Carolina Hurricanes Draft 6 at 2026 NHL Entry Draft

The 2026 NHL Entry Draft has officially come and gone. Once again, the Carolina Hurricanes were able to obtain draft capital throughout the two-day event. Heading into the draft, the Hurricanes had four picks. Once it concluded, they were able to draft six players from Sweden and North America. Who are the six new players who will be joining the organization?

51st Overall – William Håkansson, D, Luleå (Sweden)

The Hurricanes entered the draft with the 31st overall pick; however, as in previous years, they traded out of the first round to acquire additional draft picks. After trading back twice, they eventually selected William Håkansson with the 51st overall pick in Round 2.

During the 2025-26 season with Luleå HF of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), Håkansson recorded two assists in 22 games. He was loaned to Almtuna IS of the HockeyAllsvenskan, where he tallied two goals and four points in 16 games. Heading into the 2026-27 season, he will be part of Luleå’s roster in the SHL. He is viewed as someone who has great range and can play a fast game. It also doesn’t hurt that he has some grit to his game as well. The 6-foot-5 Swedish defenseman could fit in the Hurricanes’ system well.

When asked about him, assistant general manager Darren Yorke stated, “William Håkansson is a player that we’ve known very well, playing in the international events and in Sweden… Big, rangy defenseman that skates well and has nastiness. (We want our defensemen) to be able to hold tight gaps and play fast defensively, and he fits that style of play perfectly.”

During the draft, Håkansson mentioned that his player comparison is Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin. Håkansson will be one to watch in Sweden this upcoming season.

61st Overall – Wiggo Sörensson, C, Boro/Vetlanda HC (Sweden)

Ten picks later, the Hurricanes took their last Swedish player of the draft with center Wiggo Sörensson. What makes the pick interesting is that Sörensson was the first player to be selected from the fourth tier of Swedish hockey. The 5-foot-11 center caught the attention of the Hurricanes with how he plays the game, even though he is three tiers below the SHL.

He excels in the way that he can win faceoffs with quick draws, use his speed in transition, play hard, and snap the puck all around the ice. His all-around game could be something to watch develop as he continues to grow in the Swedish hockey tiers.

Yorke stated when talking about Sörensson, “Wiggo Sörensson is probably a name that not too many people are familiar with, given the league that he plays, but we kind of look at that as very similar to guys coming out of Minnesota High School hockey that get the opportunity to play for the U.S. Development Program.

He got to play for the national teams, and in every single tournament, he started earning a little bit more ice time, and a little bit more ice time, and when you’re able to go from a lesser league up to the top leagues and just be able to adapt, that’s saying something.”

Yorke added, “It goes to his hockey sense, his ability to play hard, his ability to play fast, and (be) a centerman that was snapping pucks back (on faceoffs) against the best of the best in the April tournament. This is a player that has an all-around game that suits what we’re looking for when we’re trying to draft forwards.”

During the 2025-26 season, Sörensson tallied 32 goals and 56 points in 13 U20 Div. 1 games for the Boro/Vetlanda HC U20 team. He also had 20 goals and 38 points in 29 games for Boro/Vetlanda HC in Division 2. In the upcoming 2026-27 season, he is set to play for Boro/Vetlanda HC in the HockeyEttan.

68th Overall – Zachary Lansard, RW, Regina Pats (WHL)

The Hurricanes, with their third-round pick (68th overall), picked their first North American player with Ste. Anne, MB native Zachary Lansard. The Canadian right-winger was the Pat’s Rookie of the Year in 2024-25 and in his second season showed why the Hurricanes couldn’t pass him up early in Round 3.

Lansard tallied 24 goals and 56 points in 68 Western Hockey League (WHL) games. In five playoff games, he had three goals. In his rookie season, he had seven goals and 19 points in 54 games. That was definitely a jump for the 6-foot winger.

Lansard is viewed as a player who goes all out, no matter where he is on the ice. When it comes to forechecking, backchecking, and inside the defensive zone, he shows no quit. He could be someone who plays a hard-nosed style like Logan Stanoven and Jackson Blake.

“Gritty. Competitive. High skill level. He’s a kid who kept getting better and better every single year, and throughout the year this year. [He has] the ability to hold onto the puck and defend guys, and get them on his back hip, while also being able to see the open man.” Yorke stated.

He is only 17 years old and is already 217 pounds. Give him more time to grow and add some weight, and he could be a bulldozer on legs, a.k.a., another junkyard dog.

