With the 2017 NHL draft now only three days away, we are well into couple weeks when many NHL fans hunker down with mock drafts, prospect profiles and draft guides to ingest massive amounts of information on prospects that at best they might have seen play for four minutes on a Youtube highlight video. And from this Google research project, we will form strong opinions about who should go #12 or #20 or whatever. On the one hand, it is a ton of fun in June when the draft is one of the few games going hockey-wise. On the other hand, it is important to remember that the strong opinions that we form are light on important depth such as actually watching the players play.
This time last year, Canes and Coffee went a different direction in terms of NHL Draft coverage and followed it up with how we covered the below AHL level prospects during the season. Taking a page from what we try to do at Canes and Coffee which is covering the team at an unmatched level of depth, we shifted our approach to trying to cover the draft and prospects ourselves based on few-hour research projects to leveraging the expertise of people who cover these prospects with the same level of depth, diligence and passion that we cover the Hurricanes. We still provide a summary prospect update here and there, but as much as possible, we aim to get perspective from smart hockey people who are actually watching the players.
So lucky for you, I will not pretend to know who the best player is at #12 based on a week of internet research. Rather, Canes and Coffee is running a series of articles that collect as much ‘from the rink’ insight as possible. By mid-day on Tuesday, we will have posted three pairs of articles covering prospects in the QMJHL, OHL and WHL and will follow up with more pre-draft coverage during the rest of the week.
You can find links to all of the articles at our “Carolina Hurricanes 2017 NHL Draft Central.”
I will however offer this one article to put forward a few organizational thoughts for the upcoming draft that along with player analysis could impact the Carolina Hurricanes 2017 NHL Draft.
Ongoing investments in the goalie pool
In three drafts since taking the general manager’s helm (and possibly equally significantly coinciding with the full-time hiring of Eric Tulsky), Francis’ approach to the goalie position has been to regularly add to his goalie pool and in the process play a numbers game hoping for a winner. He selected Alex Nedeljkovic in the second round in 2014, Callum Booth in the fourth round of 2015, and Jack LaFontaine in the third round along with Jeremy Helvig in the fifth round in 2016. Especially with extra picks still in tow, it seems reasonable to believe that the Hurricanes will again find a goalie that the scouting staff likes to add to the pool.
A legitimate commitment to selecting the best available player
The selection of Jake Bean with the the 13th pick in the 2016 showed very clearly that the Ron Francis and his team were committed to taking the best available player regardless of position and rankings. After a 2015-16 season that saw three rookie defensemen step into the lineup, a positional bias would have had Francis shopping for forward help with both of his first-round picks. Instead, he and his team chose a defenseman with the team’s first pick for the third consecutive year. So if anyone tells you that the Hurricanes will automatically take a forward at #13 on Friday, take it with a grain of salt.
A need to restock the blue line prospect pool
The fact that Jaccob Slavin and Brett Pesce more or less skipped any logical development/transition path between NCAA hockey and the NHL is obviously a huge positive and a top reason why we are talking about moves to make a playoff push in 2017-18. But their rapid rise up the depth chart combined with Noah Hanifin similarly skipping the AHL has left a gap behind them in terms of the defense prospect pool. The team does have Haydn Fleury and Roland McKeown who have shown NHL promise at the AHL level, and Jake Bean leads the team’s 2016 draft class and provides another high-end option. So with a couple near-ready higher-end players and another higher-end long-term prospect in Bean, it is not like the cupboard is bare. But past Bean, the Hurricanes have only seventh-rounder Noah Carroll on defense from the 2015 and 2016 drafts combined. Especially with the success had in the second round or later with Justin Faulk, Jaccob Slavin and Brett Pesce fairly recently, I feel confident in saying that Francis and his team will find at least a few places to nab defensemen to restock the prospect pool at the position.
Could Francis trade forward a year with a pick or two?
The potential obviously exists for the Hurricanes to swing a deal that slightly depletes Francis’ collection of picks but with three extra right now, Francis seems likely to enter the second day of the draft with at least his regular allotment of picks and even a few extra.
Each year, there are a few deals that occur because a team really wants to move up to select a specific player and knows with reasonable certainty that he will not be around when their next selection arrives. In these cases, it is common for a team to overpay slightly in terms of multiple later-round picks to move up.
