After ranking the top 100 NHL prospects for 2015-16, and ranking each team by organizational depth, ESPN Insider Corey Pronman ranks the top 10 prospects for each NHL team. Here is his entry for the Carolina Hurricanes. Extended write-ups on prospects ranked in the top 100 can be accessed here.
The Canes have one of the stronger groups of defensive prospects in the league, and overall, they boast a high-quality farm system.
Roland McKeown, acquired by Carolina in the Andrej Sekera deal with the Kings, saw his point totals dip a bit this past season, but every time I watched him I came away very impressed. McKeown is a highly mobile defender with great hockey sense. He was excellent defensively in the OHL, and showed above-average abilities as a puck mover, too. He's not a flashy rusher type, but he gets into the offense due to his mobility and vision, even if he tends to make the safer plays at times.
Trevor Carrick was very impressive in his rookie pro season, landing among his AHL team's top scorers. He's big, strong, hits like a truck and shows above-average offensive skill. His mobility hampers him a bit in his own end, but he's shown he can still make some stops. Carrick is a case of a player improving his prospect stock once he goes from junior to the pros, showing he can excel in that environment; he was not as well-thought-of earlier in his development.
Sergei Tolchinsky is a very dynamic little guy. His skating and puck skills are top-end, and he makes some unique plays. The question with him is if he'll be able to win any puck battles versus NHL defensemen when he turns pro next season.
At one point, Nicolas Roy was thought to be a surefire elite NHL prospect, but he didn't have a great season. Roy's hockey sense is very high in terms of how he sees the ice, anticipates how to create chances and reads defensive cues. Roy is a decent skater -- fine for his size -- but has a bit of a low-energy style in which he isn't fully exerting his stride; his first few steps could also use work.
Brock McGinn isn't a high-offensive-upside type of player, but he skates well, hits hard, works his rear off on every shift and can make some plays with the puck. Phil Di Giuseppe is a highly skilled puck handler who is agile and can finish, but is a bit of a work in progress when playing in his half of the ice and trying to retrieve the puck back from the opponent.
A couple of honorable mentions are defensemen Brett Pesce and Jaccob Slavin, as well as goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic. I think you could reasonably argue any of those three prospects anywhere up to the No. 8 spot in the system.
Noteworthy prospect
Lucas Wallmark's development flattened out a little bit this season, but he still remains a pretty desirable prospect. He's a top-end passer who can control a power play. His skating still isn't great, but his defense has shown some signs of improvement.
2015-16 impact
It wouldn't surprise me to see No. 5 overall pick Noah Hanifin push for an NHL job by midseason, if not right out of camp. Carrick is also knocking on the door, and might be able to make the team out of camp if there is a spot for him to take.