Hurricanes take Svechnikov 2nd overall

The Carolina Hurricanes chose Andrei Svechnikov second overall Friday night.

Andrei Svechnikov

Position: RW
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 188 lbs.
Age: 18
Club: Barrie Colts (OHL)
Nationality: Russian

GP	G	A	P	5v5 G/GP	5v5 P/GP	5v5 GF%
44	40	32	72	0.68	1.09	67.86

(Analytics courtesy: prospect-stats.com)

There was very little mystery about this pick, and there's a reason for that.

Svechnikov was the No. 1-ranked North American skater in Central Scouting's midterm rankings, and he held on to the top spot in the final edition, on the strength of a sensational first season in the OHL.

He proved to be quite deserving of that No. 1 distinction, scoring nearly a goal per game in the regular season, then adding five goals and 11 points in eight playoff games with the Colts.

The Russian winger is an elite finisher who can body opponents off the puck, and he has tremendous hockey IQ.

"His hockey sense and vision (are) top end, allowing him to seemingly score at will because he can read the ice and find the right play," theScore's NHL prospects expert, Hannah Stuart, wrote in a Svechnikov profile back in April.

Click here to watch some of his highlights.

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