105th Overall – Michael Berchild, LW, U.S. National Team Development Program

After a long wait, the Hurricanes, with their first of two fourth-round draft picks, selected American left winger Michael Berchild of the U.S. National Team Development Program (USNTDP). The Excelsior, MN native has committed to the University of Denver for the upcoming 2026-27 season.

During the 2025-26 season in the program, he tallied 23 goals and 53 points in 58 games for the U18 team. He also had eight goals and 19 points in 21 games for the USNTDP – juniors in the United States Hockey League (USHL).

Mike Kelly had Berchild ranked 43rd overall on his draft board, so to get him at 105 could be seen as a steal for the best player available in the middle rounds.

Yorke stated when asked about the 5-foot-10 American, “He’s smart, competitive, and drives the net. He likes the little under-the-stick move as he’s driving the net. He’s able to read the spacing. He’s not afraid, despite being on the shorter side of things. He plays hard and plays smart.”

A smaller player who is not afraid and plays hard sounds like the Hurricanes might have found another Stankoven and Seth Jarvis. With Berchild going to a winning program like Denver, he is someone to keep an eye on for the next couple of years in the NCAA.

125th Overall – Ryder Fetterolf, G, Ottawa 67s (OHL)

After waiting 20 picks, the Hurricanes, with their last pick of Round 4, selected American netminder Ryder Fetterolf of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Ottawa 67s. The Pittsburgh, PA native was the OHL and Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Goalie of the Year after posting a staggering 29-9-3 record in 41 games.

Fetterolf also had a 2.07 goals-against average (GAA) and a .923 save percentage (SV%). Plus, he added six shutouts to his resume in 2025-26 for the 67s. During the OHL Playoffs, he had a 5-4 record with a .900 SV% and a 3.04 GAA. If there was someone to be excited about for the Hurricanes, Fetterolf is that guy. Plus, he was teammates with 2025 seventh-rounder Filip Ekberg.

“Fetterolf comes into the OHL as a rookie, wins Rookie of the Year, backstopping Ottawa deep into the playoffs. I think he had the third-best year in the last 10 years in terms of rookie save percentage. He just stops the puck. It doesn’t matter that he’s a little on the shorter end. The ability to read the game and go to the side to side movements [is great]. He just had an unbelievable season.” Yorke stated about Fetterolf.

While he is only 6-foot, he has a high compete level and can read the game well. The 18-year-old is set to play for Penn State in 2026-27. Penn State has become a strong pipeline for hockey players, and now the Hurricanes will have another one go through their program (Charlie Cerrato in 2025-26).

165th Overall – Zachary Jovanovski, G, Guelph Storm (OHL)

Since the Hurricanes had no pick in the fifth round, they had to wait until Round 6 to make their last selection of the 2026 NHL Draft. They went back-to-back with goalies as they took Zachary Jovanovski of the Guelph Storm of the OHL.

In 52 games, during the 2025-26 season, Jovanovski posted a 25-20-4 record with a .890 SV%, a 3.39 GAA, and a shutout. In four playoff games, he went 0-4-0 with a .885 SV% and a 4.20 GAA. The season before, he had a 6-10-3 record with a .886 SV%, a 3.71 GAA, and one shutout in 19 games.

The 6-foot-3 Canadian netminder can cut down angles quickly with his feet and challenge shooters. He was ranked 12th for North American goalies by the NHL Central Scouting. It’ll be interesting to see how he does in his second full season with the Storm in the OHL. Jovanovski was someone the goalie coaches targeted in the later rounds, and the Hurricanes seem keen to take a flier on him.

Yorke stated, “Jovanovski is another (player) of our goalie coaches targeted for us in Guelph. He’s got the opportunity to backstop Guelph in the Memorial Cup next year. [He has] powerful side-to-side movement, [he’s] really athletic, and a little different in terms of the type of goalie because he’s more 6-foot-4. He’s somebody who our goalie coaches really loved, the powerful balance and movement that he has.”

When it was all set and done, the Hurricanes selected six players in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. They took one defenseman, two goalies, and three forwards. After taking two players from Sweden, they finished the draft by taking two Americans and two Canadians. It might be the first time in a while that they took no Russians in the draft.

When it comes to the upcoming prospect development camp, Sörensson will be the only guy out of the six drafted who will attend. It’ll be exciting to see how these six players do this upcoming season on their respective teams in Europe and North America.