Welcome back to the revived – most likely to be biweekly – first installment of the “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!
In this week’s series, we’ll take a look at a standout Russian winger who’s started his season on an absolute tear, as well as a recently-drafted Swedish winger who has been scoring goals for fun. We’ll also look at a potential departure from the organization, and a couple other players who’ve stood out in a noteworthy way to start their seasons. Without further ado, let’s dive in.
Nikita Artamonov
After trading out of the first round at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft table, the Hurricanes were fortunate enough to still snag two first-round level talents with the second-round picks they acquired. At 34th overall they took Czech defender Dominik Badinka, and then all the way at 50th they nabbed Russian sniper Nikita Artamonov — a player who’s already turning heads in the Kontinental Hockey League at 18 years old.
I’ve managed to catch two of Artamanov’s games so far this season, as his campaign got underway in September with Nizhny Novgorod in the KHL. My first couple views left me baffled as to how this player slipped out of the first round. He plays like a ball of energy, flying around the ice with purpose and constantly buzzing around the puck. He’s got pace in his game that will translate to NHL hockey down the road, and brings more than enough skill to go with it. His edge-work is impressive, and he can cover a lot of ground quickly to get himself into open spaces and receive the puck. A good example of that is in the clip below — watch as he floats in the zone as the play develops, and then explodes to get himself in position to finish off the rebound for an easy goal.
As of this writing, Artamonov is in the top 10 of KHL scoring with seven goals and six assists in 13 games — which is incredible production for a player of his age in that league. Most teenagers over there are fighting for ice time, regardless of their skill level, but this kid has already emerged as an offensive leader for his club. Of course, it’s very early in his season (and career) and you’d hate to place unrealistic expectations on a young player, but I’m starting to believe the Hurricanes could have another star on their hands here. He’s got a lot of the tools teams covet, and his overall game projects nicely at the NHL level. He’s already looking like a total steal considering where he was selected.
Oskar Vuollet
Another 2024 selection by the Canes, Oskar Vuollet has started his season off on a tear with Skelleftea AIK of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He appeared in 15 games for the club last season, but was scoreless, despite amassing 61 points in 41 games with their junior team. His case to prove he belongs — at just 18 years of age — got off to a flawless start, as he became just the 11th player to score a hat-trick in that league at age 18 or younger. Through seven games, he has four goals and one assist and has seen his ice-time gradually increase with each passing game.
Vuollet, who’s playing for his hometown club of Skelleftea, Sweden, has been touted for his wicked release and shooting ability. The concern for a lot of scouts was if he had the ability to create enough space for himself at the pro level to get his shot off often enough, and so far he’s alleviated those concerns quite well. He’s currently listed at 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds, and leads all under-20 scorers in the league in goals and points. Considered to be more of a long-term project, it’s exciting to see his skill already on display at such a young age.
Quick Hits
Anttoni Honka
After being loaned back to Europe once again, this time to Switzerland, I think the Hurricanes and Honka have reached a crossroads in their professional relationship. Despite possessing fantastic puck-moving ability and deception offensively, I just don’t believe that his defensive game has progressed enough to the point where the team would have confidence in deploying him, and even more so considering the defensive log-jam at the AHL level.
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Players like Aleksi Heimosalmi, Domenick Fensore and Ronan Seeley within the organization have made him a bit redundant, and with others like Forsmark and Badinka currently seasoning overseas, it feels like the clock has ticked to expiry on Honka’s North American future. At this point, I would be surprised if we saw him back with the team in any capacity.
Alexander Perevalov
A player I mentioned in my “3 Hurricanes Prospects to Watch This Season” piece before the season, Perevalov season hasn’t gotten off to an amazing start. He’s played just nine of 13 games for his VHL club Omskie Krylia (the second-highest tier of Russian Hockey) and he has just 4 points. Recently, he’s been stuck on the third line after returning to the lineup. While it’s not the torrid start to the season I was hoping for, he still has plenty of time to get himself on track.
Simon Forsmark
Forsmark has seemed to have firmly established himself on the second pair for his club Timra IK in the SHL, which is a great feat for a 20-year old. He plays a very steady and reliable game, providing a calming and stable presence defensively. He skates well enough to succeed and has good size at 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds. Through seven games, he’s routinely playing more than 20 minutes per game, which is a testament to how much they trust him. He’s also chipped in on offense a bit, with a goal and two assists in those games. Those are encouraging signs thus far.
The always=important thing to remember with prospects is that development is non-linear. Some guys take longer to figure it out than others and some guys never do. Wisely, the Hurricanes’ philosophy over the past few drafts has been to trade back and add more picks, which in turn has added more players into their system, and that’s seen their prospect group grow into one of the deepest league-wide in the NHL.
