Hurricanes ink 2nd-round pick to entry-level contract

The Carolina Hurricanes have signed their highest-selected player from the 2026 NHL Draft, defenseman William Hakansson, to a three-year entry-level contract, the team announced on Wednesday. Carolina drafted the 18-year-old blueliner with the 51st overall pick in the second round after trading away its first-round selection and acquiring additional draft assets. The pick used to select Hakansson originally belonged to the Utah Mammoth.

The contract carries NHL salaries of $850,000 in 2026-27, $900,000 in 2027-28 and $950,000 in 2028-29, according to PuckPedia. Hakansson will earn $87,500 annually if assigned to the American Hockey League, while the agreement also includes $288,000 in signing bonuses spread across the three seasons and a potential $40,000 games-played bonus in the final year. The deal has a $900,000 NHL salary cap hit.

Hakansson spent most of the 2025-26 season with Lulea HF in the Swedish Hockey League, recording two assists in 22 regular-season games, along with a plus-one rating. He also appeared in nine playoff games as Lulea advanced to the SHL semifinals, although he did not register a point during the postseason.

The Solna, Sweden native also gained experience on loan with Almtuna IS in HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second-tier professional league. In 16 regular-season games, he produced four points on two goals and two assists, then added two assists in two postseason appearances.

Before reaching the senior level, Hakansson developed through Lulea’s system over the past three seasons. His best offensive campaign came with the club’s J20 team in 2024-25, when he finished with 22 points, including seven goals and 15 assists, across 42 games.

Internationally, the 6-foot-4, 216-pound left-shot defenseman helped Sweden win the gold medal at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship. He contributed two assists in seven tournament games while earning recognition for his physical, shutdown style of play.

Hakansson now joins the Hurricanes growing group of large, mobile, defense-first prospects.