RALEIGH, NC – The Carolina Hurricanes wrapped up their activities at the 2014 NHL Draft in Philadelphia on Saturday by selecting six players to join the team’s first-round (7th overall) selection Haydn Fleury who was drafted on Friday.
The Hurricanes used their first pick on Day 2 of the draft to select goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic (neh-DEL-koh-vitch) from the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Nedeljkovic, 18, was named the OHL’s Goaltender of the Year in 2013-14, posting a 26-27-7 record while playing in 61 of Plymouth’s 68 regular-season games. The Parma, OH, native faced more shots (2,207) than any other OHL goaltender, his .925 save percentage ranked second in the league and his 2.88 goals-against average and 26 wins ranked eighth. Nedeljkovic (6’0”, 184 lbs.) backstopped Team USA to the gold medal at the 2014 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) U18 World Championship in Finland, posting a tournament-best 1.84 goals-against average in six games. He also captured the silver medal with the United States at the 2013 Ivan Hlinka Memorial. In two OHL seasons, Nedeljkovic has gone 45-29-9, with a 2.71 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage in 87 regular-season games with Plymouth.
In the third round, the Hurricanes used the 67th overall pick on left wing Warren Foegele (FOH-guhl). Foegele, 18, led the Saint Andrews (Ontario high school) with 58 goals, 49 assists and 107 points in 52 games as the Saints captured the 2013-14 MacPherson Tournament, Midwest Prep Hockey League and Conference of Independent Schools Athletic Association (CISAA) championships. The Markham, Ont., is committed to the University of New Hampshire for 2014-15.
Carolina held the 96th and 97th picks in the draft’s fourth round, and used the first of those to select former Junior Hurricanes defenseman Josh Wesley from the Plymouth Whalers (OHL). Born in Hartford, CT, but raised in Raleigh, NC, Wesley (6’2”, 194 lbs.) is the son of former Hurricanes defenseman Glen Wesley. The 18-year-old played his first season of major-junior hockey in 2013-14, scoring one goal, earning eight assists (9 points) and accumulating 62 penalty minutes while playing in all 68 of Plymouth’s regular-season games. Wesley is the first North Carolina-trained player to be drafted into the NHL.
With their second fourth-round pick (97th overall), the Hurricanes selected Swedish centerman Lucas Wallmark. The Umea, Sweden, native played the majority of the 2013-14 season with Lulea of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), scoring three goals and earning seven assists (10 points) in 41 games. Wallmark (6’0”, 176 lbs.) also played 11 games with Asploven of Sweden’s second division, posting one goal and seven assists (8 points). He captured the silver medal with Team Sweden at the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship, ranking third on the team in scoring behind 2012 first-round (11th overall) draft pick Filip Forsberg and 2013 Hurricanes first-round (5th overall) draft pick Elias Lindholm.
In the fifth round, Carolina used the 127th overall pick on center Clark Bishop from Cape Breton of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). The St. John’s, Newfoundland, native scored 14 goals and earned 19 assists (33 points) in 56 games with the Screaming Eagles in 2013-14, his second season of major-junior hockey. Bishop (6’0”, 183 lbs.) was a teammate of Hurricanes 2014 first-round pick Haydn Fleury on Canada’s bronze-medal-winning 2014 IIHF U18 World Championship, and gold-medal-winning 2013 Ivan Hlinka Memorial teams.
Without a sixth-round pick, the Hurricanes looked ahead to the draft’s seventh and final round and selected defenseman Kyle Jenkins with the 187th overall pick. The Brampton, Ont., native scored seven goals, earned 18 assists (25 points) and posted a plus-6 plus/minus rating in 63 games for the OHL’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in 2013-14, his first full season of major-junior hockey. Jenkins (6’0”, 166 lbs.) was paired with Carolina’s 2013 sixth-round (156th overall) selection Tyler Ganly for the majority of the season. Hurricanes prospect Sergey Tolchinsky also played for Sault Ste. Marie in 2013-14, and led all Greyhounds skaters in goals (31), assists (60) and points (93).
The Hurricanes’ 2014 draft class is listed below. Players drafted by the team this year, as well as players from previous drafts will descend on Raleigh in late July for the team’s annual Prospects Development Camp at PNC Arena. The roster for Prospects Development Camp will be announced in the coming weeks and the camp’s first sessions that will be open to the public will take place on Wednesday, July 23.
For information about 2014-15 Hurricanes ticket packages, please call 1-866-NHL-CANES (1-866-645-2263) or visit www.CarolinaHurricanes.com/tickets.
Carolina Hurricanes 2014 NHL Entry Draft Selections
Rd Pick # Name Ht. Wt. Pos. Team (League)
1 7 Haydn Fleury 6’2” 203 D Red Deer (WHL)
2 37 Alex Nedeljkovic 5’11” 190 G Plymouth (OHL)
3 67 Warren Foegele 6’0” 178 LW St. Andrews (CISAA)
4 96 Josh Wesley 6’2” 194 D Plymouth (OHL)
4 97 Lucas Wallmark 6’0” 176 C Lulea (SWE)
5 127 Clark Bishop 5’11” 182 C Cape Breton (QMJHL)
7 187 Kyle Jenkins 6’0” 166 D Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)
