Carolina takes a Warrior

RALEIGH – When Pro Hockey News asked me to select the first round pick for the Carolina Hurricanes, I thought back to last year when I ran a story on the Calgary Flames. I had picked Joel Armia, a very mobile right wing from Pori, Finland. Armia went to the Buffalo Sabres as 16^th pick, at present is still playing in Pori, Finland.
Calgary ended up selecting Sven Baertschi, a left winger from Lagenthal, Switzerland, who last season played in the WHL for the Portland Winterhawks. Both of these young men are talented hockey players that are being nursed along by their respective clubs.
 
The Hurricanes need to keep building with young players and with the eighth overall pick should be in a position to draft another quality player to add to an already young core group of players.
 
The Carolina Hurricanes were ranked 22^nd in the NHL, missing the play-offs once again. But things are looking much brighter for the Canes. General Manager Jim Rutherford made an astute capture in hiring Head Coach Kirk Muller. I am sure that Muller will want to see the Canes spend some money to improve the team and upgrade their roster.
 
During the 2011-12 season, Carolina showed glimmers of how well they can play, with Eric Staal having a terrific second half of the season. Stall played in 82 games, scoring 24 goals, 46 assists with a point total of 70, followed by Jussi Jokinen with 46 points.
The key for the upcoming season for Carolina is to find a winger that can help service Staal, but the draft might not be where they are going to find one. Bearing in mind my earlier comments about nursing a player along, within a year or two, the Canes will want to continue to improve the defense, which is where my pick comes in.
 
The Hurricanes defense is beginning to look really solid with Jamie McBain, who has had two seasons playing with the Canes, despite getting off to a slow start but came on strong finishing the season as the teams’ leading defenseman in points with 27. He had a career high in goals with eight. The 24 year old showed that he is a quality player, if he can stay healthy.
 
Carolina has six defensemen returning for 2012-13: Justin Faulk, Tim Gleason, Joni Pitkanen, Jay Harrison, Derek Joslin and McBain. The opportunity is there for a young defenseman to join the ranks and really learn the game from these experienced skaters.
 
Morgan Rielly, at 6’0”, 190 lbs, is an incredibly talented defender from Vancouver, BC. The 18-year-old is a gifted playmaker that has good shooting power and accuracy. Rielly has been playing for the Moose Jaw Warriors in the Western Hockey League. Rielly is a very durable player with excellent ice-vision; his puck-handling is also first-class. A well disciplined defender and an excellent shot-blocker, Rielly needs experience which is what he will receive at Carolina. At the moment Rielly is a third line player, but with time and patience he will make a strong impact in the NHL with first line potential.
 
On the other side of the coin Rielly still does not have the physical ability, he is very young and needs some time to grow and develop. He will probably need another year or two in the WHL but he is going to be a star in the NHL, of that there is no doubt in my mind.  
 
“With the eighth overall pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, the Carolina Hurricanes select, from the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League, defenseman Morgan Rielly.”
 
To learn more about Morgan Rielly click here .
 
Contact the author at Eddie.Mitchell@ProHockeyNews.com
 
Contact the photographer at Lewis.Bleiman@prohockeynews.com