I see a couple reasons why the Hurricanes could trade a pick or two away for a combination of later-round picks in 2017 but maybe also a 2018 pick of two:
1) As things stand right now, starting with the #42 pick, the Hurricanes have five draft picks basically in the span of a single round. That is a lot of players to identify as high priorities. If Francis’ team only identifies the usual handful of players that they really like in that range, it might make sense to convert an extra pick or two into a different asset.
2) Trading into the 2018 draft preserves the currency fort trades either this summer or possibly at the 2018 trade deadline. When doing deals, draft picks have more universal marketability than players and therefore oftentimes more value. As an example, before used, the #42 draft pick has value as measured by the best of 5-15 players who could be selected with it. While the Hurricanes might be enamored with one player, the scouting staff from another team might not really like that player. So after the pick is used, the value of the pick could decrease significantly for some number of teams who really did not care for the player selected. But obviously draft picks have an expiration date on them since they must be used. But there could be some ability to preserve draft pick assets by transferring them forward a year. Especially if Francis is unable to broker a deal for a difference-making forward before the draft, might he instead swap a 2017 third-round pick for a 2018 third-round pick plus a small sweetener like another fifth-round pick in 2017? Especially if the Hurricanes enter the draft still with extra picks and if a team comes forward willing to pay a premium to move up, I think a deal like this could make sense.
A moderate sense of urgency and a mini-deadline for building the 2017-18 roster
Per my comments above, the fact that draft picks still in hand generally must be used on Saturday creates a bit of a deadline and maybe even some urgency for Ron Francis. If he wants to leverage his stash of extra draft picks to build part of the package necessary to gain a difference-making forward, the window to do so opens Thursday at 8am and closes Saturday late morning as the picks come up. To be clear, there is nothing to say that Francis cannot do a deal after the draft and use prospects or 2018 draft picks, but there very clearly is a window from Thursday to Saturday.
Going Finnish in the second round
Two years ago, Francis and his team made one of the better picks of the 2016 NHL draft when they took Sebastian Aho early in the second round. Aho proceeded to have a phenomenal 2015-16 season in Finland and in international tournaments and followed it up by jumping straight to the NHL level for the 2016-17 season and having a solid rookie campaign. The team followed that up by taking Janne Kuokkane, another Finnish forward, in a similar place in 2016. Who has checked the various draft rankings to see who is available from Finland in the 30-45 range? Will Francis go back to that well again?
Finishing with my unqualified 2 cents for fun
I already gave fair warning about how little I know about the draft-eligible players outside of reading and research, but for fun let me offer my 2 cents on a couple things.
* I think Francis and his team follow their trend and nab a goalie somewhere in the middle rounds. If they happen to like a European netminder, that could help in terms of balancing the bets and scheduling out development.
* If the Hurricanes enter the draft with 9 or 10 (or maybe even 8) draft picks and still without a big forward addition, I think trading forward a draft pick or two to 2018 makes a ton of sense in terms of maintaining trade assets.
* I will be surprised if the team does not add at least two if not three defensemen.
* Again, from reading and two minutes on Youtube, Owen Tippett jumps out at me. From my travels interacting with scouts and analysts for Canes and Coffee’s draft series, I have had multiple scouts describe him as the best right wing available and also the best pure sniper/goal scorer available. Drafting down at #12 and getting ‘bests’ for two important things feels like a win.
And with that, I will get back to rolling out 2017 NHL Draft coverage from hockey professionals who watch the players being considered on an all-year basis instead of a ‘two weeks in June’ basis.
What say you Canes fans?
I am going to save the bigger version of the 2017 NHL Draft banter for the Thursday Coffee Shop but at a more general level…
1) What do you think of the prospect of trading a 2017 draft pick or two forward to 2018 to preserve its trade value and also collect a return for doing so?
2) In looking at some rankings, there is a decent collection of defensemen who could be available at #12. What are the chances that Francis further demonstrates a commitment to ‘best available’ and goes defense first for the fourth year in a row?
And if you just cannot wait for Thursday, feel free to bandy around who you like for some Hurricanes picks.
Go Canes!
1) If we can’t move some of our picks for immediate help this year, or packaging them and moving up a few spots to grab someone we really like(unlikely), I wouldn’t hate turning them into 2018 assets.
