goal.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_00: That's obviously a very big milestone, but I don't know how much of a fan I am of him getting, you know, 10, 11 minutes a night on a line that's mainly just for checking guys instead of you know playing with skill.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_00: But you know, it is good that he's still getting NHL minutes, but um yeah, he had a good month of October.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think I'm kind of with you on this too, Nick.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um I I keep hoping they would move him up to the to the top line and give him some minutes with some folks that could set him up.
• 17:38
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, you know, we we've seen plays where you know he'd be in a situation where he could shoot the puck and whoever he's with just can't get him the puck and he can't get it, uh can't get it off uh on the net.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_01: So I think he's a guy that uh plays a lot of skill.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_01: One thing I've been very excited about is his two-way play.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_01: He's been playing solid defensively.
• 17:57
  SPEAKER_01: Uh he uses the body more this year.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_01: We've talked a little bit about that before.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_01: And and I think uh he's in a position where you know he's ready to take the next step.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_01: But like you, I think he should be on a line that's uh not the fourth line.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_01: And uh, and of course, they brought him in because of the situation of injuries, but he'll probably head back to Chicago once uh Carrier and and uh and as well Robinson returned to Keynes.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_01: So we'll see more of him, I'm sure, in Chicago this year.
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_01: Now, speaking of Chicago, someone we've talked about an awful lot as well, uh, a gentleman that's actually playing a lot of right wing this year, played center last year for the Wolves, and that's uh Justin Robodaugh.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_01: Robodaugh is a guy that uh again uh he's got uh he's got a good start.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_01: What can you tell us about Robodah?
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_00: Uh yeah, he's uh been playing more right wing this year.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_00: He still looks about the same.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_00: He kind of fluctuated last year between center and right wing, but since the wolves have a mostly healthy core that they don't need him to play in center, they're just gonna use him as the wing, which is probably where he has his most NHL future.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm interested to see a lot of the stuff there.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_00: But he's been really good.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_00: He's been a lot more of a playmaker this year instead of a shooter, and he's just kind of been the Justin Robot eye we kind of know, which is just the he's a great playmaker, he's a fierce competitor, he is very good defensively, just kind of just been status quo for him, but he had a very good month of October.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and he's got uh he's got seven points in his first eight games.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_01: So as you say, he's off to a great start, and and he's gonna be right relied upon again a lot with this Chicago squad, particularly with Nadoa right now with the Canes.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_01: And uh he's seeing a lot of uh a lot of top minutes, both uh killing penalties, of course, and on the power play.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_01: So looking forward to see what uh Justin Robodaugh can do this year.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_01: He's a guy that uh I think continues to grow in the Canes uh scenario quite strongly.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_01: Uh looked good in the exhibition games.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_01: Every time we've seen him in a can's uniform, he looks uh looks like he can uh he can hold his own.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_01: So another smaller player, but uh but a stocky guy.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_01: So 5'8 and 180 pounds for uh for uh Justin Robinar.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, wrapping up the um honorable mentions of someone we talked a lot about after the draft, and that was uh Semian Frolov.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_01: He was uh the first pick for the Keynes in the draft this year in the second round at 41.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_01: Um interesting that York, Darren York, said this about him.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_01: He said this was our top-rated goalie, probably one of the best feet with really athletic side-to-side movement.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_01: And the Keynes coaching staff, goalie coaches, really love that.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_01: The ability to cross that net back and forth quickly, and and Frolov can do this.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_01: And Corey Province said he's a clear NHL athlete with decent size and the exceptional lower body quickness to make a lot of difficult saves.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_01: So he he was rated very highly as well going into the draft.
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_01: How's he started this season uh after being picked by the Canes?
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_00: Uh he's been really good.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um hasn't really been many games where he's been just flat bad.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_00: Most games he's putting his team in a place that they have a very good chance to win, which is all you can ask for from your goalie.
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_00: He's stolen a couple games with just stellar performances.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um right now he's just hurt.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_00: So don't really know what's going on there.
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_00: Uh he's uh, I believe on the MHL IR for Spartec Moscow.
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_00: So we'll probably have to wait a little bit to see him in game action again.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_00: But at least before that, he was starting to have a really good season.
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_01: Well, and he's uh again, the MHL is like the is like uh junior hockey uh in uh in North America.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_01: So he's uh he's at that level still.
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_01: I know he's off to a great start with uh some uh gaudy numbers uh in his first three games, but we'll have to see again once he returns, how's that gonna go?
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_01: The Keynes uh goaltending situation looking pretty bright these days.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_01: Uh they have uh they have, of course, their Russian strength with uh Piotr Kochekov and they have Ruzlan Kaziv.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_01: I think he's back up with Chicago now, and of course uh Frolov, another Russian uh just uh just kind of uh waiting in the wings.
