Martinook takes matters into own hands, announces Hurricanes draft pick

You know that age old saying -- you can help a team to the Stanley Cup but you can't force them to let you help them announce their picks at the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft. Or something like that.

Carolina Hurricanes forward Jordan Martinook was all set to debut his new threads and announce the 2026 Stanley Cup champion's first-round pick Friday night.

Then, the unthinkable. The Hurricanes traded their pick to the Nashville Predators.

"Was supposed to make the 1st round pick in this shirt. They robbed it from me. Can’t believe it!!!!" Martinook posted with a picture of his very new "Conn Staal" shirt in a nod to teammate and 2026 Conn Smythe winner Jordan Staal.

Martinook was still game for making the team's first pick of the draft. He waited patiently.

But the call never came. So Martinook took matters into his own hands, announcing the team's selection of Swedish defenseman William Hakansson.

"Hello Canes fans and welcome to the NHL Draft! It's me Jordan Martinook and my son Chase," Martinook said to the camera in his post. "We are proud to select with the 51st overall selection in the 2026 NHL Draft the monster from Sweden, William Hakansson. Let's go! Welcome to Raleigh, baby! Canes forgot to tell me they were picking you. Let's go!"