On the heels of the 2017 NHL Draft in Chicago, the Carolina Hurricanes' annual Prospects Development Camp got underway on Wednesday.

This year's camp features a group of 29 prospects, including all eight players selected in the 2017 NHL Draft and five camp invitees. After flying in to Raleigh on Tuesday and gathering as a group for the first time at a team dinner, camp shifted to on- and off-ice instruction on Wednesday.

Here are some notes and observations from the first day of camp.

Visit www.Hurricanes.com/Draft for the latest news, videos and pick-by-pick information in the 2017 NHL Draft.

The newest Hurricanes are kicking off Prospect Development Camp today, following a busy (to say the least) weekend at the 2017 NHL Draft in Chicago. Carolina made eight picks in seven rounds and, as Michael Smith said in his Draft roundup, "Among the picks are three Finns, two guys named Eetu, three Western Hockey League products, a Geekie and a Greek."

Here's a look back (in pictures!) at their first moments in Canes gear.

Hello and welcome back to 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.

The Carolina Hurricanes today extended qualifying offers to forwards Phil Di Giuseppe and Brock McGinn and defenseman Jake Chelios, retaining their restricted free agent statuses.

Di Giuseppe split his second NHL season between Carolina and Charlotte. He has totaled 24 points (8g, 16a) in 77 games with the Hurricanes. McGinn played in a career-high 57 games with the Hurricanes in 2016-17 and also posted career highs in goals (7), assists (9) and points (16). Chelios inked a one-year, two-way contract with the Hurricanes in April 2016. He was the only member of the Charlotte Checkers to skate in all of the team's 76 games in the 2016-17 regular season, and he tallied 32 points (4g, 28) and 54 penalty minutes.

Visit www.Hurricanes.com/Draft for the latest news, videos and pick-by-pick information in the 2017 NHL Draft.

CHICAGO - The Carolina Hurricanes made eight selections over seven rounds at the 2017 NHL Draft. Here's a quick snapshot of each pick with quotes from the Hurricanes Director of Amateur Scouting Tony MacDonald, Executive Vice President and General Manager Ron Francis and the prospects themselves.

Visit www.Hurricanes.com/Draft for the latest news, videos and pick-by-pick information in the 2017 NHL Draft.

CHICAGO - One way or another, it was going to be a busy weekend for the Carolina Hurricanes at the 2017 NHL Draft in Chicago.

Even though Executive Vice President and General Manager Ron Francis was hammering the phones, no trades were made, but plenty of picks rolled in, especially on a fast-paced day two. After selecting center Martin Necas 12th overall on Friday, the Hurricanes made seven addition picks in rounds two through seven.

Among the picks are three Finns, two guys named Eetu, three Western Hockey League products, a Geekie and a Greek.

Visit www.Hurricanes.com/Draft for the latest news, videos and pick-by-pick information in the 2017 NHL Draft.

CHICAGO - With the 12th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, the Carolina Hurricanes selected Czech center Martin Necas.

Who is this 18-year-old, the newest member of the Hurricanes organization, you ask? Get to know Martin Necas with these quick facts.

Visit www.Hurricanes.com/Draft for the latest news, videos and pick-by-pick information in the 2017 NHL Draft.

CHICAGO - At the outset of the offseason, Carolina Hurricanes Executive Vice President and General Manager Ron Francis identified aspects of the team needing improvement.

One was goaltending, and the team checked that off the list not even a month into the offseason with the trade and subsequent signing of Scott Darling. Another aspect was stabilizing the third defensive pair, and the Canes acquisition of Trevor van Riemsdyk this week helps in that regard.

The final aspect: bolstering the forward corps with top-six talent. After the first round of the 2017 NHL Draft, Francis said talks are ongoing.

Visit www.Hurricanes.com/Draft for the latest news, videos and pick-by-pick information in the 2017 NHL Draft.

CHICAGO - Much was speculated about what the Carolina Hurricanes would do with their 12th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, and ultimately, they retained the selection to draft center Martin Necas from the Czech Republic.

As it turns out, it's a selection that, hockey aside, made perfect sense. Not only is "Necas" an anagram for Canes, but his last name means "bad weather" in Czech.

"Yeah, bad weather," he confirmed with a laugh. "Almost like a hurricane."

Visit www.Hurricanes.com/Draft for the latest news, videos and pick-by-pick information in the 2017 NHL Draft.

CHICAGO - The draft floor at United Center is buzzing with energy ahead of the 2017 NHL Draft.

Carolina Hurricanes Executive Vice President and General Manager Ron Francis has been busy, too, but nothing has materialized today. Yet.

"I'm definitely getting my money's worth on my phone plan this month. There's been a lot of chatter," he said. "You never know what's going to happen. There are a lot of variables that go into things. It's not for a lack of talking to people."