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_01: So it's exciting, I think, for the Kanes fans.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_01: They're gonna see some Russian goalies uh really uh leading the charge in the coming years for the Keynes.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_01: So uh that wraps up the uh the honorable mentions.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_01: Let's uh let's spend a couple of minutes and talk about are there any other players that uh jumped out at you as well, Nick, in this month.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um I mean I think uh I think Igor Velmakin had some some nice moments whenever he got the chance to fully start, just didn't come till after the month was over.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_00: Um I mean, other than that, it was kind of a weirder month just because it wasn't really a lot besides the the big ones.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of the guys in Russia are kind of just I wouldn't even say under underperforming, it's just their roles are kind of in flux.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um and then like right now, like a normal guy like a Timor Cole is currently Timur Cole and Andrey Krutov and Kirbin Limitov are all with the Russian U-20 team getting ready to play in a tournament.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, they didn't play the last few games of the month, and you know, Fyodor Avramov has been stuck in the MHL and now is getting you know decent consistent fourth line minutes KHL, which is always nice.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_00: Alexander Seriatsky, whenever he does get an opportunity, he plays normally on the second pairing and gets about 14 minutes a night, which again is good for a younger guy at the KHL level.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um and then whatever's going on with Nikita Arnimonov, I there's a lot going on there.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_00: And um, you know, maybe he stays with Torpedo and continues doing what's going on now, which is just fourth or thirteenth forward in the KHL, or it gets some time in the VHL, or there is some some rumors about him getting moved.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_00: So I wonder what's going to happen there.
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and of course, he was on our radar a lot last year.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_01: He got off to such a great start.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_01: What about uh I thought we'd spend just a minute and talk about a couple of folks.
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_01: We've uh we've certainly brought up numerous times on the top five prospects of the month, and they're both with the hurricanes right now, and that would be, of course, uh Charles Alexis Lego and Joel Nistrom.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_01: How do you feel about their work so far with the Canes?
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_00: I think Lego has looked better, in my opinion, just because he understands the North American game, and it's easier to see him getting caught up to speed to North America quicker than others.
• 24:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um and I think he fits what the Canes wanted him to do better.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_00: They wanted a penalty killer and they wanted a physical, strong defensive presence, which is what he is.
• 24:44
  SPEAKER_00: And I think Yel Nissram has been fine.
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I think he's been caught out a couple times, and I I understand why they want to use him because he is more experienced in the game of hockey overall, but this is also his first year of North American hockey, so giving him 19-20 minutes a night is maybe a little too much right now, especially since he's only had like a handful of AHL games.
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_00: But I haven't thought he's been bad.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_00: I just think he needs more time to adjust, but I'm glad to see him get an H opportunity.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I mean, uh both of those guys, you know, they're they're getting it done.
• 25:16
  SPEAKER_01: Uh and they're playing some serious minutes.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_01: Uh Nistrom has been playing a little bit more than uh the go, but he's uh I think both of them deserve a lot of credit for what they're doing because they're jumping right in and having to play serious minutes, and as you say, killing penalties, both of them have been killing penalties and uh along with their regular shifts.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_01: So great stuff from two guys we talked about last year, and it's uh it's uh exciting to see as the Canes kind of weather a storm with uh so many key players out at the same time, and yet they're still right in the mix, so it's good stuff.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_01: Um, as we head into November, um, anybody on your radar for this month, Nick?
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um I mean it's kind of just the the normal guys.
• 25:59
  SPEAKER_00: Um I would probably just go Serato Poirier, are probably gonna be the two.
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_00: I'm I'm gonna watch the closest, but um a guy that doesn't get a lot of points, but is definitely having a lot of good performances right now is uh Dominic Bedenka.
• 26:15
  SPEAKER_00: Um I've liked a lot of what he's done in Chicago so far, even though he doesn't have like a ton of points.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_00: I still think he's had a really solid start to his age whole career.
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and Bedenka, uh, you know, when we watched him uh in the exhibition games for the Canes, I thought, man, he he just looked apart.
• 26:31
  SPEAKER_01: Um very calm out there.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_01: He plays with a lot of uh assurance on the ice, he sees the ice well.
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_01: And uh what he's still 19 years old, I think.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_01: So I mean he's a young player and uh and definitely a guy that uh has some tremendous upside with the canes.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_01: We'll look forward to seeing what he's doing in uh in Chicago.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_01: Of course, he's probably seeing a lot of extra ice now with both uh Lego and and Nistrom up with the Canes.
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_01: So lots of good stuff there.
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_01: Well, as always, Nick, uh great to talk about the Canes prospects.
• 27:01
  SPEAKER_01: Um, really excited as you are about uh the development of uh some of the collegian side, uh watching Sorato and uh and keeping an eye on Justin Porria as well.
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_01: For those of you who've been watching or listening, Nick and I really appreciate you spent time with us.
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_01: If you like this episode, please press the like button.
• 27:20
  SPEAKER_01: If you have any comments or questions uh or just want to say hi to Nick or myself, please do that in the comment section down below.
• 27:28
  SPEAKER_01: And if you want to be alerted of future episodes of Storm Tracker, please press the subscribe button and the bell, and we'll uh we'll let you know just as soon as those are available.
• 27:39
  SPEAKER_01: Once again, Nick and I thank you very much for spending time with us today and look forward to getting together with you real soon right here on Storm Tracker.