Canes Land Quality Player, Person in Svechnikov

Visit www.Hurricanes.com/Draft for the latest news, videos and pick-by-pick information in the 2018 NHL Draft.
DALLAS - As the Carolina Hurricanes approached the stage at American Airlines Center to make the second pick of the 2018 NHL Draft, there wasn't much intrigue as to what name was going to be called out.
It was going to be Andrei Svechnikov.
That much was known - or at least figured - nearly two months ago when the Hurricanes defied the odds to leapfrog their way from 11th all the way to two in the first-round draft order.
The team had done its homework. They knew they had a player on their hands.

"The threat of every time he's on the ice he can score goals. He scored 40 goals this year in 44 games. Goal scoring is at a premium," Hurricanes President and General Manager Don Waddell said. "Andrei is a player who is not afraid to go to the net, and when he goes to the net, he goes hard. He shoots the puck so well. When you look at the abilities he has, it can be a game-changer for you."
"It's a good day for us," head coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "I think he's going to be a great player. You don't want to put too much pressure on him; he's a young kid. But I think this is a guy who is going to have a great career."

It was going to be Andrei Svechnikov.
Then, shortly after the NHL Combine, the Hurricanes brought Svechnikov to Raleigh to meet and mingle with members of the hockey operations staff, coaching staff and more. In doing so, they became even more confident in their pick.
It was going to be Andrei Svechnikov.
"He's not only a great player but a great person," Waddell said. "We all knew him as a player. … Then when you meet him, he's really driven. He's talking about how it's all about winning. Those are good things you like to hear from young players … and he's real. He wants to be a part of a winning organization and a winning team."
"It was fun," Svechnikov said of the visit. "It's a team that's on the way up. That suits me."

"I'm a big people person, character. You can watch him and say, 'Oh, he's a good player.' But there's more to it," Brind'Amour said. "I only met him for a little while, but I loved the fact that he was a young kid, but he's composed, mature, he looks you in the eye. Every interaction I've had with him has been real positive."
Indeed, it was going to be Andrei Svechnikov.
Tom Dundon's daughter, Drew, stepped up to the microphone on Friday in her hometown wearing the team's newly unveiled third jersey. It was a mere formality what she'd say next, but it finally made it official: Svechnikov was the newest member of the Hurricanes.
"It feels great. I'm super happy. It was my dream, and it came true," Svechnikov said. "It's the best moment of my life."
Svechnikov shared his draft day with his parents and brother, Evgeny, who had been drafted 19th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in 2015. His agent and friends were also in the stands and then in the team suite later in the evening after Svechnikov had proceeded through the usual car-wash of interviews and photoshoots.
"I wasn't nervous, really," he said. "I'm just super happy. My dream came true."

Like the announcement of the pick, it won't be final until it happens, but all indications are that Svechnikov will play with the Hurricanes in the 2018-19 season. He's certainly got the skillset to do it.
"I'll have a good summer to prepare for the next season," he said. "I will improve everything. My shot, my skating, my stickhandling."
"We've got to see how we shape up and where he fits," Brind'Amour said. "I'm hoping to get a team where everyone has to earn their spots. Who knows? If he's our best player and is the best winger, he's going to get every opportunity possible."
Just as it was in late April when a square card revealed the Hurricanes' primary logo at the No. 2 pick, just as it was in early June when he visited his future home, just as it was in the days and moments leading up to finalizing the pick on the draft floor at American Airlines Center, Svechnikov was the Canes' pick.
"As a player we all felt he was the guy," Waddell said. "And then when you have the opportunity to spend time with him, it seals the deal."
"I'm just super happy," he said with a smile. "My dream came true."