With the 34th pick of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, the Carolina Hurricanes have selected Dominik Badinka from the Malmo Redhawks of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL)
About Dominik Badinka
Badinka is an extremely intelligent defender with an advanced understanding of the game. His strong decision-making skills allow him to excel in various aspects of the game. One of these aspects is his ability to anticipate plays; he positions himself well to block passing lanes in the defensive end. He can seamlessly transition into an offensive role, acting as a fourth forward while still being in a position to prevent any counterattack. His constant awareness and forward-thinking set him apart in the game.
Related: THW’s 2024 Draft Live Tracker
Due to his 6-foot-3 size, he can positively impact the game physically. He excels in board battles, particularly at the J20 level, where he is extremely dominant. He has a solid ability to position his stick and body effectively in physical battles. He is not hesitant to engage in battles in front of the net; he presents a physical presence in front of his crease and effectively uses his body to clear the slot. However, he can sometimes commit too much to being physical, resulting in odd-man rushes. While being physical is a notable part of his game, he could learn to be more selective and pick his spots better.
THW Prospect Profile Excerpt
“At 6-foot-3, Badinka has good size but still moves exceptionally well. His straight-line speed is among the best among defensemen in the entire draft class, though admittedly that can be canceled out by a lack of high-end stickhandling ability. On top of that, he is able to remain extremely calm under pressure in his own end, refraining from panicking with the puck on his stick — which is fantastic considering how often he likes it on his stick.”
“In addition to that, his hockey sense is top-notch. He sees the ice extremely well, aiding in his first pass up the ice. In the offensive zone, his vision allows him to find open teammates and set up scoring chances at will, while his ability to draw attention to himself allows his teammates to find open space that much easier. On the other end of transition, he is able to read plays and opposing breakouts extremely well, solidifying his two-way abilities as projectably above NHL average.”
“As previously mentioned, Badinka lacks stickhandling ability which would pump him up to a bona fide first-round draft pick. While he moves very well, it can be hard for him (at times) to get around defensemen in transition or pressure forwards in the offensive zone. Because of this, he is likely going to cap out as a second-unit power-play quarterback if he even gets time on the man advantage.”
Full player profile can be found here.
How This Affects the Hurricanes’ Plan
The Hurricanes already have a pretty strong prospect pool, and Badinka adds to it. They need a bit more on defense in their organization and his size and skill will help the core in the future.