Welcome to the fourth installment of the revived “Future Canes” prospect series. In this column, we take a look at Carolina Hurricanes prospects who are standing out and enjoying success, whether they’re playing in Canadian juniors, the American Hockey League (AHL), Europe, Russia, or anywhere around the world.
However — for this edition of the series, we’re going to do things a bit differently — we’re going to take a look at players who haven’t been standing out and enjoying success. That’s right, it can’t always be sunshine and rainbows when it comes to player development, and I feel like it’s necessary to have a look at the dark side of that department every once in a while. So without further ado, let’s look at some prospects that we still maintain high hopes for, but just aren’t quite finding their stride at the moment.
Alexander Perevalov
I profiled Alexander Perevalov before the season commenced, as a guy that I noted was one to watch this season. I profiled him because I felt like he was a guy that needed to get on track and show something this season as he jumped up into the pro ranks of hockey over in Russia, as he’s dealt with some inconsistency since the Hurricanes drafted him back in 2022. Unfortunately, he finds himself here on this list for a couple of reasons — he’s only suited up in 20 of 31 games for Omskie Krylya of the VHL, and has just six points in those appearances.
While it’s too early to panic, and it must be kept in mind that this player is only 20 years old, I feel like there are some valid concerns as to how his progression is going. He made his Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) debut at 16 years old, and while you can make the argument that it was too early for him, his appearances in that league have dropped annually since then. After skating in 27 games for Kunlun in his draft year at age 17, he suited up for just 11 last season, and was then cut from the KHL this summer. And while that isn’t necessarily a deal breaker in terms of an NHL future, it’s concerning that his production in the minor leagues has left a lot to be desired – especially when you consider what he was doing two years ago:
First goal in KHL, then the second, then a game-winner in shootout!
— KHL (@khl_eng) October 1, 2022
What a performance by 18-year-old Alexander Perevalov! pic.twitter.com/MhV6tuR09m
Frankly, with Perevalov it’s an issue of impact. He’s a player that’s known and relied on to create offense, and thus far in his career, he’s been unable to translate his skill into professional hockey on a consistent basis. Producing 0.3 points per game in a league like the VHL is just not going to cut it, especially for a player who doesn’t have a defined game away from the puck. Simply, he needs to be creating and converting offense to be effective, otherwise, he’s not offering his team a whole lot in terms of a role. Alas, he has time on his side in terms of development, but at some point soon you want to see a step forward. He’s been in the organization for over two years now, and he’s arguably further behind where he was on the day he was drafted. There’s no doubt that he has the skill required to reach the next level, but it remains to be seen if he can put it all together.
Noel Gunler
When the Hurricanes drafted Noel Gunler back in the second round in the 2020 NHL Draft, I would have laughed in your face if you’d tried to tell me that he wouldn’t be an NHLer by age 23 — but here we are. A lot of outlets had him ranked in the middle of the first round, so he was considered something of a steal when the Hurricanes snatched him up on Day 2. At the time of his selection, he checked every box of what the team was looking for in a winger — good size, good skater, great shot — the potential sniper that the ‘Canes had been searching for. Fast forward to four and a half years later, and that next step in Gunler’s development still has yet to happen.
So what’s happened? The biggest issue I’m seeing is the overall consistency in his game, where you don’t know exactly what you’re going to get on a nightly basis. Obviously, that’s a major concern, but especially so if you’re hoping to play for a team coached by Rod Brind’Amour. He also doesn’t really bring a component of physicality that you’d hope for a guy with his size (6-foot-2, 190 pounds) and he’s not much of a creator on his own. It’s fair to wonder what exactly his identity could be at the NHL level, because if he isn’t scoring goals, then what does he bring to the table that makes the team better?
Just to be sure I wasn’t off base with my analysis, I reached out to my pal Andrew Rinaldi, who has been a credentialed Chicago Wolves reporter for as long as Gunler has been with the team. He’s watched the player more than I have, so I was curious about his thoughts on him. I asked him bluntly if he still sees an NHL future for Gunler, or if he’s trending more towards a guy who may be an American Hockey League (AHL)/Euro lifer. Here’s what he said:
“I think Gunler falls in that category of Jamieson Rees and Anttoni Honka, that had their path to the NHL absolutely derailed with the (Hurricanes/Wolves) affiliation falling through.” Rinaldi said. “Where he could have learned consistency in a Canes-friendly system, he was thrown to Europe (last season) then comes back now and has to fit back in. In those crucial developmental years, that kind of turmoil really hampers young players not just physically but mentally. Just as important as the skill side of the game are the habits – the subtle details of the day in, day out routine to grow and mold young players into potential NHL contributors. A whole year without that system in place, I feel like Gunler’s just a step behind of where he should be. Making that up isn’t impossible – but until I see that consistency in his game, it’s not looking well for him especially with other young players jumping him in the depth chart.”
To me, the point Andrew made about the Hurricanes and Wolves affiliation falling through last year is such a great point, and the impact of it all cannot be understated. It led to multiple prospects (Tuukka Tieksola, Alexander Pashin, etc) departing the organization, and left many others in a situation where the Hurricanes no longer had hands-on development. Considering the uncommonness of it all, I think it will be interesting to have a look back at the entire situation a few years down the road from now, and see where all of the prospects involved in that saga ended up.
Patrik Hamrla
I will start by saying the same thing I always say when I talk about prospect goaltenders — goaltending is voodoo, and development is extremely non-linear. You really don’t know what you have in a goalie until you know — and you never know when you’ll find out. So let me stress that it’s very important to stay patient with a kid like Patrik Hamrla, who has a lot of coveted natural ability to his game. In a way, he reminds me a bit of his fellow countryman and ex-Hurricane Petr Mrazek. He plays aggressively and has quick lateral agility and reflexes, but thus far he’s had a nightmare of a start to his pro career — at least statistically.
Of course, the stats don’t always tell the story when it comes to netminders, but it’s hard to spin Hamrla’s numbers in a positive light. He’s now 21 years old and is playing in the third tier of Czech hockey, and if that isn’t concerning enough, he has a 5-7-0 record with a 3.36 goals-against average (GAA). I was already starting to worry about him last season, when he was on loan at KooVee of the Finnish second tier, where he went 5-13-2 with a 4.10 GAA and a .870 save percentage (SV%). As I said, numbers don’t always tell the whole story — but these are eye-widening bad.
Alas, I’m optimistic that Hamrla can get on the right track because I’ve seen first-hand what he’s capable of. He spent 2021-23 in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) with Rimouski, and I was able to see him play live in Gatineau in March 2022. The Gatineau Olympiques dominated the game, but lost 3-1 solely thanks to Hamrla standing on his head in the Rimouski goal. I walked away from that game believing the Hurricanes had an absolute stud on their hands, and while he’s battled to find consistency since, his skill set remains obvious. Time is on his side and I’m hopeful he can find his form again — he’s one of those goalies that can steal a game for his team on any given night.
Related: Hurricanes’ Nadeau, Unger-Sorum & Others Set to Shine at World Juniors
And as always, the important thing to remember with prospects is that development is non-linear. Some players take longer to figure it out than others, and some players never do. Wisely, the Hurricanes’ philosophy over the past few drafts has been to trade back and add more picks, therefore adding more players to their system, which has helped this prospect group grow into one of the deepest in the NHL.
