Hurricanes prepared to select Svechnikov with No. 2 pick: report

Andrei Svechnikov would be selected by the Carolina Hurricanes with the No. 2 pick if the 2018 NHL Draft were today, general manager Don Waddell said Wednesday.

The Hurricanes, who moved up to No. 2 from No. 11 at the NHL Draft Lottery on April 28, interviewed Svechnikov at the NHL Scouting Combine last week and invited him to Raleigh, North Carolina, for a two-day visit this week.
Waddell and Hurricanes owner Thomas Dundon came away very impressed by the 18-year-old right wing.
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"I don't want to give all my cards away, but he is certainly at the top of our list," Waddell told Raleigh's ABC 11 News. "There's some other really good players there, so we got to make sure we know them all in case, you never know what might happen or what might be offered to us. If I was going to the draft floor tonight to make the pick, I'd be picking Andrei."
It is expected the Buffalo Sabres will select Swedish defenseman Rasmus Dahlin with the No. 1 pick in the draft, which will be at American Airlines Center in Dallas on June 22-23. The Montreal Canadiens hold the No. 3 pick.
Svechnikov (6-foot-2, 188 pounds), No. 1 on NHL Central Scouting's list of the top North American skaters eligible for the draft, was named the Canadian Hockey League Top Prospect of the Year. In his first season with Barrie of the Ontario Hockey League, he led rookies with 72 points (40 goals, 32 assists) in 44 regular-season games. He missed 17 games after injuring his hand Oct. 14 and had 58 points (30 goals, 28 assists) in 34 games after returning.
Dundon said Svechnikov would be Carolina's choice after the two had dinner Tuesday at a Raleigh sushi restaurant.
"If we pick second, it's not even close," he told The News & Observer.

Some NHL scouts believe Svechnikov might be NHL-ready. Svechnikov told NHL.com at the combine he believes he's ready for the next stage of his career.
"I could never be 100 percent certain, but I'm pretty sure I will [be NHL-ready]," Svechnikov said. "I think I have everything for the NHL, like my speed, shot and I can play a physical game. I can play in any situation, and enjoy playing on the penalty kill just as much as playing on the power play."
Svechnikov was asked about the possibility of playing for the Hurricanes.
"That's a team that looks like they're on the way up," he said. "They have a lot of good young players, and that suits me well. I will be honored to be selected by any NHL team; it's my dream. I watched my brother (Evgeny) get drafted (in the first round by the Detroit Red Wings in 2015), and it was great. It's something I've dreamed for my whole life."
The Hurricanes hired Rod Brind'Amour to replace Bill Peters as coach May 8, the same day Waddell was hired to replace Ron Francis as general manager. Peters resigned April 20 after Carolina went 36-35-11 and missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the ninth straight season, fourth under Peters.