Hurricanes’ Goaltending Pipeline on Verge of a Reset

As history suggests, goaltender development is extremely tough and while it seemed that Hamrla had a perfect role model in the organization to learn from, Mrazek subsequently departed that same summer just as Hamrla made the jump from Karlovy Vary in the Czech Extraliga over to the Rimouski Oceanic in the Quebec Maritimes Major Junior League (QMJHL). In Rimouski, he played two seasons where he showed flashes of the potential the Hurricanes envisioned when they drafted him, but he was plagued with inconsistencies behind what were considered below-average rosters. From there, it was clear he wasn’t ready to turn pro in North America so the Hurricanes allowed him to return to Europe, where he’s unfortunately floundered ever since.

This past season, Hamrla played for HC Vyškov in the Czech third tier, where he posted an 11-13-0 record with a 3.31 goals against average (GAA). His save percentage (SV%) isn’t listed anywhere — likely due to the low stature of the league. Last season, he was with KooVee of the Finnish second tier, where he went 5-13-2 with a 4.10 GAA and a .870 SV%. At these lower levels, a goaltender with any real NHL upside should be dominating, but Hamrla has still been unable to find any semblance of consistency.

With all of this in mind, it’s looking extremely likely that Hamrla’s time in the Hurricanes organization will end later next week. The team holds his rights until June 1, and over the past four years since his selection, he hasn’t shown capable of being a pro-level goaltender. I’d watched him play live in the QMJHL a couple of times and I was bullish on his upside, but unfortunately his return to Europe stalled his progression and exposed his flaws playing against grown men. The dream of him becoming Mrazek 2.0 is sadly dead.

Nikita Quapp

The second of three goaltenders drafted by the Hurricanes in 2021 (more on the third guy down below), Quapp was selected 187th overall in the sixth round out of Germany. He has great size at 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, and represented his country in both the 2022 and 2023 World Junior Championships. Unfortunately, aside from that, he’s had his struggles breaking through at the German DEL (top tier) level.

His rights are also set to expire on June 1. Considering that he just signed with a German second-tier club, Eispiraten Crimmitschau, just a few days ago, I think it’s safe to conclude that he will not be signing an entry-level contract (ELC) with the Hurricanes. This past season he was relegated to backup duty with Dusseldorfer EG, who dropped out of the German top tier and subsequently moved on from Quapp. He was credited with making nine appearances this past season with zero wins, and managed just a .870 SV%. Much like Hamrla, he’s far from ready to make the jump to North American pro hockey, and I could envision him sticking around in his native Germany for much of his career.

The Rest of the Pack

Yaniv Perets

Perets’ two-year run as a starter at Quinnipiac University made him a hot commodity as a college free-agent signing in the summer of 2023. Over his two seasons there, he amassed a 56-9-5 record, allowed just 96 goals in his 72 credited appearances, and posted a .936 SV% with an incredible 21 shutouts. He was also a top-10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award in his final collegiate season. When the Hurricanes won the sweepstakes to sign him, there was a substantial amount of buzz and excitement around it.

Fast forward to today, and Perets is now approaching restricted free agent (RFA) status as a 25-year-old. He’s played primarily at the ECHL level, where he took a sizeable step forward statistically this season — although that progression only led to four American Hockey League (AHL) starts. He’s undersized at 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds, and sits firmly behind 20-year-old Ruslan Khazheyev on the organizational depth chart. With Miftakhov reportedly arriving from Russia, it’s hard to envision Perets breaking into the Chicago Wolves’ rotation. Perhaps the Hurricanes look to keep him around for additional depth, but I would not be surprised if he’s not qualified as an RFA and given the chance to search elsewhere for a better opportunity at an AHL roster. In the big picture, it’s hard to consider him an NHL-level talent at this stage.

