The Carolina Hurricanes have the 13th-overall pick in this year’s draft and will have an opportunity to continue adding to their young team. Leading up to the draft, I’ll be looking at eight players (two players per article) who the Hurricanes could select with their first-round pick.
The players chosen will be based on who I’ve seen ranked at or near 13th overall by different projections. Each article will have a theme: I already did one article of players that could be a steal at 13th overall, as well as my first article on potential targets, then there will also be one article of players the Hurricanes shouldn't go after and today’s article, which will be the second of two articles looking at some players who are likely to go close to where the Hurricanes will be picking.
I’m also going off the assumption that the following 10 players will be off the board by the time it’s Carolina’s turn to pick: Alexis Lafreniere, Quinton Byfield, Tim Stutzle, Cole Perfetti, Marco Rossi, Jamie Drysdale, Alexander Holtz, Lucas Raymond, Jake Sanderson and Jack Quinn. If any of them are available, the Hurricanes should have any easy pick, however, it’s unlikely.
SETH JARVIS
This is my pick for who the Hurricanes should take at 13th overall. Jarvis scored 42 goals and 98 points in 58 games with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks this season, though I’m sure teams will still shy away based on his size.
He’s very fast, loves carrying the puck through the neutral zone and I think he’s also one of the hardest workers in the draft. He plays an extremely high-energy game, and is the first one to a loose puck more often than not. He has good hockey sense and is a strong passer, though he does score most of his goals on the rush.
I really think that looking back in a few years, Jarvis could be the player that teams regret passing up on. Assuming the 10 players listed above are off the board, as are Anton Lundell and Yaroslav Askarov, Jarvis will still be available and the Hurricanes shouldn’t think twice about taking him at 13th overall.
CONNOR ZARY
Zary played his third CHL season this year with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers. He does have a late birthday, meaning this was his third season in the WHL, but he scored at an impressive rate of 38 goals and 86 points in 57 games this season.
His puck control is very strong, both in his stickhandling and in his ability to shield the puck using his body, which makes him very difficult to knock off the puck along the boards. Zary is comfortable making moves while carrying the puck, has a very good shot and is an exciting player to watch. He’s also a hard worker and while he doesn’t necessarily excel in any area offensively, he also doesn’t have any major weaknesses.
Zary isn’t my first choice, just based on the fact that his offensive upside may not be overly high and he may end up as a middle-six forward rather than a top-six forward, but he would still be a good pick for the Hurricanes.
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Here’s today’s poll question (results and discussion will be posted in a future article):
Which player would you be happy with at 13th overall?
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