Heading into the 2025 Prospect Showcase in Wesley Chapel, FL, Carolina Hurricanes assistant general manager Darren Yorke made a point about what the team expects in tournaments like these. “Anytime there’s a scoreboard, you’re playing to win, and all these players want to make a strong impression. But no one is making the Carolina Hurricanes solely in these games; we’re focused on seeing growth. We have players who are in different stages of their development and are working on different aspects of their games…”
While the Hurricanes dropped Game 2 of the showcase 3-2 against the Nashville Predators, certain aspects of the loss stood out, offering the organization hope heading into the 2025-26 season. From players signed to contracts to the invitees, Game 2 revealed more than what the scoreboard indicated.
All About Developmental Growth
Just like in Game 1 on Friday, Sept. 12, Bradly Nadeau showed why he’s the number one prospect for the Hurricanes after tallying his second power-play goal of the showcase. After the Predators tied the game in the second period, it was a power play just a few minutes later that gave the Hurricanes the lead once again, taking only four seconds to score on the man-advantage. After missing a wide-open net earlier in the period, Nadeau was able to find space and got a pass right in his wheelhouse. He made sure not to miss that one and ripped it home past the Predators’ netminder to make it a 2-1 game at the time. It was the Hurricanes’ second power-play goal of the game.
Related: 2 Takeaways From Hurricanes’ 3-2 Shootout Loss in Game 1 of Prospect Showcase
Throughout the game, Nadeau was not afraid to be physical and was throwing hits all around the ice. At one point, Oasiz Weisblatt got into Nadeau’s face after the latter got tangled up behind the Hurricanes’ net. He just stood there and laughed it off, not even bothered by it. Nadeau displayed why he scored 32 goals last season for the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League (AHL) and is making the case to be the first call-up this season if the Hurricanes need him at any point in 2025-26. Another player who’s proving why he should be playing with the Wolves this upcoming season is defenseman Dominik Badinka.
Badinka played in only two games for the Wolves last season, following 49 games with the Malmö Redhawks of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He finished with two goals and five points with the Redhawks and then had zero points in the two games with the Wolves. However, in Game 2 of the showcase, Badinka scored the first goal of the game, giving the Hurricanes their first lead of the tournament. Furthermore, he used his speed and size to get in front of the net and collected his own rebound to score on the power play. He’s slowly becoming a sneaky two-way defenseman who can utilize his speed to catch opponents napping. Add that to the Wolves’ blue line in 2025-26, and he could be a weapon at 5v5 and on the power play.
Despite giving up three goals, two in the third period, Hurricanes netminder Ruslan Khazheyev was showing a ton of promise as the game went along. Khazheyev was making big save after big save to either keep his team in the lead or at least keep the game tied, as he used his 6-foot-6 frame to make it difficult for the Predators to score a goal. For the most part, they had a hard time figuring him out for over 40 minutes of the game.
The Hurricanes had a 2-1 lead going into the third period, but two goals – one being with 34 seconds left – snatched the win from their grasp. However, the poise Khazheyev showed in Game 1 on Sept. 12 showed itself again with explosive plays across the crease. Furthermore, it’s giving the Hurricanes a sense that he has taken that next step in his development, reading plays, using his size, and working on rebound control.
If he can keep that going, there is a good chance Khazheyev could see his stock rise within the Hurricanes organization. After playing all 60 minutes and the shootout, it’ll be interesting to see if he plays in Game 3 on Monday, Sept. 15, against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He has shown that he has what it takes to take the next step in his development and is being rewarded with more ice time.
Related: 3 Carolina Hurricanes Prospects to Watch at the Prospect Showcase
One player who probably surprised everyone was showcase invitee Jonas Woo. The Winnipeg, Manitoba native showed off his unreal speed throughout the game against the Predators. During the second period, the Predators had an opportunity to have a breakaway following a Hurricanes turnover. However, Woo’s quick first step and speed were able to get back for a solid backcheck, disrupting the breakaway for the Predators. For him to use his speed and his 5-foot-9 size to battle for the puck was impressive. Later in the game, during the third period, the Predators were putting the Hurricanes on their back foot for close to two minutes in their own defensive zone. Woo was able to get his stick in the passing lane to disrupt the pass, and he was then able to clear the puck. Also, he used his speed once again, a few minutes later, to beat out an icing call.
Woo was noticeable a fair amount throughout the game, despite being a healthy scratch in Game 1 on Friday. He is currently unsigned and an invitee to the showcase for the Hurricanes. During the 2024-25 season with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League (WHL), Woo tallied 11 goals and 43 points in 57 games. He was also a plus-38 during the regular season. In the playoffs, Woo had 11 assists in 18 games with a plus-19 to boot. If he manages to play in Game 3 on Monday against the Lightning, there is a case to be made for the Hurricanes to sign Woo to a deal after playing four seasons in the WHL with the Winnipeg ICE, Wenatchee Wild, and the Tigers.
Despite being 0-1-1 in the showcase, the main goal is to see where everyone is within their development. The high-end prospects are showing why they are in the top five within the organization. Plus, it’s good to see where other players are at that were under-the-radar coming into the showcase. Khazheyev has shown the biggest growth for the Hurricanes, along with Badnika, following the game on Saturday. Even Woo showed some promise and could make a case to get a contract. While the Hurricanes won’t play on Sunday, Sept. 14, for bonding exercises, their last game will be on Monday, Sept. 15, versus the Lightning, which will start at 3 p.m. Eastern.
