After another trade, the Canes make their first selection.
The Carolina Hurricanes made another trade, taking the 34th and 189th overall picks to get picks 41 and 49 from Montreal.
The first draft pick in the 2025 NHL Draft for Carolina is Semyon Frolov, a goaltender from Togliatti, Russia.
Frolov is 6’3”, 203 pounds, and is categorized by Elite Prospects as an athletic goalie.
The Canes picked Frolov ahead of most projections. Most of the rankings had him as a third round pick. However, the NHL Central Scouting service had Frolov as the second-best international goalie.
The 18-year-old fills a prospect need for the Canes, and the influx of Russian players over the past few years makes sense for the organization.
If Carolina is betting on Pyotr Kochetkov taking the next step this season, this is a strategic move. A big, athletic Russian goalie in the pipeline makes sense. Frolov will have the support of Kochetkov, Andrei Svechnikov, and Alexander Nikishin to facilitate his eventual transition to North America.
Frolov started generating interest in the weeks leading up to the draft. He has the size and ability, but the hesitation around Russian players allowed the Canes to pick him up in the second round.