2) I think if the best player available is a defenseman, RF takes them, enrages some fans, but will have ultimately made the right choice. Personally, I’d like to use our 1st on one of the riskier forward options like Suzuki, Petterson or Tolvanen. I was under the impression Tippett is all but a lock to be taken before we pick but I would be thrilled if we could get him. I feel like most of the other forwards that are likely to be available project to be middle 6 players with more defensive than offensive upside and we already have an abundance of those in our system.
Matt. I think your commitment to in-depth analysis benefits all of us and is highly commendable. But I also think that the internet has given us tons of information–as with most things–that makes the (well-researched) fan opinion much closer to the expert opinion than 20 years ago. Like buying a car, a well-spent hour or two will give you much of the information that is available to an expert. In fact, as Moneyball drove home, scouts who “see” players often only superimpose their biases. My point is that numbers from league play, tournament play, and the combine tell the committed fan enough to have a good opinion when added to the online comments of scouts and committed bloggers like yourself. So I will be interested to hear what other C&C regulars think, and I will add my own thoughts below.
1) Future assets are always a good thing. The scenario you lay out–getting a future pick plus some return–is quite smart.
2) Based on mock drafts and top player analysis, if Liljegren is still around at 12 I think he would be “best available.”
I agree with several of the points you made. A Finn in the second and D in the second and/or third.
So my two cents–with names for Carolina’s first 5 picks.
1ST ROUND: Would love to have Pettersson fall to 12, I think he is the Scheifele of this draft–won’t be in first 5 picks but will may be best player by 2021. Among the more likely options I would order them Suzuki, Necas, Yamamoto, Andersson. Though if Tippett is available, I agree with you.
2ND ROUND: 42nd pick–Heponiemi. Based on the tools available to the non-professional (online scouting comments, stats, highlight video) this Finnish player has the highest ceiling. He showed at the combine that his strength should compensate for his light weight. In fact, if the Canes don’t get Heponiemi, I will consider the draft a letdown.
52nd pick–Luke Martin. A big RHD, just what the organization needs to replenish its pool.
62nd pick–Rasanen. An even bigger RHD. If the Canes can get two high-potential forwards with their first two picks, I think taking two RHD makes sense if they don’t use the other second round picks in trades.
Beyond the 2nd I agree that the organization will seek a goalie.
IT’S ALMOST HERE!!!
The draft is one of my favorite times of the year, I’m very excited to see what happens starting Thursday once trades can happen again.
Unfortunately, I don’t see GMRF making the huge splash for an impact player. I think the combination of a relatively weak draft class, plus not trading prospects before you know their full worth limits what he can pull off.
That said, I think you’ll see movement from the Canes. I don’t think they’ll use all of their picks.
At 12th overall, you’re kind of stuck in a no man’s land between the top tier of projectable prospects and a lot of players that either have lower ceilings or lots of questions.
I would like to see the Canes trade up into the top 10. Top 5 pr Baby won’t happen due to cost, but who knows. AZ and Buffalo both have an organizational need for defense that could be addressed at #12, and they could gain a pick or two to slide back. If they’ll make the trade for just picks, I see GMRF giving up #12 plus the 1st of his 2nd rounders plus the later 3rd to do so.
If Glass, Middlestadt or Pettersson are still available, I hope to see this being proposed. It’s still a wait for those players to develop, probably 2 years, but it puts one of the top tier offensive players from this draft in the pipeline.
If the Canes stay put, I think Lias Andersson makes the most sense, and a few mocks have him coming to us. He’s a higher floor prospect, meaning he’s safely a 3rd liner, he may end up being in the top 6 though.
Later round predictions, I match up with Matt.
I think we’ll see at least one of the goalie prospects; I like what I’ve seen and read about Petruzzelli and Pekka-Lukkonen, who would cover our Finnish drafting requirements. Both should be available in the 2nd, but might be gone by when the Canes pick.
I think it’s safe to predict we’ll draft at least one defenseman either in the USHL or committed to a university; a player that is raw but has a lot of the qualities you look for. The reason why Matt has covered well before: you get 4 years to let this player develop instead of 2 for a player out of juniors. It’s a brilliant move when it comes to young dmen that take time to develop.
I personally hope we see a real swing for the fence, boom or bust type pick if we still have an extra 2nd or 3rd rounder.
