Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Noah Hanifin doesn't sound like a rookie when he begins breaking down the game he loves.
The fifth pick in the 2015 NHL Draft is a rookie on paper, but his performance on the ice is proving otherwise. Hanifin is also mature enough to realize his limits in the locker room among those who have been there and done that.
"You can tell by the conversations you have with him that he's a very mature boy for an 18-year-old," Hurricanes assistant coach Steve Smith said. "He asks all the right questions and goes through the exercises on the ice on a daily basis without any resistance at all.