On Tuesday night, the Carolina Hurricanes prospects wrapped a perfect event with a 4-0 record some championship hardware in the 2016 Traverse City NHL prospects tourney. The Hurricanes have not won the tourney since 2009 which was also the last time the team played playoff hockey, so hopefully the victory foretells even greater things to come.
You can find recaps here:
A naysayer might say that the tourney is just an exhibition tourney for the sake of player development. But for the Hurricanes organization specifically, I think the tourney championship has significant value and meaning.
Setting a tone with the Hurricanes kids
This tournament is the first time that about 8 of the players played against an opponent wearing a Hurricanes uniform. There is something powerful about winning a championship especially when it is also the first time that many of these players played together.
A positive vibe heading into training camp
These players should arrive back in Raleigh on Wednesday with a day to recoup before starting the NHL training camp on Friday. Roughly one-third of the players on the ice on Friday will have a 4-game winning streak and an early season championship under their belts. That should bring positive energy into training camp.
Momentum for individual players
The Canes roster is a bit more set than this time last year with fewer openings, but there is still a chance that a player or 2 rides momentum from Traverse City into training and uses it to push deep into training camp and a chance to win an opening night roster spot.
The Hurricanes prospect pool is becoming much deeper
When you consider that the Hurricanes first and second round picks from the 2015 draft (Noah Hanifin and Sebastian Aho) did not participate because they are already a notch above the prospect level and also that leader Haydn Fleury was lost after 1 game, the championship is even more impressive. A significant part of that is Ron Francis’ commitment to adding depth in the organization. In addition to Canes draftees, the roster also featured a few players obtained with extra draft picks and also Roland McKeown and Valentin Zykov who were obtained in trades. The Hurricanes also have 5 prospects who are playing NCAA hockey in 2016-17 and were therefore not available for Traverse City.
This last one is easily my favorite. Winning prospect tourneys does not guarantee success 2-3 years out, but it does suggest that the pool of players that might help drive success in 2-3 years is in a good place right now.
Go Canes!
Agreed! The Hurricanes have slowly built momentum through the draft and adept management of players. A winning culture is not one that you “hire in” through free agency these days. You have to build from within. Winning a tournament like this is important in many ways, it shows that the process is working, it proves that the method and type of play and instruction work, it gives the fan base a reason to support the team as it transitions from mediocrity to sustainable promise.
I completely agree that our prospect pool is finally deepening. Having watched all the games on the live stream (thanks Red Wings), it was pretty obvious that RF’s master plan is in full swing. The talent level of our young players, versus the tournament’s other NHL team’s young players, definitely stood out. Which brings me to this point… Gauthier’s power move on his second goal last night was a thing of beauty – his skill, strength, and speed, were all on display, so it’s just a shame that the CHL’s arcane rules will probably force him to play another year in the Q. After seeing the size and skill level of this young man, along with a few others, I have no doubt he could easily play in the AHL, and benefit from that experience far more than another year of playing against younger and less skilled opponents. At some point, with the talent and strength level of 18-20 year-olds ever increasing, the NHL is going to have to work something out with the CHL. At least allow each NHL team to have one exemption to the current rule, so that these extremely talented young players can go on and start their careers.
Arguably the Canes dominated every aspect of every game in possession, speed and physicality. Impressive young crop we have budding.