3 Hurricanes Draft Targets With Their First-Round Pick

I love being able to watch prospects live because it gives you a different perspective than just watching the tape. The thing that jumped out to me the most about Zonnon is the way he uses his frame. When he’s below the goal line with the puck, he uses quick turns and shifts of his body to create space for himself, and opens up lanes to pass the puck into or attack the crease. He’s strong and knows how to use his upper body as leverage, and has the skill to make a play when he creates that separation for himself. He’s a pretty intense player as well; he likes to get in on the forecheck and throw his weight around. It’s not really a surprise, but at the QMJHL level, when he goes into a 50/50 battle, he’s almost guaranteed to emerge with the puck.

He’s definitely worth a look later in the first round. There are some questions about his upside because he doesn’t really bring a dynamic skill trait, but his combination of speed and effort, mixed with a fast release and playmaking ability, gives him a solid middle-six projection. He can step into whatever role you need from him, whether that be as a complementary player on a top scoring line or as an all-energy, aggressive checking line forward. I feel that he’s a relatively safe pick at this stage of the draft — you’re not getting massive upside, but you’re getting a player that is almost certain to play NHL games just based on his skill set alone.

Ivan Ryabkin

For the past several years, the Hurricanes have pounced on Russian players who’ve seen themselves slip down the draft board, trying to find value in prospects that other teams may have red flags on. Ivan Ryabkin, a 5-foot-11, 205-pound center who plays with an edge and a highly aggressive style, would fit that bill. Before this season, he was in the conversation to be amongst the first players selected in the 2025 Draft — even mentioned as potentially the best player in the draft class — but a very difficult season has seen his stock plummet to the point where he’s now a real wild card in this draft.

Whether or not Ryabkin will still be available when the Hurricanes make their first selection is up for debate, but if he’s there, I firmly believe he’s a player who will intrigue Tulsky and his scouting staff. He’s solidly built and plays a vicious style, crashing the net and offering a gritty game. He’s shown that he can score in bunches, play the cycle, and match up against opposing top lines. Overall, he’s a player that would be a seamless fit for the brand of hockey that the Hurricanes have committed to playing, and with time and development, he could become the long-coveted 2C behind Sebastian Aho.

For Ryabkin, the biggest problem that he’s had is his issues with consistency this past year. A bit of a draft-year curse, he struggled in a Dynamo Moscow junior system that he looked unstoppable in just a year ago, before making the jump to the United States Hockey League (USHL) with the Muskegon Lumberjacks. There, he scored 19 goals in 27 league games and then led the team to winning the USHL Championship, but didn’t quite dominate the way you would expect of a potential franchise prospect. As such, some scouts have him falling out of the first round entirely, and have speculated he may even be a mid-round selection considering his off-ice issues. However, even if he doesn’t amount to the hype and ceiling that was projected of him in the past, I believe Ryabkin can still become a dynamic player in the right setting. He’s got all the tools, and the Hurricanes would be wise to develop this player if he’s available to them.

Kurban Limatov

The Hurricanes typically don’t draft defensemen in the first round, but considering the development of mid-round pick Alexander Nikishin into a world-class prospect, maybe they’ll change their approach if the right situation arises. Enter Kurban Limatov, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound defender from Dynamo Moscow. He has all of the tools that the Hurricanes covet — he’s a very smooth skater and can move the puck well in transition, while having size and physicality on the defensive side of the puck.

In terms of his future, Limatov is considered a bit of a project, but this is a situation where the Hurricanes can afford to wait. Most of their current core on the defensive side — Jaccob Slavin, Sean Walker, Jalen Chatfield and the aforementioned Nikishin — are under team control for multiple years and would allow Limatov to develop at his own pace. He has the natural ability to become a potential top-four defender down the road and can grow into a player who can be trusted in all situations. Considering the upside, I’m surprised he’s not getting more hype higher than the late first/early second round, but that may be because of how raw he is and the wait for his arrival, as he’s a clear long-term project. This could be a great value find.

As always, the important thing to remember with prospects is that development is non-linear. Some players take longer to figure it out than others, and some players never do. Wisely, the Hurricanes’ philosophy over the past few drafts has been to trade back and add more picks, therefore adding more players to their system, which has helped their prospect group grow into one of the deepest in the NHL.