Carolina Hurricanes had 10 picks at 2024 NHL Draft. Who did the Canes select?

For the second straight day, the Carolina Hurricanes kept their focus on their NHL Draft business.

The Canes did conduct some trades Saturday – of draft picks, not players.

While the attention of many Hurricanes fans continues to be on what could be a roster shakeup in the next few days, especially when NHL free agency begins, the Canes made use of their 10 draft picks Saturday. Other teams made some splashy trades, but not the Canes.

The Tampa Bay Lightning dealt defenseman Mikhail Sergachev to the Utah Hockey Club and forward Tanner Jeannot to the Los Angeles Kings. That was eye-opening in that it opened up $11 million in salary cap space for the Lightning with the start of NHL free agency on Monday.

The Hurricanes did not use their first-round pick Friday when the draft began at the Sphere in Las Vegas, trading it to the Chicago Blackhawks for two second-round picks.

With the No. 34 overall pick, second in the second round, the Hurricanes selected Dominik Badinka, a Czech-born defenseman playing in Malmo, Sweden.

The Canes have shown a penchant for drafting Russian players in recent years, and did so again Saturday.

With its second pick of the second round, No. 50 overall, Carolina drafted 5-foot-11, 187-pound left wing Nikita Artamonov. That was just a start.

Assistant general manager Darren Yorke, who heads up the amateur draft for the team, has praised the work of Russian scout Oleg Smirnov. By day’s end, the Canes had taken six Russian players and now have selected 15 since 2022.

Near the end of the second round, the Canes added another pick to their arsenal by trading their third pick, No. 60 overall, to Columbus – and former Carolina GM Don Waddell – for a third-round pick, No. 69 overall, and a fifth-round pick, No. 133 overall.

With that 69th overall pick, the Canes snagged Swedish defender Noel Fransen.

The Canes traded the No. 92 pick to the Blackhawks for a 2025 third-round pick.

Carolina jumped back into the selection process late in the fourth round, using the 27th pick in the round, No. 124 overall, to take another Russian, Alexander Siryatsky. The 6-2, 159-pound defender played Russian junior hockey last season.

The Hurricanes went back to Sweden for their first pick of the fifth round, selecting left wing Oskar Vuollet at No. 133 overall, and added right wing Justin Poirier out of Baie-Comeau of the Quebec-Maritime Junior Hockey League at No. 156.

With the first of three scheduled picks in the sixth round, the Canes drafted Russian Timur Kol, a 6-4, 204-pound defenseman, at No. 168 overall. At No. 184, Carolina tabbed Roman Shokhrin, a tall defender from Russia, and at No. 188, the Canes selected Russian left wing Fyodor Avramov.

Carolina Hurricanes 2024 NHL Draft picks

▪ Round 2, No. 34 overall:

Dominik Badinka, defenseman

Badinka, a Czech native, is a right-shot D and has good size at 6-3 and 190 pounds. Was ranked 14th among international skaters playing for Malmo in the Swedish Hockey League. His twin brother, Daniel, is a forward and also played for Malmo.

▪ Round 2, No. 50 overall:

Nikita Artamonov, forward

Another Russian for the Canes. Considered a late bloomer and possible first-rounder, he has a solid overall game and strong hockey IQ according to scouts. Listed at 5-11 and 187 pounds, he played 54 games for Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod in the KHL.

▪ Round 3, No. 69 overall:

Noel Fransen, defenseman

Fransen, said to be a good puck-moving D-man, played for Farjestad in the Swedish junior league, with 44 points (20 goals, 24 assists) in 45 games. Also played four games for Farjestad’s SHL team. Seen as an offensive defenseman and admires Erik Karlsson of the Penguins.

▪ Round 4, No. 124 overall:

Alexander Siryatsky, defenseman

A lean D-man listed at 6-2 and 159 pounds, he is said to be a player with quick reactions on the ice and strong on positioning. Played 36 games last season for the Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk junior team of the MHL but also got in three games for the Metallurg Magnitogorsk KHL team.

▪ Round 5, No. 133 overall:

Oskar Vuollet, forward

Vuollet, listed at 5-11 and 173 pounds, played for Skelleftea and was fifth in the Swedish junior league in scoring with 61 points, with 29 goals. He then starred in the playoffs, with 14 goals and 21 points in nine games.

Scouts like his skill and speed and ability to excel with a faster pace of play, and believe he can quickly adapt to small rinks in North America with his smarts and stick-handling.

▪ Round 5, No. 156 overall:

Justin Poirier, forward

Undersized player at 5-8 and 185 pounds but a big-time scorer. Has a quick release on his shot. Played for Baie-Comeau in the QMJHL and became the first 17-year-old in the Q to score 50 goals since Sidney Crosby.

Some scouts believed he could go as high as the second round after scoring 51 goals in 68 games this season, then adding 18 in 17 games in the playoffs. Played for Canada’s U18 team in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

▪ Round 6, No. 168 overall:

Timur Kol, defenseman

In Kol, the Canes picked another D-man with size – 6-4 and 204 pounds. The Moscow native, one of the youngest players eligible for the 2024 draft, is both a physical type and can apply defensive pressure but also has a capable shot from the point.

Kol played two KHL games with Avangard Omsk but spent much of last season playing junior hockey in the VHL and MHL. Ranked 36th among EU skaters by NHL Central Scouting.

▪ Round 6, No. 184 overall:

Roman Shokhrin, defenseman

Speaking of adding a defenseman with size, Shokhrin is slightly bigger than Kol at 6-5, 205 pounds. Like Kol, he spent much of the 2023-24 season in the MHL junior league in Russia with Loko-76 Yaroslavl, but also got in eight KHL games.

The scouting report on Shokhrin: a tremendous skater who handles the puck well in the D zone and can make the good first pass.

▪ Round 6, No. 188 overall:

Fyodor Avramov, forward

Listed at 6-3 and 190 pounds, Avramov was ranked 53rd among EU skaters by NHL Central Scouting, Said to be strong on the puck, on the forecheck and around the net, he used his big shot to produce 44 points in 49 games for the MHL’s Kapitan Stupino, which also produced Pyotr Kochetkov.

▪ Round 7, No. 220 overall:

Andrey Krutov, forward

A player with good mobility and play-making ability, the 5-11, 174-pound left wing had 50 points (21 goals, 29 assists) in 41 games with Chaika Nizhny Novorod of the MHL last season.