The exit interviews and the end-of-season press conference with general manager Don Waddell and head coach Rod Brind’Amour are officially over for the Carolina Hurricanes. All eyes for the organization now turn to the 2024 NHL Entry Draft that will be held at The Sphere in Las Vegas, NV on June 28-29. The Hurricanes will have the 27th overall pick in the first round, and there are some questions on who they could take at that pick. In the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, they selected Bradly Nadeau from the Penticton Vees of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL).
While Waddell said that the team needs to find its right-shot center this offseason, that could be better served in a trade or through free agency. In the upcoming draft, it might be best to look for winger depth, which seems short on both sides for the Hurricanes as they are loaded with pure centers or guys who can play both wing and center. A true winger could be the way to go in the first round with the 27th pick, and there is one player who could be used in Brind’Amour’s system if he makes it onto the team’s roster in the future.
Let’s Talk Adam Jecho
A player who the Hurricanes could look at with the 27th pick in the draft is right winger Adam Jecho of the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) Edmonton Oil Kings. He is an 18-year-old winger from Zlin, Czechia who just played his rookie season for the Oil Kings in the 2023-24 season. In his first year in North America, he played 54 games and tallied 23 goals and 47 points. He is no stranger to scoring as he had 21 goals and 47 points with Tappara’s Under-18 team in the U18 SM-sarja league in Finland. That was after he accumulated 36 points in 43 games the season before. The Czechia native made a name for himself in Finland before coming over to North America in the WHL. He was the third-overall pick by the Oil Kings in the 2023 CHL Import Draft.
Related: Adam Jecho – 2024 NHL Draft Prospect Profile
Jecho comes into the draft as a 6-foot-5, 201-pound right-shot right-winger who is ranked 22nd by NHL Central Scouting for North American players. Regarding his player profile, he has a big, strong, powerful frame that can lean toward the style of being a goalscorer more than a distributor. Furthermore, he is a player who plays as someone who competes and gives all he has every shift. While he may not reach a top-six role, he can give you some solid play as a future middle-six player with a great net-front presence. In that aspect, he is heavy along the wall and hard to move out of the goalie’s eyes around the crease. A player comparison for him in terms of the Hurricanes is Stefan Noesen.
Given some time to grow within the Hurricanes organization, Jecho could become the Noesen of the future for Brind’Amour and the team. He can be a net-front guy who is big and physical and someone who could be a solid penalty killer. Noesen said on the latest Storm Report with Hurricanes beat writer Walt Ruff that his hockey IQ is what got him where he is now. Regarding Jecho, he is someone the scouts view as a player who has a sound hockey sense. Plus, he can front the play on the penalty kill while getting in the lane to disrupt the flow and potentially block shots.
Related: 2024 NHL Draft Guide
While he has those upsides, he still has room for his skating to improve. Plus, being more explosive to get room in the open ice with a decent pace is required in the NHL game. To be compared to Noesen does give Jecho a shot to become someone the Hurricanes can use in the future in the middle-six and on the penalty kill. He’s a solid checking forward who can score while setting up his teammates. A 200-foot player who has the chance to fit in well for Carolina in Brind’amour’s system. He is projected anywhere from 20th to 40th overall in the draft, maybe in the 50s. However, taking him at 27 could be beneficial for the Hurricanes as a steal pick in the first round and someone they can mold into a solid right-winger of the future as a true winger instead of the hybrid center/winger role that the team always has a surplus of in the system. It will be something to keep an eye on for the Hurricanes at 27 also if Jecho could be someone the team can take at the pick.
2024 NHL Entry Draft
The 2024 NHL Entry Draft will be held on June 28 & 29 at the Sphere in Las Vegas, NV. Carolina has three six-round picks (two via Ottawa Senators & Toronto Maple Leafs) while having one pick each in the other rounds. The Hurricanes have the 60th overall pick in the second round to kick off Day 2 of the draft.
