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Future Watch 2017
The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947. In each issue, you'll find news, features and opinions about the NHL and leagues across North America and the world.
CAROLINA STORM SURGE
B 15 RANK FROM A DEVELOPMENT perspective, the Carolina Hurricanes are in uncharted territory. For the first time in franchise history, they’re loaded with talented young defensemen. Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce and Noah Hanifin are already in the NHL, and Justin Faulk is only 24. Two of their top prospects, Jake Bean and Haydn Fleury, are defensemen. Another, Roland McKeown, nearly made the team out of camp. Throw in Julien Gauthier and Nicolas Roy, and the Canes also have some size in the system at forward – another rare occurrence. The existential question is in goal, where there’s a void behind Alex Nedeljkovic, whose NHL future is uncertain. 1 JULIEN GAUTHIER RW, 19, 6-4, 225 Saint John (QMJHL) 37–13–31–44–34 2016 draft, 21st overall The Canes had their choice of hulking forwards when they drafted Gauthier,…
FROM PAIN TO GAIN
JIMMY SCHULDT FOR A KID who took awhile to get going, St. Cloud State’s Jimmy Schuldt is certainly making an impression now. The two-way defenseman is only a sophomore, but he’s drumming up a lot of interest amongst NHL teams. “He’s the kind of guy you appreciate over time,” said one scout. “He doesn’t jump out of the cake, but if you need to keep the puck out of your net or get it out of the zone cleanly, he’s your guy.” The Minnesota native is already 21, so if an NHL team wants him, it’ll have to go the free agent route. Schuldt took the long road to college, playing two full seasons with the USHL’s Omaha Lancers after his high school career with the Minnetonka Skippers. While Schuldt was good…
INTERNAL COMBUSTION
PEYTON KREBS MILESTONE MOMENTS HAVE been coming fast and furious for Peyton Krebs. And while the pace of those accomplishments will surely fade, expectations should remain high for the talented left winger. The first and most telling landmark was being drafted first overall in the 2016 WHL bantam draft. But Krebs, 16, already had a couple of unforgettable games with the Kootenay Ice, despite the fact his age dictated he could only play a handful of games this season before returning to midget. First, there was the fourpoint game he put up against Prince Albert. Then, two nights later, Krebs played against older brother Dakota in Tri-City, with sister Maddison singing both national anthems. Maddison is a rising country music artist, and the Krebs parents were watching from the stands with youngest brother…
THE MEN WHO COULD BE KING
D+ 29 RANK HENRIK LUNDQVIST WILL soon be closer to 40 than 30, so the Rangers have been selecting goaltenders in droves at recent drafts in hopes of nabbing the franchise’s next great stopper. Three of New York’s top five prospects are netminders, and another ranks eighth. Two of the top six prospects from last year’s edition, Pavel Buchnevich and Brady Skjei, are up with the big club now, so four of the top 10 players here were selected in the 2016 draft. The forward depth could be better. The immediate issue: there are few highly regarded blueliners ready, and three of the seven defensemen on the NHL roster are 30 or older. IGOR SHESTERKIN 1 G, 21, 6-1, 189 St. Petersburg (KHL) 27–4–6, 1.64, .937 2014 draft, 118th overall The projected heir to the…