Summer is officially here, but we're already wondering: is it October yet?

The Carolina Hurricanes 2018-19 regular-season schedule was released today, and the team will open at home on Thursday, Oct. 4 against the New York Islanders.

2018-19 SCHEDULE | PRINT THE SCHEDULE | SYNC THE SCHEDULE

Here is a breakdown of some of the highlights from the 82-game schedule.

Visit www.Hurricanes.com/Draft for the latest news, videos and pick-by-pick information in the 2018 NHL Draft.

We're just days away from the 2018 NHL Draft in Dallas, where the Carolina Hurricanes are prepared to make the second overall selection for the fourth time in franchise history.

Rasmus Dahlin is the consensus first overall pick and has been for some time. The Hurricanes will then have their pick of some top-tier talent, and there's one name that has risen above the field.

We've compiled a collection of mock drafts and prospect rankings. The results are not shocking.

Save the date!

The Carolina Hurricanes will host the New York Islanders on Thursday, Oct. 4 in their 2018-19 home opener.

Visit www.Hurricanes.com/Draft for the latest news, videos and pick-by-pick information in the 2018 NHL Draft.

When the Carolina Hurricanes approach the NHL Draft stage at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Friday, June 22, they'll be prepared to make the second overall pick for the first time since 2003.

The Hurricanes have made three previous second overall selections in franchise history.

Visit www.Hurricanes.com/Draft for the latest news, videos and pick-by-pick information in the 2018 NHL Draft.

Filip Zadina is a natural goal scorer.

His numbers say as much.

Zadina, a 6-foot, 197-pound winger born in the Czech Republic, scored 44 goals and totaled 82 points in 57 games with the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in the 2017-18 season.

Visit www.Hurricanes.com/Draft for the latest news, videos and pick-by-pick information in the 2018 NHL Draft.

While Andrei Svechnikov and Filip Zadina attract attention because of their pure, goal-scoring abilities, Brady Tkachuk makes his case to be a top draft pick with a slightly different skill set.

That skill set is one of high talent, hard work, grit and determination, and the NHL's Central Scouting Service ranks him second among North American skaters.

"He brings a physical dimension to the table. He's got that quality that every team is looking for and covets. You'd like to have that kind of player in your lineup," said Tony MacDonald, the Canes' head of amateur scouting. "He makes things happen through effort, grit and determination."

Visit www.Hurricanes.com/Draft for the latest news, videos and pick-by-pick information in the 2018 NHL Draft.

Andrei Svechnikov is the NHL Central Scouting Service's top-ranked North American skater, and he's widely projected to be the No. 2 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft.

It's easy to see why.

The 6-foot-2, 192-pound Russian winger is an offensive force. Svechnikov scored 40 goals in 44 games for the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League and earned OHL Rookie of the Year and CHL Top Prospect of the Year honors after totaling 72 points in the 2017-18 season.

"He's a complete player," Director of Amateur Scouting Tony MacDonald said. "He can play the power game. He can play the finesse game. He's big and strong and has skill."

"I look forward to being drafted," Svechnikov said in an early June interview in Raleigh. "It's pretty exciting. The next step is to prepare for the next season, and I'll give it my best shot."

Visit www.Hurricanes.com/Draft for the latest news, videos and pick-by-pick information in the 2018 NHL Draft.

Of the 1,001 possible lottery draw combinations in the 2018 NHL Draft Lottery, the Carolina Hurricanes owned just 30 winning four-digit combos - a slim 3 percent chance at leapfrogging their way to a top three pick in this year's draft.

From there, we know what happened: the Hurricanes defied the odds to win the second overall pick, the first time they have moved up in the draft order in 18 tries since the lottery was instituted in 1995.

But how did it happen?

Visit www.Hurricanes.com/Draft for the latest news, videos and pick-by-pick information in the 2018 NHL Draft.

When the 2017-18 regular season ended in early April, the Carolina Hurricanes were preparing to make a draft selection outside of the top 10 for the third year in a row.

Then, everything changed.

In the NHL Draft Lottery, the Hurricanes defied the odds to win the second overall pick, marking the first time in 18 lotteries that the Canes have moved up in the draft order.

"You can't do much better than two," said Director of Amateur Scouting Tony MacDonald. "One would've been great, but I think two puts us in a great spot. We're very excited about it."

Hello and welcome to Tweetmail, presented by our friends at Tijuana Flats! 

Tweetmail is a weekly feature on CarolinaHurricanes.com in which I take your Twitter questions about the Carolina Hurricanes or other assorted topics and answer them in mailbag form. Hopefully the final product is insightful to some degree, and maybe we have some fun along the way.

Let's get to it.