What They're Saying About The Canes' 2025 Draft Picks

RALEIGH, NC. - The Carolina Hurricanes added seven young players to their prospect pool on Saturday, during the second day of the 2025 NHL Draft.

Making just one of their seven assigned selections, the Canes continued what's become tradition, wheeling and dealing picks along the way. After moving their first-round choice to Chicago late Friday night, Eric Tulsky and crew turned #29 overall into a trio of second-round picks.

Tulsky explained after the first 32 picks that there were several players in the mid-round area that the team had their eyes on, and although they came to the event without a pick between #30 and #86, they wound up obtaining and making four of them.

Here's a brief look at all of the selections that were made by Carolina, and a brief description from Associate General Manager Darren Yorke, who runs the draft for the team:

Yorke also told reporters that all seven choices will be at the team's 2025 Development Camp, which takes place next week at Invisalign Arena.

Semyon Frolov

#41 Overall | Goaltender | 6'3", 203 lbs. | Spartak Jr. (Russia)

After not taking a goalie last year, it felt like a lock that Carolina was going to try and add at least one backstop to their pipeline this time around. Now, Semyon Frolov joins Ruslan Khazheyev, Egor Velmakin, Nikita Quapp, and Jakub Vondras in the prospect pool at the position.

Under contract in Russia through the 2026-27 season, it'll be a little bit until we get to see him potentially play in Raleigh, but draft experts love his game.

"He's a bigger body... This guy is wiry, he's athletic, and I think he's the best goalie coming out of Europe," NHL Network analyst Jason Bukala said in the moments after the pick.

The third goalie taken in the draft, he played 27 games across three teams last season, highlighted by a 9-2-2 record and a .915 save percentage with MHK Spartak Mosva (MHL).

Yorke: "This was our top-rated goalie. Probably one of the best feet, [with] really athletic side-to-side movement. Being able to read the play going from across the crease is something that our goalie coaches really like. (Goaltending Development Coach) Jason Muzzatti, leads the group and we have Cam (Ward) and Paul (Schonfelder) join in, and this was the guy that they were getting a little nervous that we might not have been able to select, but we're obviously happy that we were able to get him."

Charlie Cerrato

#49 Overall | Forward | 6'0", 190 lbs. | Penn State (NCAA)

Passed over in the draft the last two years, Charlie Cerrato had a massive inaugural campaign in Happy Valley and paved the way for the third time being the charm. With 42 points in 38 games as a Nittany Lion, he finished 2024-25 Big Ten Freshman of the Year finalist.

"This kid's dynamic, and he's a worker. He's going to work for what he's going to get in front of him," longtime NHL coach Tony Granato said of the Maryland-born product.

Already 20 years old, Cerrato has a ton of options for this fall, including AHL eligibility.

"I really like this pick... He's a good, two-way player, someone the coaches trust," Mike Kelly of SportLogiq reviewed.

Yorke: "He's gone through the draft a couple of times and it's really not fair to him. We didn't want to wait too long to get him. He probably could have been drafted last year after a strong season at Youngstown, then goes to Penn State and had an unbelievable year, being one of the highest-pointing 19-year-olds in the NCAA. He's strong on the face-offs, two-way game, smart defensively and has a lot of skill. He plays exactly how we want to play. This is a guy that would fit right in our system."

Ivan Ryabkin

#62 Overall | Forward | 5'11", 210 lbs. | Muskegon (USHL)

Ranked as a first-round talent by several scouts, Ivan Ryabkin is built like a bull and has the talent to go along with it.

"The skill is pretty sick," draft expert Sam Cosentino said. "When you look at this guy and what he can do on a power play, especially, unbelievable stuff. His vision, his ability to shoot, all those things play well on the power play, of course."

Ryabkin knows how to win, too, fresh off a Clark Cup Championship with Muskegon, where he had 16 points during the 14-game run.

Yorke: "He had a strong underage season in Russia, goes to Muskegon this past season, gets in there late, but basically is an unbelievable goal-scorer with bite to his game. He drives the net. He can hit you. He can take hits. He can score off the wrist shot. He can score off the one-timer. He can make plays in tight. He's somebody that we didn't expect to sort of slip where he did, and we're pretty happy that we were able to get him there in the second round."

Kurban Limatov

#67 Overall | Defenseman | 6'4", 190 lbs. | Dynamo Moscow Jr. (Russia)

If you like confident players, Kurban Limatov is your guy. When asked by the NHL at the combine who he thinks the best defeseman in the NHL is, he answered, "me, in five years."

SportLogiq's Mike Kelly raved about his high upside and called it "a win" for Carolina to get him at #67.

"One of the best defensemen in this draft was separating opponents from the puck. He can lay the body as well," Kelly said on the television broadcast. "[He's] an above-average skater for a guy his size."

Yorke: "A strong skater, great reach. Rarely do you see sort of Russian defenseman like that be aggressive, getting up in the play, sealing and flushing down in the neutral zone. So this was somebody that, after trading back and trying to look at where we may be able to select guys, he was someone that we felt like we had to get back into the draft and step up and get him."

Roman Bausov

#87 Overall | Defenseman | 6'5", 179 lbs. | Dynamo St. Petersburg Jr. (Russia)

Another blueliner with size, Roman Bausov, at just 18 years old, already stands at 6-foot-5. He's got great shutdown capabilities, but is a little bit more of a raw talent than some other picks.

Scouts believe he has room to fill out his big frame, and if he can do that, along with already strong instincts and skating, the Canes may have another mid-round hit here.

Yorke: "Massive reach. 6'5" frame that can skate. We look at where the game is going and trying to take away time and space, and he's able to do that with both his feet and his reach."

Viggo Nordlund

#183 Overall | Forward | 5'9", 168 lbs. | Skellefteå AIK (Sweden)

Coming from the same team as 2024 fifth-round pick Oskar Vuollet, what Viggo Nordlund lacks in size, he makes up for with offensive upside. Snatched in the sixth round (#183 overall), some draft outlets believe he has so much talent that he was ranked as high as the 52nd-best player available in the entire draft.

"He's very explosive through the neutral zone. Pure offense. He leans shooter over passer," NHL Network analyst Jason Bukala remarked. " He wants the puck on his stick. He craves it. And he wants to take control when he does have it."

Yorke: "Coming into the year, playing in the J20 league, he was a strong offensive player one-on-one with skill. He's a little bit more of a playmaker, and then getting time against men, he was able to show some of his offensive dynamics. This was somebody that maybe sort of slipped in the draft because of his size, and we're pretty happy to get another offensive weapon here late in the draft."

Filip Ekberg

#221 Overall | Forward | 5'10", 168 lbs. | Ottawa (OHL)

Another skilled forward, Filip Ekberg is another "swing for the fences" type pick. If his development continues on the right path and he's able to unlock

Finishing the campaign with 45 points in 53 games, including 22 points in the final 15 games, the Swedish-born forward kept his electric string going at the U18 World Championship in May. Not only did he become his country's all-time single tournament scoring leader at the event with 18 points in seven games, but he was also named event MVP.

Yorke: "He got off to a slow start. He was battling an illness in Ottawa, so some of the games at the very beginning of the year, he wasn't able to play the entire game. It was something that got a little bit undiagnosed. Once he was able to manage it, his season took off, culminating with leading Sweden at the U18. He's a guy that can score off the rush. He's got a dangerous shot, but at the same time, can make you miss with his skills."