Canes Summer Buzz: July 19

RALEIGH, NC. -Now that Prospects Development Camp is in the rear-view mirror, we are officially in the longest "hockey drought" of the year.

The next time we'll see multiple Canes players on the ice will be for informal skates leading up to Training Camp, but that won't be until early September.

So, what do we do now?

At least for today, let's look back on some of the noteworthy items from the past week.

Jaccob Slavin... The Goalie?

Now's the time of year when players can let their hair down a bit, and the Canes trust defender did just that.

Skating with his brothers, #74 elected to trade in his stick-checking abilities for some glove-hand work, strapping on the goalie pads.

Not bad, eh?

Chatty The Daddy

The Canes family got one bigger these past few days, as defenseman Jalen Chatfield and his partner Drew welcomed their first son to the world on Friday.

Congratulations, and welcome, Krew!

Svechnikov Resumes Skating

After suffering a season-ending ACL injury in March, Andrei Svechnikov

returned to the ice for the first time since on Friday

.

A big benchmark on his road to recovery, the plan is for the All-Star to skate three times per week for 30 minutes for the next few weeks, eventually ramping up as deemed okay by the medical staff.

Will the 23-year-old be ready for Opening Night?

"Right now, I want to be there. I think I'll be there," he said with a bit of a smirk.

Laughing when asked if the doctors have told him the same, he continued with, "We'll see. I'm living day-by-day and we'll see what happens."

Prospects Finding Temporary Homes Overseas

As the Canes move into the 2023-24 season without an American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the team announced the assignments of four up-and-coming players to foreign clubs for next season.

Alexander Pashin, 20, will play in his home country of Russia with

Spartak Moscow of the KHL

.

Aleksi Heimosalmi (Assat), Ville Koivunen (Karpat), and Tuukka Tieksola (Lukka) will all also skate in their home country, playing for clubs in Finland.

Don Waddell said at his end-of-season press conference that the team intends to have a partner in the AHL for the 2024-25 season, but for now, the team continues to explore all options possible for their young players to get ice time.

Anttoni Honka and Noel Gunler are other names that could come up in similar news this offseason.

Kase Signs In Czechia

Speaking of players skating in Europe, now former Hurricane Ondrej Kase will be doing just that for the 2023-24 season.

The 27-year-old winger was only able to skate in just one regular season game with the team, Opening Night versus Columbus on October 12. Unfortunately, a hit during that contest triggered concussion-related issues and sidelined him the rest of the way.

Kase will now be able to play with his brother David for HC Litvinov,

signing a one-year deal

.

Unger Sorum Locked In

After Prospects Development Camp wrapped up, there was at least one player that the Canes' brass thought had a solid week.

Felix Unger Sorum, a 2023 second-round pick, was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract Saturday.

Just 17 years old, there is an interesting note with the forward and the team coming to an agreement now. Because he has not turned 18 yet, he is "ELC Slide" eligible for two years. What that means is that it is a possibility the contract doesn't actually start until the 2025-26 season.

Unger Sorum has a contract with Leksands IF in the Swedish League for next season, meaning he'll either play with them or their U20 club. He could also skate with them for the 2024-25 season before his deal with the Canes begins.

Worth A Click:

Canes Sign Unger Sorum To Entry-Level Contract

Svechnikov Skates For The First Time Since Knee Injury

Mailbag #63: Bradly Nadeau

Prospects Enjoy 'Special Day' With Development Camp Visitors

2023-24 Theme Night Schedule Announced

Canes See 'A Model of Consistency' In Perets

Gagliardi Adding A Fresh Perspective at Prospects Development Camp

2023 Offseason Player Tracker

Canes Sign Lemieux To One-Year Contract

Bunting Looking Forward To Continuing His Momentum In Raleigh

Orlov Signing Proves Canes Have Become "A Destination Place"

Canes 2023 Preseason Schedule Announced

Hurricanes Contract Tracker

Learn More About Season Ticket Memberships For The 2023-24 Season