Decade of Draft: Carolina Hurricanes

The Hurricanes are a strange bunch, making two cup runs in this past decade, winnin one.  They started out with a wiff taking Igor Knyazev at 15th in a weak 2001 draft, fair enough. Then they went on a tear of early picks who contributed to their 2005-06 Cup Win: Cam Ward 25th overall in 2002, Eric Staal 2nd overall in 2003, Andrew Ladd 4th overall in 2004, Jack Johnson 3rd overall in 2005.

The middle of the decade was kind of a funk for the Canes, but they did OK considering.  They have a nice find in Jamie McBain, taken 63rd in 2oo6, now settling in on the Canes' Blue Line.  They did well to take Brandon Sutter 11th overall in 2007.  He has a 20 goal season to brag of, but hasn't bounced back from a head injury this season with only 13 points in 40 games...he'll find his scoring clip again; as we've seen in 2007 the Cane's could have done much worse.  The story of that draft is the 3rd round selection of Drayson Bowman who is now up with the big club.

2008 was pretty decent as the Canes' selected two more future roster players in Zach Boychuck in the first round and a steal of a pick for Zack Dalpe out of Jr. A in the second round. Brian Domoulin was 2009s choice pick in the second round, and 2010 saw perhaps their best pick (seriously, Eric who???) in Jeff Skinner 7th overall in a loaded draft.  They did well to take Justin Faulk in the second round last year, he's on a point per game clip for Minny-Duluth as a first year D-Man. Faulk was the first of four consecutive d-men picked that season. Five picks from 2007 to 2010 are on their starting roster and doing fairly well, and 11 roster players in total are Hurricane's picks.

For their ability to identify top flight talent in the early rounds, and keep players on their roster the Hurricanes get a B.  It's hard to give them less when you look at the star power they've drafted and developed.  It's too bad Andrew Ladd and Jack Johnson aren't still on the roster, but Skinner, Sutter, Boychuck, Dalpe, Bowman and Faulk are a pretty good core of young prospects.

B