Based on what I’ve read I don’t like the prospects with these qualities in the 1st round (I don’t think Suzuki will have the same impact at the pro level, Tolaven is small with really only an ace shot on his resume, and Yamato, for all his skill and heart, risks injury every second he’ll be on NHL ice at that size).
However, GMRF likes guys with size that can skate well that haven’t seen their production explode yet (see Hudson Elynuk for example) and I think he will spent at least one pick on another player like this.
Is it Friday yet?
1. Ambivalence is my primary response to moving 2017 picks into 2018 unless of course they can made substantially better, earlier picks, which given the difficulty in guessing the 2018 draft order is a barrel shoot at best. Given there is a bit of luck in determining which high school junior has the best chance of making the NHL, 3 chances in a round triples your chances of finding one, odds I like.
2. Ron Francis has his rebuild plan, likes keeping it secret, and won’t be rushed to get it accomplished. That first pick will be best available player, regardless of position, w/o regard to team needs this fall. The fact he has drafted defense first each year he has picked will not effect this years pick what so ever. Further, 2 factors may encourage the pick for a defensemen. First, the best way for this team to get the 1C it so badly needs would be team depth that makes a player like Slavin expendable. Second, the next expansion draft will likely expose a very good young defensemen, making defensive depth a critical need. Looking out 3 years ahead, about the time this pick could be NHL ready, more D could be predictably our most pressing need.
1/ 10 picks is a lot of picks for one draft, so if we can get paid to slot back a year, that’s fine with me. However, surgalt is right: having 3x the chance of “getting lucky” in the 2nd/3rd rounds, when drafting is notoriously a crap-shoot, is also a fine strategy. The rosters of Cup winners (and our own blue-line) are loaded with mid-round picks that turn into foundational players. I’m happy either way.
2/ When I look at the Drouin trade and read about the rumored deals for Galchenyuk/Duchene, etc., they all involve a young defensemen. So, given there’s likely to be another expansion draft in 2-3 years and the premium/trade-value the league places on young, quality defensemen, I say, pick the best player and, if case of doubt, draft on Defense!!!
(On another note, given the rumors around the Islanders and what they’re willing to give up in a trade for a Center to incent Tavares to sign-and-stay, it’s hard to see how we land a 1C without giving up one of our Top-4. The competition and price is intense for these players, even RNH and Eberle. I’m way less optimistic than I was a week ago that we’ll close on the “big trade.” I’m now expecting incremental lineup-building instead.)
GMRF should be able to find an adequate deal with a mix of picks, prospects, and/or “B” level players. That deal needs to return a top 6 scorer. Failing that, I don’t see any reason to trade 2017 picks for future picks unless we get multiple picks back with better draft position. Still, I think that this year’s picks are currency that will be used, possibly prior to Friday.
My hope is that we don’t use a pick to offload Eddie Lack (or Cam Ward) to Vegas. We’re not in cap trouble and even though it is real money, we might need that salary to get us to the floor. Besides, goalies get hurt all the time. Stashing Lack in Charlotte for emergency purposes won’t be the worst thing that could happen.
I think there will be a very good forward prospect available at #12. Suzuki, Rasmussen, Vesalainen (who I like more than most), or Andersson will likely be the group from which we’ll be able to select. If Liljegren is there, then I’d easily pick him and happily move along. However, I doubt highly that we have a 1st round pick as I’m much more inclined to believe it will be traded.
There are a number of interesting guys in the 2nd and 3rd round. Personally, I like Filip Chytil, the Czech speedster who has impressed scouts recently (played in the Czech men’s league). If he’s there at 42, that’s who I’d likely take based on my read of who will already be gone. While I like Luke Martin a lot, there is some question as to his mobility. I’d probably reach a little and grab Haydn’s younger brother, Cale Fleury, at #52. He’s a RHD who captained the worst team in the WHL. There’s a lot to like about this kid. At #62 is where I’d hope to pick up my Finn. I also like Heponiemi, but think he’s likely gone. I’ve been following Joni Ikonen and like what I’ve seen. Another lightning fast skater with a ton of skill, I’d even be willing to take him at #42 in place of Chytil.
Given where we are in our goalie pipeline, I’d probably wait until the 4th or 5th round to draft a net-minder. There’s a pretty good crop and should be some of the “boom or bust” options at that point in the draft. Personally, I really like Dayton Rasmussen. Still a bit raw, he’s won a ton of kudos from scouts. He’ll be heading to the great Univ. of Denver program to continue to develop. Stash him there for a few years and see what happens.
