The Carolina Hurricanes held their 2023 Development Camp this summer with 23 players in
attendance. While some fans think the camp is a chance to earn a roster spot, and that’s
entirely possible, it rarely happens.
The goal is not what the prospects can show the Canes but what the Canes can show and teach the prospects what it would take to make the NHL and a higher goal to become a Carolina Hurricane. The Canes make no excuses, as they believe character plays a huge part in the Canes’ DNA along with work ethic.
The prospects probably spent more time learning off the ice as they did on the ice- from nutrition, sleep, and being in the public eye, to signing autographs, media interviews, and code of conduct for both the NHL and Canes’ organization.
The message from Coach Rod Brind’Amour was he wanted every prospect to learn and get everything they could from camp, like if they become a Cane, then it will be the Canes that want to get all they can from the player.
The camp had a bonus with Raleigh native and former WNHL player Alyssa Gagliardi returning
as a developmental coach. Her hockey knowledge, typical of any Canes coach, is off the charts, with her expertise being on defense, but she was fantastic on positional play.
There were 4 goalies and 19 skaters, including 5 drafted in June. I was blown away by Yaniv
Perets, who the Canes signed as a free agent this past spring after Perets and his Quinnipiac
Bobcats won the NCAA Division 1 Hockey Championship. His teammate and roommate: Skyler
Brind’Amour, so yes, maybe there was some inside connection. He went 34-4-3 in the regular
season with a 1.49 GAA, 10 shutouts, posting a perfect 4-0 playoff record and an amazing 1.26
GAA and .948 save percentage. College hockey or not, those are unbelievable stats. On the
one day that the coaches had only the goalies on the ice, Perets was head and shoulders above
everyone.
The skaters had similar comparisons. One common trait: all were fast. Some are much faster than
others and in better shape than others, but that’s one of the takeaways from camp – you’re all on
the same team, you all want the next guy to improve, and you want to improve more. They know
not everyone will make it to the NHL. It’s rare that in any draft, all first-rounders make it to the
NHL in 5 years, or if at all. This camp had some prospects with bright futures. All have
commitments for the upcoming hockey season, and with the Canes not having an AHL affiliate
this coming season, a few will be ‘on loan’ to various teams, while others will play college
hockey, some in juniors, and some will continue to play in Europe.
The Cane’s total prospect pool of all these players, plus dozens of others from the
recent past, is stocked full of talent. Some that show great promise could be part of future trades.
There are plenty of rumors about the Canes and what additional, if any, moves President/GM
Don Waddell will make it in the near future. He would undoubtedly like to add a consistent high
scoring top 6 forward. He made a David Copperfield move last year in signing Max Pacioretty, but
two Achilles tendon injuries limited Patches to only a handful of games.
As an old sports adage goes, you give something to get something; the question really becomes, who do you give?
Brett Pesce’s name pops up along with rumors of signing an extension ‘isn’t going smoothly’ to quote
some rumors. Neither the Canes nor anyone from Pesce’s camp, to my knowledge, has
commented on their private talks. I’d hate to see #22 go, as he’s as solid on defense as there is
in the NHL. If Tony DeAngelo just signed back with the Canes, there is no doubt a log jam on
defense, so I expect Waddell to make another move. Vladimir Tarasenko is in the Canes crosshairs, but the salary cap comes into play. The Canes will more than likely make a move for a top
6 forward, it’s just who and when but count on the Canes being in the thick of things again this
season.
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