Prospect Mailbag #4: Have you heard the good word of Ryan Suzuki?

Can I say he’s dominating yet?

By Nick Bass

’ll do my best to get everything covered myself but you might have some Matt Somma bangers mixed in due to some circumstances out of my control. In any case, let’s dive into some questions and concerns surrounding Canes Prospects.

1. “Does Suzuki have anything left to prove in Chicago?” – Colby Gardner (@TheColbyGardner)/ “What does Ryan Suzuki have to do to finally get called up and/or what do you think the odds of Suzuki getting packaged in a trade (assuming there is one) at some point this season?” – Kermit Gulag (@scullyenjoyer)

Ryan Suzuki questions have become some of my favorite things to answer because I love talking about the guy. He’s doing absolutely amazing with the Wolves as their first line center who also plays on the power play and the penalty kill. Almost up to a point per game, unbelievable stuff from him. So, to the first question, I think not. He’s shown he can hang around at the higher end of AHL competition and his game has evolved to fit the modern NHL. Which brings us to the second half of the question: I want to see Suzuki at the NHL level as much as the next person, believe me. I think, unless another injury happens, it might be tough to see Suzuki break through. I truly believe he should, but I just don’t know.

2. “Is the only thing holding Domenick Fensore back is his size?” – Crash (@saxman210)
Realistically, yes. It sucks to say but being 5’9 is probably not helping. It truly stinks because Domenick Fensore has been one of the best defenseman, if not the best, for the Wolves over the past few weeks. He’s been a top player on the penalty kill, his transition work at even strength is the best it’s been, and he’s the best skater on the ice more times than not. I do think there is a path to the NHL for Fensore because players with skating like his play at the NHL level.

3. “Ronan Seeley, that is all” – Will (@wiggleee_w0rm)
Agreed. He’s proving a lot of people wrong as a 7th round pick. Ronan Seeley has been a big help for Scott Morrow as Morrow continues to refine his defensive game. It also should be noted that he’s an assistant captain, which is rare for a 22-year old.

4. “Is Gleb still on the Wolves? I know he has been scratched recently, but haven’t seen anything else on him?” – Howie Handorf (HHandorf)
Yes, Gleb Trikozov is still with the Wolves. As someone pointed out in the comments, he was hurt during their teddy bear toss game where this picture was taken. It’s a leg injury for Gleb, who might be out for a little while. I was really hoping he’d get some playing time with both Nadeau and Unger Sorum off in Ottawa playing for their country, but the world is a cruel place.

5. “In your opinion, are there any top 6 forwards or top 4 defenseman in Chicago?” – Mets Caniac (@metscaniac)
100%, yes there are. For starters, Bradly Nadeau should be a top 6 forward at the NHL level, along with Felix Unger Sorum. In regards with Felix, it depends on whether the Hurricanes view Felix as a center or winger long term. At his peak and the best of his game, Gleb could 100% be a top 6 winger.
Defensively, have you heard of Scott Morrow? At this moment, I view Charles-Alexis Legault as someone who could be a top 4 defenseman down the line but needs some refining.

6. “In theory, what’s the ceiling on Khazheyev?” – Jess Drake (@jessdrake on Bluesky)
As Matt and I have noted over the past few weeks, “Ruslan Khazheyev is enrolled in the Pyotr Kochetkov school of goaltending and we wish that he would drop out.”
On a serious note, he’s the closest thing to a “goalie of the future” the Canes have in the pipeline currently. He has the physical tools you want in a goalie (6’4, lanky) and the foundation of his game is nice. Just needs refining, which is why he’s in Chicago and not Bloomington.

7. “Which of our prospects should be looking like our future 2C?” – Tw1st3dW1ll (@tw1st3d_w1ll)
I have two minds for this question. One mind is saying Felix Unger Sorum, if that’s the path the have for him. The time he spends at the World Juniors, more than likely playing on the wing, should give him some confidence when he goes back to Chicago. But he could certainly be a solution down the line.
The other mind is saying no one. Felix might be better suited as a winger long term, but that’s not my decision to make. The harsh truth is that unless you draft within the top 7 or 10 in a draft year, it is incredibly hard to find a center that stays as a center all the way through development. There are some exceptions (yes, Sebastian Aho) but more often than not, it’s incredibly difficult.

8. What’s up with Artamonov? He’s only scored 2 goals since around Halloween. Has he hit the rookie wall?” – Andrew Trione (@atrione15)
So, with Artamonov, it’s more closely aligned with it’s nearly impossible to maintain the near 30% shooting percentage he had before slowing down. So goal wise, yes he’s slowed down. But he still has 27 points (at the time of writing on 12/19) in 36 games, which is:
• Tied for first on Torpedo in points
• First in U20 scoring in the KHL
• Tied for 8th all time in U20 scoring in a season with 2015/16 Kirill Kaprizov

9. “Do you think Timur Kol is a future NHLer?” – Person who tweets things (@iTweetThings67)
Down the line, I think there a good chance Kol could be an NHL guy. He’s a physical specimen with a real ability to play on special teams and eat minutes at even strength. So far, we haven’t seen a ton of his game at the KHL level but I think Kol has an NHL future.

10. “Do you think Stanislav Yarovoy ever has a chance of coming to North America?” – Kas (@lucifader on Bluesky)
Yes! I think there’s a chance it happens this offseason, with his contract running out with Vityaz running out at the end of the KHL season. I’m not saying it’s happening, but I do think Yarovoy plays in North America one day.

11. “How is Dominik Badinka looking so far? Does he make the jump to North America anytime soon?” – Caleb Herrera (@calebherrera_)
Great timing on this question, by the way. Badinka was used on the top pairing on Thursday and got over 15 minutes of playing time for the first time in over a month. Ended up as a plus 1, not the worst showing in a bigger spot than he has had. As for the jump to North America, I doubt it. Younger players in Europe normally take a little longer to make it over so I wouldn’t worry about it for a while.

12. “Do you have any more insight/context to the Badinka drama with World Juniors?” – Morgan (@yoitsmo on Bluesky)
I do not. There are a lot of rumors floating around but to my knowledge, nothing official or correct. I think it stinks that he isn’t going but maybe getting the consistent game time with Malmo is the best thing for him.