2025-26 NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown: Carolina Hurricanes’ Top 10
Welcome back.
It’s time for Daily Faceoff’s third annual NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown, looking at the best all 32 teams have to offer. We’re highlighting the top 10 prospects for every franchise, their biggest strengths and weaknesses and so much more.
The criteria for being labeled a “prospect” are simple: players generally have to have played in 50 or fewer NHL games or spent more time outside of the NHL than in it last year. Players over 23 years old are not included, with goaltenders needing to be 25 or under.
Today, we’re breaking down the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Hurricanes have always been a team that has bet big on talent, and the 2025 NHL Draft was no different.
Semyon Frolov, for example, is a guy many teams had as the best goaltender in the draft. It wasn’t a thought shared by every team, but one that started to really emerge in the second half. Ivan Ryabkin, meanwhile, had a so-so season, but the Hurricanes clearly still see the upside after he entered the 2024-25 season as one of the top prospects.
The Hurricanes have built themselves up to be a perennial contender – but one that just hasn’t made the right steps forward to reach the summit. They moved on from one of their top young prospects – Scott Morrow – to get more immediate help in K’Andre Miller, whom they then signed to a long-term contract. The Hurricanes’ pipeline has started to slow down in recent years, but there’s still plenty of value picks who could turn into NHLers or trade bait.
Only one prospect from last year’s pipeline breakdown was promoted to full-time NHL duty, but it was an impactful one: Jackson Blake. This year, Alexander Nikishin is ready to take the next step, while a few others should see some NHL games, too. The Hurricanes are still in win-now mode, but having a solid pipeline with more help on the way is never a bad spot to be in.
Biggest Strength
The Hurricanes have plenty of depth on the back end to go around, even after trading Morrow. Nikishin is the obvious draw – more on him later. Beyond that, the Canes have been aggressively drafting defenders out of Europe, including those with big frames. Dominik Badinka, Kurban Limatov, Noel Fransen and Simon Forsmark all have NHL potential, and there’s a few others who could end up becoming steals along the way. At the very least, the amount of defensive depth gives them some trade options to bring in some extra help at front.
Biggest Weakness
The Hurricanes lack depth down the middle. Ryabkin is the only true center in the team’s top 10 prospect list. Bradly Nadeau can play down the middle, but most scouts expect him to play on the wing in the NHL. Outside of the top 10, Justin Robidas might be the only other notable option – and the odds of him becoming an impactful NHLer as a 5-foot-8 forward are debatable. He was the top prospect who didn’t make this list, for what its worth. Charlie Cerrato was a nice overage pickup this year, but he’s far from a sure thing.
Fast Facts:
NHL GM: Eric Tulsky
Dir. Amateur Scouting: N/A
Dir. of Player Development: Peter Harrold
AHL Affiliate: Chicago Wolves
ECHL Affiliate: Greensboro Gargoyles
TOP 10 PROSPECTS
1. Alexander Nikishin, LHD, 23 (Carolina Hurricanes)
Acquired: Drafted 69th overall, third round in 2020
Finally, it’s time for Nikishin to shine. He barely qualified for this list – some consider him too old to be a prospect – but I’m counting on him since he doesn’t turn 24 until the fall. Nikishin is one of the top prospects in hockey and should have a pretty immediate effect with the Hurricanes out of training camp. Nikishin used to be more of a perimeter guy who kept passes simple. But once he started going for high-risk, high-reward plays, the numbers started to balloon in the KHL. Granted, NHL players will force you to make quicker, tougher decisions, which could prove challenging. But Nikishin has added more urgency in his puck game, especially last season. Nikishin is big, smart and great with the puck, and all those traits should allow him to challenge for first-pairing minutes sooner rather than later. His advanced pro experience doesn’t make him your average prospect, that’s for sure.
2. Bradly Nadeau, RW, 20 (Chicago Wolves, AHL)
Acquired: Drafted 30th overall, first round in 2023
I loved the selection of Nadeau two years ago and he has delivered in such a big way. He had a whopping 32 goals and 58 points with Chicago this season, his first pro campaign. He was the only U-20 AHLer to register 30 goals or 50 points this year, and he did it while playing a bit more physically than we were used to seeing from him. The only true blemish on Nadeau’s season was his quiet showing at the World Juniors – he just never seemed comfortable after joining the team following training camp. I hope to see Nadeau play some more NHL games this season, but I expect him to spend more time in Chicago given he’s still young and there’s no point in rushing him into a bottom-six role.
3. Nikita Artamonov, LW, 19 (Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, KHL)
Acquired: Drafted 50th overall, second round in 2024
Artamonov was the only 20-goal scorer among U-20 players in the KHL this year, finishing with 22 goals and 39 points. The only U-20 player who was more productive overall was Ivan Demidov. So that’s huge for a guy who fell to the second round in 2024. Artamonov can beat players with pace. He’s a good skater with high-end top speed and good edgework, allowing him to make things happen in space. Artamonov’s puck skills and hockey sense are both solid for this group, allowing him to beat bigger, more experienced defenders with his quick hands and creativity. He might not be vertically big, but he’s got pure strength. I can see him becoming a solid second-liner.
4. Felix Unger Sörum, RW, 19 (Chicago Wolves, AHL)
Acquired: Drafted 62nd overall, second round in 2023
Unger Sörum is a guy I have all the time in the world for. On the surface, you see the five goals and 20 points in the AHL and that might not seem like much. But, man, what a playmaker. He had nine assists and 10 points at the World Juniors, earning some love as one of the top players in the tournament. FUS plays with so much pace, and he’s got some of the best hockey sense of anyone. The biggest concern – on draft day and still today – is his weak skating. But give him space to create plays in the O-zone and he’s going to make something happen. Unger Sörum is probably more of a middle-six support player in the NHL, but he should have no issue thriving in a role like that.