I’d hope we again look at some of the over-agers in this year’s draft. As a late round flyer, I’d look at a guy like Nick Perbix who is headed to St. Cloud in the Fall. In my mock draft, I picked a bunch of northern European forwards as I think Finland and Sweden both have a nice crop of prospects this year.
1) I do not see much value in moving picks forward to 2018. If we get a little higher pick, fine, but I see no reason for looking to move picks to 2018. They call this weaker draft. So what does that really mean, there are no supper stars like Matthews, etc. So what about after the top 5. We are talking about 2nd and 3rdound picks that we would probably be moving, if we did. Is a stronger draft going to make the choices any better in 2018 at this level. The point being things drop off after the first 5 or so.
2) I have been dissecting the draft for several months. Really, after the first 2 (maybe a little higher) all the experts are all over the place in terms of ratings. These guys are all so close. Does it really make much sense to move up in this draft. Do you get much more for wasting a draft pick to move up? I would love to see Owen Tippett but he will be gone by the time we select. There are several good names. I think these guys are so close that I question if it makes sense to move up in the draft. RF certainly has a better handle. I am sure he will attempt to move up if he feels there is a special guy. I think RF will take best available and if it is a defense man, yes, he will do that. There are several guys on my list I would be happy with but they are all in the same group talent-wise.
I guess my position is if you can move up with a 4th or later pick and RF finds somebody he really likes, go for it. I would not be trading 3rd or second round picks along with our first to move up.
I’m going to respectfully disagree with regard to trading up.
It’s true that ratings lack consensus, which could mean a great player falls to us.
However this draft is very light on top end offensive talent, and those players are all but guaranteed to go before the safer picks and most dmen.
Teams prioritize drafting offensive skill at the highest end of the draft because it is so hard to come by.
The Canes have the picks, if there’s not a trade before the draft I think you spend a couple to move up and take what you can.
Np problem at all atg. I just do not believe there is enough of a difference in talent to make it worth while. I would be happy to be wrong.
There’s some research out there that basically says, the more kicks at the can the better. I tend to agree. Draft picks are like lottery tickets, you want as many as you can get.
Maybe a bit of a reach, but moving a few 2017 picks to a 2018 pick does give GMRF a chip or two to use if (hopefully) we’re making a playoff push and look to get rental at the deadline.
One of the reasons I enjoy this site is…diversity of opinions, and insight, with the ability to support those views with facts!
My views are somewhat different than most of the above, partly because they’re colored by my reactions to previous year’s mistakes (what I perceive were mistakes). Maybe I have facts to support my views (probably you’ll call them supposition).
Let’s start with the goalie situation in the last few years (more than JUST LAST YEAR). I was convinced, well before last year, that we needed a better goalie. RF really appeared to not be aware of (or ignored) that fact. Last year (if not before) the Canes needed help at forward (more than one). RF used his draft pick on a Dman (while doing almost nothing about our prime need)…I know it was a draft pick who would not affect the need for a forward (who could help right away), but he could have traded it for that!!
…or he could have done both… it pissed me off that he got a Dman (who may NEVER PLAY HERE), that wasn’t needed any time soon, and ignored the present needs of EVERYTHING ELSE!
Now this year (finally) we have an apparent upgrade at goalie.
Does anyone think our 1st Rd draft pick (even if he’s a forward), will fill the current (AND CONTINUING) need for ONE OR MORE FORWARDS?
My question is simply…WHY NOT FIX THE PROBLEM…NOW?? Trade pick(s) for a decent forward! Putting off obvious problems (hoping for a miracle NEXT YEAR, NEXT YEAR…) Why get those extra picks, if you’re not using them for anything?
Color ME IMPATIENT…I WANT TO SEE THE CANES IN ANOTHER PLAYOFF, before I die…
I would be more then happy to trade our picks for a top forward. The problem I see is teams will want a top 4D as part of that. I do not think picks alone will get us there. Anyway, do not disagree, in fact, totally agree, just question if it can happen. I agree that we have been too conservative. I would be all for using picks to address the issue now.
Completely agree Puckgod. It took some time to spark it, and it is still a work in process, but one of my favorite things about Canes and Coffee is the growing amount of discussion and friendly debate.
