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The Carolina Hurricanes have made major moves in the 2025 NHL offseason. They traded for K'Andre Miller in a deal with the New York Rangers. And the Hurricanes recently signed winger Nikolaj Ehlers, the top player available in 2025 NHL Free Agency. However, the team also added talent at the 2025 NHL Draft.
Carolina entered the draft with a late-first round pick. But general manager Eric Tulsky seemed incapable of participating in this draft without trading down. He did so multiple times throughout the event, and as a result, they did not make their first selection until the 41st pick in the draft.
Still, Carolina added to its prospect pool in some interesting ways. How does their class look a week after the event? Let's take a deeper look at the Hurricanes' 2025 draft class and hand out an initial grade for its quality.
That's a wrap from LA 🎬 pic.twitter.com/1dJAKGfyE2
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) June 28, 2025
Carolina Hurricanes' Russian Revolution
There is skepticism around the NHL when it comes to Russian prospects in the NHL Draft. Of course, there are teams who take their shots at the clear-cut stars. Matvei Michkov and Ivan Demidov both went top 10 in the draft, for instance. However, even those players fell a bit due to their being Russian and the contract hurdles that come with it.
The Hurricanes, evidently, are not concerned about these issues. Carolina used four of their seven picks on Russian players at the 2025 NHL Draft. Goaltender Semyon Frolov went with the 41st pick, while center Ivan Ryabkin went with the 62nd. Carolina then took back-to-back Russians with defenseman Kurban Limatov (67th overall) and Roman Bausov (87th overall).
Each player could realistically make the NHL. Ryabkin and Limatov, in particular, were considered first-round talents by ClutchPoints during this draft cycle. Ryabkin fell out due to some off-ice concerns around conditioning and coachability. However, Limatov was included in our penultimate 2025 NHL Mock Draft, going 27th to the Washington Capitals.
Each of these players gives Carolina some needed upside depth in the pipeline. These sorts of selections could help the Hurricanes continue their winning ways for years to come. It's not too hard to see at least one of these players becoming an impactful player down the line.
Carolina continue taking upside bets late
The Hurricanes grabbed solid upside players with their first few picks. However, they went with riskier upside bets later on. Bausov is one of these players. He is a 6'5″ right-shot defenseman, which instantly puts him on NHL radars. He is not an offensive force from the point. But he does show potential as a shutdown, play-killing defenseman.
Sixth-round pick Viggo Nordlund is another intriguing player. Nordlund fell due to his sheer lack of size, as he stands just 5'9″. However, the offensive skill is breathtaking at times. There is legitimate top-six, playmaking potential here. There are concerns, such as a worrying trend at the beginning of the season, where he tried to do everything himself and ignored his teammates. If he can shake this, though, the Hurricanes have something here.
Seventh-round pick Filip Ekberg has experienced a fell due to his size, at least in some respects. However, he also had a rough first half of the season where he battled illness. When the Ottawa 67s put him on the top line, though, he thrived. Ekberg has shown the ability to be a top-nine power play specialist at the NHL level. Again, this is a rather comfortable NHL projection for Carolina.
Grade and final thoughts
The Hurricanes receive high marks for their 2025 NHL Draft class. With nearly every selection, Carolina came away with a player who comfortably projects to make it in the league. Of course, not all of them will make it. Still, they didn't reach for many players, and even the ones they did reach for, they didn't reach for tools over potential. This is an incredible draft class for the Hurricanes.
Hurricanes draft grade: A-
Best pick: Kurban Limatov – Round 3, Pick 67
Worst pick: Charlie Cerrato – Round 2, Pick 49
Most intriguing: Viggo Nordlund – Round 6, Pick 183