Amir Miftakhov

According to sources, Miftakhov is set to join the Hurricanes organization this summer. The 25-year old from Kazan, Russia, is also reportedly very close friends with Andrei Svechnikov. He was selected late in the 2020 Draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning, and signed an ELC with them, but that contract was mutually terminated after just one season where Miftakhov was unable to acclimatize to the AHL level. In an interview with Russian media last summer, he acknowledged he was ready to give North American hockey another shot, even if it meant starting off in the AHL — which is where the Hurricanes came into play.

Miftakhov seems likely to enter the 2025-26 season as the Hurricanes’ third-string goaltender behind Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov. The holdover in that position, Spencer Martin, is set to be a free agent after losing his spot to 35-year old Dustin Tokarski. Unless the Hurricanes plan to dip into free agency on July 1, that spot is now Miftakhov’s to lose — and for good reason. He posted a .927 SV% in 30 games for Ak-Bars Kazan in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), and had emerged as a consistent and reliable option for that club over the past two seasons since his departure from the Lightning organization. He’ll now have another chance to prove he can crack the AHL — which he should now be more ready for, and could figure to move up the organization totem pole in due time if he can match his KHL level of play.

Ruslan Khazheyev

The Canes’ fifth-round pick in 2023, Khazheyev has the makings of a future NHL goaltender. When the 2024-25 season started, he was a teenager and he still went on to start 18 games at the AHL level. For his first season in North America, it was relatively successful — despite the fact that he finished with just a .876 SV%. He had some issues in terms of his rebound control and angles, but it was a major adjustment year for him and there was some growth in his game. Another offseason of learning and maturing physically figures to do wonders for Khazheyev’s development, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him take a sizeable step forward with the Wolves next season. Their coaching staff already has trust in him, and he only stands to improve on what was a decent rookie season in a new country.

Yegor Velmakin

The Hurricanes selected Yegor Velmakin in the seventh round of the 2023 NHL Draft as a double over-ager. Since then, he’s made the jump from Russian lower and minor leagues to the KHL, where he was the third-string goalie for Dinamo Minsk this past season. He made just 12 appearances, but the results were solid — a 3-4-3 record, with a 2.09 GAA and a .916 SV%. Heading into next season, Velmakin should get promoted to backup status considering his relative success and the fact that the team’s holdover Andrei Tikhomirov is a pending free agent. If he can seize that opportunity and perform, I would not be surprised to see him sign an ELC with the Hurricanes next summer and make the jump to North American hockey. He’s fundamentally solid, reliable and figures to have a bright future.

Jakub Vondras

The Hurricanes’ sixth-round pick in 2022, Jakub Vondras is a player I’m having trouble getting invested in. He made the jump from Czechia to North American ice in the 2023-24 season with the Ontario Hockey League’s Sudbury Wolves, but struggled with a .861 SV% in 37 appearances and left after one year to return to his homeland. He spent this past season with Pardubice B in the second tier, and posted a solid-if-unspectacular .890 SV% in 20 games. The Hurricanes hold his rights until June 1, 2026, so this coming season will be massive for Vondras’ future. I believe he will need to show something and take a sizeable step forward if he wants to secure an ELC, so I plan to keep a close eye on his progression over the next 12 months.

Yegor Naumov

At long last, this may be the final report I offer on Yegor Naumov. After a journey that included countless months searching for him, I’m afraid we may have reached a conclusion in this saga. From the sparse information I’ve been able to gather, it appears as though Naumov underwent knee surgery after being drafted that’s effectively ended his playing career. He’s made just eight appearances since being drafted in 2021 — compiling a 1-6-0 record for Arktika Murmansk in the Russian second tier junior league with an eye-popping 5.51 GAA and a fairly incredible .891 SV% to go along with it.  He had a trial with Dinamo Molodechno in Belarus this past summer, but didn’t earn a contract and subsequently didn’t sign with any team for the 2024-25 season. I will keep an eye on him in the future to see if he re-surfaces anywhere, but at this point it feels like it a real long shot. 

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 this prospect group grow into one of the deepest in the NHL.