5. Dominik Badinka, RHD, 19 (Chicago Wolves, AHL)
Acquired: Drafted 34th overall, second round in 2024
Badinka is set to play in the AHL full-time after spending his second year in the SHL with the Malmo Redhawks. His ice time was limited down the stretch, playing under 10 minutes a night most games. Still, the raw talent is there. He’s 6-foot-3, moves the puck well and plays a strong two-way game. I also think he’s a better skater than many give him credit for. Badinka needs consistent opportunities this coming season if he’s going to keep trending upwards, so I’m glad the Hurricanes brought him over to North America. I still see someone with second-pairing upside if things keep progressing.
6. Ivan Ryabkin, C, 18 (Muskegon Lumberjacks, USHL)
Acquired: Drafted 62nd overall, second round in 2025
Ryabkin started last year as one of the top prospects. He fell to 62nd overall after a season full of ups and downs in both Russia and in the USHL. He was productive once he moved to Muskegon, though, scoring at a solid rate to quickly become one of the league’s most dangerous draft-eligible prospects. We’ve also seen him flesh out his physical and playmaking games, with his passing and hockey sense being two of his best traits. Some teams were worried about his attitude and that didn’t help his draft stock. But on the ice, he has the hockey sense and physical ability to stand out if he can improve his skating.
7. Kurban Limatov, LHD, 18 (MHK Dynamo Moskva, MHL)
Acquired: Drafted 67th overall, third round in 2025
There’s a lot to like about Limatov’s complete package, and I think he was a great pick by the Hurricanes. The 6-foot-4 defender is mobile, hits as hard as anyone and is a great puck distributor. He’s one of the best skaters playing in Europe right now, using his mobility to beat players at speed and get himself out of danger. Limatov can put anyone on their rear end, and if you get him first, he’ll get you back with a hard shot. I think he needs to be smarter at distributing the puck under pressure, but the raw talent is there. His contract runs until 2027, so patience will be key.
8. Semyon Frolov, G, 18 (MHK Spartak Moskva, MHL)
Acquired: Drafted 41st overall, second round in 2025
Frolov was one of the top goaltenders in the 2025 NHL Draft, and the Hurricanes clearly liked what they saw. The 6-foot-3 keeper has ideal size, he’s athletic and he tracks shots well, allowing him to come out on top in 2-on-0 situations quite often. He has all the makings of a solid, smart, calm goaltender who doesn’t let many bad goals in, and I love the way he moves from post to post. Frolov’s KHL contract goes until 2027, so there’s still plenty of time to develop back home before making the jump over. I know Frolov got selected before Ryabkin or Limatov but I had the other two ranked higher than Frolov in my final 120 rankings.
9. Noel Fransén, LHD, 19 (Farjestad, SHL)
Acquired: Drafted 69th overall, third round in 2024
Fransén was one of my favorite under-the-radar prospects a year ago, and it’s been good seeing him adjust to the pro game so effecitvely this past year. Primarily playing against men in the second-tier Swedish league, the Allsvenskan, Fransén had a solid 20 points in 50 games while watching his ice time improve as the season wore on. Fransén had 20 goals and 44 points in the U-20 league in 2023-24, which was one of the most impressive campaigns we’ve seen from a draft-eligible prospect out of that division. We’ll see if he can continue thriving in the SHL. If the Hurricanes luck out, they might be able to get a similar trajectory out of the 69th pick in 2024 that they did from the 69th pick in 2020 – the guy sitting at the very top of the list.
10. Simon Forsmark, LHD, 21 (Timra IK, SHL)
Acquired: Drafted 101st overall, fourth round in 2022
It took a while, but it finally felt like Forsmark came into his own in the SHL this past year. Consistency has been an issue for a while, and his ice time flucuated a lot even this past year. But I like how much more engaged away from the puck he was this year, and his offensive improved, too. His skating has taken some solid steps forward, and I like how he has adjusted to using his bulky frame to win more battles in recent viewings. I think Forsmark will be a third-pairing defender at best, but there’s still room to take his game up another level.
The rest: Gleb Trikozov, LW (20), Justin Robidas, C (22), Noel Gunler, RW (23), Charlie Cerrato, C (20), Viggo Nordlund, LW (18), Fyodor Avramov, LW (19), Andrey Krutov, LW (19), Justin Poirier, RW (18), Oskar Vuollet, LW (19), Michael Emerson, C (21), Timur Mukhanov, LW (20), Jayden Perron, RW (20), Alexander Rykov, RW (19), Stanislav Yarovoi, LW (21), Nils Juntorp, LW (21), Alexander Perevalov, LW (21), Nikita Guslistov, C (23), Roman Bausov, RHD (18), Joel Nystrom, RHD (23), Charles-Alexis Legault, RHD (21), Bryce Montgomery, RHD (22), Aleksi Heimosalmi, RHD (22), Ronan Seeley, LHD (22), Timur Kol, LHD (18), Roman Shokhrin, LHD (19), Alexander Siryatsky, LHD (18), Vladimir Grudinin, LHD (21), Alexander Pelevin, LHD (21), Jakub Vondras, G (21), Yegor Maumov, G (22), Ruslan Khazheev, G (20), Nikita Quapp, G (22)
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