If I were to ask you about the last six years’ worth of first-round picks in the Carolina Hurricanes organization, you may struggle. Bradley Nadeau was the option the Hurricanes took at this most recent draft, but they didn’t pick in the first round of the two drafts prior. One draft was due to the offer sheet of Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and the other the Hurricanes just traded down. In the three drafts prior, two players were selected who are important parts of the big club roster; Seth Jarvis in 2020 and Andrei Svechnikov in 2018.
However, in 2019, the Hurricanes drafted Ryan Suzuki from the Barrie Colts with the 28th overall pick. He has been one of the most scrutinized members of the Canes’ prospect pool for several reasons, but at the age of 22, concerns over his ability to make the NHL are coming to a head. What the future holds for the London, Ontario native is still uncertain ahead of the 2023-24 season.
AHL Uncertainty
Suzuki is unlikely to report to the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League (AHL) because of the breakdown in affiliation between the two clubs. It means that wherever the talented youngster ends up, he will likely have to get accustomed to a new home, and that could add some difficulty to the development path of a player who has already struggled to get game time. Moving to another team that isn’t in the Hurricanes’ system could affect him negatively at a crucial point in his development.
Last season with the Wolves, Suzuki had 13 goals and 19 assists for 32 points in 50 games. Those aren’t blowing anyone away, but it’s a modest improvement from the seven goals and seven assists for 14 points he had the season before in the 34 games he played. He’s been making progress in the lower leagues as he becomes a better player, but he’s still got a long way to go before he lives up to the expectations placed on him when he was drafted.
Suzuki’s Dominant Prospects Camp
During the Hurricanes’ prospect tournament against the farm systems of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, and Nashville Predators, Suzuki seemed to be a cut above the rest. As the highest caliber player in draft position, this was to be expected. He was Carolina’s only first-round pick at the tournament, so to say he had a better showing than some of the other players who joined him is not a surprise.
Specifically, in that final game against the Nashville Predators, Suzuki looked like he was a dominant force. Creating chances with his speed and ability to read the play, he showed the immense talent he still has. Coming into the preseason with the big club, Suzuki is going to be one of the guys to watch because the clock is perhaps ticking a little faster on his NHL dream than some would like to admit.
Suzuki’s hands have always been admired by those scouting the brother of the Montreal Canadiens captain, so to see him get chances on breakaways in the preseason that he created for himself was a good sign. While he may not be the talent Nick is in Quebec, seeing Ryan show off his ability to create chances and dangerous rushes for himself with his hard work is a good sign of what is to come in the future for the Canes’ former first-round draft selection.
Unfair Expectations and Development Derailment
Suzuki has had the rough end of the deal since being drafted. He suffered a scary eye injury in November 2019 when he was caught up high by a stick that left him with a permanent blind spot in his right eye, and he’s lucky it’s just a spot. He picked off a cross-ice pass from Ilya Solovyov when he was playing with the Barrie Colts against the Saginaw Spirit. He started skating through, and Solovyov’s stick came up when he was trying to knock him off the puck. Officially, it was listed as a torn retina, and it left Suzuki with permanent damage both in terms of his vision and the surrounding areas.
With the COVID-19 pandemic causing extreme issues for the world as a whole, the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) didn’t operate under the worldwide lockdown. This meant Suzuki was pushed into the AHL as a 19-year-old before he was probably ready to turn pro. While this was not the same quality of AHL due to the NHL’s taxi squads having a few of the higher-end veterans, it would have remained difficult for a kid to make his mark in a men’s league like that.
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On top of that, injuries seem to have just followed him around his entire career. He was placed on non-roster injured reserve at the beginning of last season because of an upper-body issue. Suzuki’s injury struggles have affected his development as much as the scary eye injury or the pandemic that has made it difficult for many prospects to break into the league.
Making the NHL
Realistically, the next step for Suzuki is making it into the big leagues. He’s started to show he’s a dominant AHL player, and at the age of 22, he’s going to be knocking on the door soon. There’s a spot available for him right now if the Canes are willing to give him that chance. Jack Drury hasn’t exactly cemented his place in the lineup. With a good camp, Suzuki may win the 4C spot. If he can do that and add some much-needed depth scoring to this roster, there’s no reason he couldn’t see some time in the NHL this season.
It’s more likely that Suzuki will take longer to acclimatize to the professional game in the AHL somewhere. Playing on a good roster in the AHL can give the centerman more confidence and could revive the once lofty expectations placed upon the shoulders of a young man. He’s looked good in the build-up to the new season, and there is hope that the Hurricanes organization could yet see the fruit of its labors in 2019. Only time has the answers as to what the future holds for this youngster.