While catchy, the name Canes and Coffee was chosen very intentionally with a vision for a site that took on a coffee shop kind of feel over time.
Thank you so much to our group of trailblazers who are making that happen!
Let’s make sure we keep the friendly neighborhood coffee shop atmosphere that has developed and also make sure we welcome new neighbors with a friendly greeting and welcoming atmosphere.
puckgod, just a comment to further expand on your statement “…will fill the current (AND CONTINUING need for ONE OR MORE FORWARDS.` We needed at least one 1st line forward (IMO preferably a center)before the expansion draft. If Stempniak and his 16 goals and aboility to play up and down the lineup is selected by Vegas, we will now need to replace those 16 goals plus get the 1st line scorer we needed before. I hope RF has some plan in place because otherwise we will have to RELY ON one or two of our AHL graduates to replicate what Aho did last year. Right now, our scoring ability on paper appears to be worse than last year’s. You can put me in the “Color ME IMPATIENT…` group right now. I’m just banking on RF to address this problem THIS OFFSEASON (I have no other choice).
1. I’m ok with future picks… That seems to be the way RF works. He likes to have cards to play with… and IMHO it has served him well.
2. Also think based on RF’s past, he will get whatever is the best player at the position.
New question: Not to change the thread, but is your (Matt) scenario where we get another top 4,5 D to trade for a forward still possible, or did that pass with the list going to LV?
Also want to say I really enjoy reading all the posts here! Nice work everyone…..
On another discussion board there was some talk of trading back in this year’s draft. Maybe working a deal with St. Louis who has pick #20 and pick #27. One of the proposals was Carolina trading pick #12 and pick #42 for picks #20, #27, and #51. That would open up a world of possibilities, plus maybe even allow us to package both 1st rounders with a prospect to get a higher return…just a thought.
Response to Puck God:
Goalie fiasco: You couldn’t be more right on this. Nothing made sense. Committing to Lack too early, resigning Ward inexplicably painted RF in a corner with 2 undependable untradeable goaltenders. Can’t argue with your WTF on this point
Draft Choices: RF inherited a prospect pipeline that was very sparsely stocked in all areas. His team never won the draft lottery. Expecting immediate help from the draft to cure NHL level manpower issues was never a luxury RF had. The fact that the defensive side of the pipeline is looking good is partly the result of the last 3 drafts. He deserves credit for that part of the rebuild. The discussion of perhaps being able to trade defense for offense is a new luxury for our general manager, one he has never had before. He really should be given another month to cook or get off the stove on this opportunity. Jumping ugly on him now is premature.
Draft Expectations: The draft is about finding high school sophomores and juniors that will someday play in the NHL. Many drafted after 5th never play over 100 games in the league. It is a wildly unpredictable crap shoot. The draft never was and never will be the place where immediate needs are solved. The draft is about the critical need to fill the pipeline from juniors to the Checkers for development to be NHLers. Not filling the pipeline got is in this predicament, not filling the pipeline will keep us in the same predicament.
Inaction this past weekend: Only one team of 30 found a deal that suited them. RF was one of 29 others who did not. As is often said, the best trade can be the one you don’t make. There clearly weren’t a large pile of reasonable moves out there for the taking.
Selecting Jake Bean last year: Saying “who may NEVER PLAY HERE” about Bean will likely only be true if he is eventually traded for the offensive piece we badly need. Bean could even be the piece that makes Faulk dispensable and tradeable for a key forward. Tincture of time is needed to properly evaluate his selection. Right now he’s a teenager who needs to shave weekly to look neatly groomed.
Going “all in” now: Simply put, Imprudent. The plan is to draft better, develop better, use the AHL to “over ripen talent”. Rebuilds are time consuming, inglorious and frustrating to watch as a fan. The inaction of the last 5 days seems to have pushed you to a breaking point. Don’t create bad bile over something you can’t control, It’s just a game.
Extremely well said. I share your sentiments exactly with respect to all points, especially the draft-as-crapshoot comment and even more especially the rebuilds-take-time-and-patience comment.
This fan, though frustrated that it isn’t happening faster, is extremely encouraged by the progress this past year, our growing depth, and our stockpile of futures. We are building this the right way. Look at Columbus: with a few decent trades and signings, the pace can accelerate even without a top 2-3 pick in the draft.
It’s super exciting to be a Canes fan now.