While we are 26 days away from the Carolina Hurricanes opening night game, hockey is still being played. Whether it be the NHL regulars or the prospects, Hurricanes hockey is Hurricanes hockey. On Saturday afternoon (Sept. 14), the Canes prospects took on the Florida Panthers prospects in Game 2 of the Rookie Showcase in Nashville, TN. After winning 7-4 the night before (Sept. 13) versus the Tampa Bay Lightning, the team was looking to ride off the four-goal third period in their comeback win. In the end, they took their comeback to another level with another onslaught of third-period goals, six to be exact, in a 7-3 win for back-to-back seven-goal games.
However, Saturday’s game was sparked by one prospect in particular who had an almost natural hat-trick in the third period alone. He had three goals in the period, but not enough for the natural three unanswered goals. Let’s talk about Hurricanes Russian prospect Gleb Trikozov.
From Russia with Love
From the outset, it looked like the second game of the Rookie Showcase was not going to go the Hurricanes way. Early on, they were down 2-0 and getting outshot 10-3 with very minimal chances in the Panthers’ zone. The second period was better as they just threw everything on the opposing net and eventually cashed in on a Ronan Seeley goal to make it 2-1 going into the final period. That is when the Canes broke out and it seemed everything was going into the net. In the end, they scored six goals on the way to a 7-3 win off the back of Trikozov who scored three goals in the period.
Moreover, he managed to score all three goals in a span of 6:08. Trikozov initially tied the game 2-2 early in the period for the first of two game-tying goals for the Hurricanes. The Panthers retook the lead going up 3-2 in under a minute after the Canes tied it up the first time. However, it did not take long for Trikozov to score back-to-back goals to make it 3-3 and then eventually a 4-3 lead for the “visitors”. Unfortunately, Florida’s last goal was the one to break up the possible natural hat-trick for Trikozov which would have been a storybook day for the 20-year-old Russian winger.
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Trikozov is in the first year of his entry-level contract that he signed on April 7. The three-year, $2.59 million deal will take him until when he is a restricted free agent after the 2026-27 season. The average annual value for all three years will be $863,000 for the 60th overall pick of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. What makes him a prospect to be very high on as a fan is his hockey IQ at a young age. His excellent vision gives him time to see plays developing. He is no stranger to scoring as he had five points in five games during the 2022 Hlinka-Gretzky Cup for the Russian U18 team.
The Omsk native had 39 points in 49 games spanning the Junior Hockey League (MHL) and Supreme Hockey League (VHL) during the 2023-24 season. Trikozov has made himself into a smart player who sees the ice incredibly well and can utilize his skillset to either set up a teammate or take a well-placed shot. This was prevalent during the hat-trick barrage of goals in under seven minutes that propelled the six-goal period en route to the win.
After the offseason he had last summer, Trikozov was the talk of Rookie Development Camp for the Hurricanes back in July where everyone was surprised by how well he developed back in Russia for Omskie Yastreby (MHL) and Omskie Krylia (VHL). Early on for this Rookie Showcase, he is making his presence felt. It might catch some attention of the Hurricanes’ front office and the coaching staff, especially with Chicago Wolves head coach Cam Abbott who is the bench boss for the tournament.
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If Trikozov can manage to keep this pace up for the last game on Monday, Sept. 16 versus the Nashville Predators, that will give him a huge boost into the Hurricanes training camp. Training camp for the team starts on Wednesday, Sept. 18 back in Raleigh between Lenovo Center (formally PNC Arena) and Invisalign Arena in Morrisville, NC. Furthermore, as long as he plays well on Monday and translates that to a great camp plus the preseason games, there could be a case there to jump his way into a roster spot. While the team is in a transition season, this could be the perfect time for Trikozov to jump at the opportunity to give head coach Rod Brind’Amour, his staff, and the Hurricanes the reason to give him a shot on the main roster on opening night on Oct. 11 versus the Lightning.
Have a game of impact to catch people’s attention, Gleb Trikozov.
Hurricanes Finale Day on Monday
The Hurricanes prospects will be practicing on Sunday, Sept. 15 before playing their last game on Monday. After that, they will have a day off to travel back to Raleigh for the start of Canes camp. Monday’s final game of the showcase will be at 2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time and it can be watched on the Carolina Hurricanes website. A link to the stream will be available 10-15 minutes before the puck drop. After the Canes prospects have scored back-to-back seven-goal games, is it possible to see them do it for a third-straight game for a sweep? Only time will tell on Monday but rest assured, people might need to keep an eye on the Russian winger who has put everyone in the organization on notice of his production.
