2015 NHL Mock Draft: Carolina Hurricanes' Full 7-Round Mock Draft

The Carolina Hurricanes enter the 2015 NHL draft with a stuffed portfolio of 10 picks and a dire need to make the most of each one.

The 'Canes will pick fifth overall in Friday night's first round and then nine more times on Saturday, including twice in each of the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds.

The majority of the discussion will concern the team's valuable first-round selection, but every choice has the potential to blossom into a star player in the future.

Read on for a complete Carolina mock draft, including projected picks for all seven selections.

Note: Keep in mind that predictions are highly speculative and, considering the complexity of a 211-pick draft, unlikely to be correct. The purpose of the exercise is to highlight possible selections and generate discussion.

Size: 5'11", 160 pounds

2014-15 Team: London Knights (OHL)

CSS Ranking (North American Skaters): Sixth

For all of the chaotic discussion about the many directions the 'Canes could go with the No. 5 pick, it's looking that the team will select Mitchell Marner or Noah Hanifin—whichever one hasn't been drafted yet.

Marner fits the team's need for prospect forwards, if not the need for size in the lineup, and offers the most impressive junior-level resume of any viable pick at No. 5. His 126 points (44 goals, 82 assists) with the London Knights this year was the third-highest total in the OHL since 2006-07, far higher than now-superstars like John Tavares, Steven Stamkos, Tyler Seguin and Jeff Skinner.

Marner is an elite scorer and playmaker who is capable of challenging for the NHL scoring title every season. That's a type of player the 'Canes haven't enjoyed since Eric Staal started fading five years ago. Despite the risks that linger in Marner's wake, he's worth the gamble at No. 5.

Size: 6'2", 206 pounds

2014-15 Team: Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)

CSS Ranking (North American Skaters): 24th

After choosing to pass on all of the elite defensemen available in the top 10, the 'Canes take advantage of the impressive depth at the position in this year's draft class and nab sturdy WHL rearguard Ryan Pilon.

Pilon played alongside Ivan Provorov—a likely top-10 pick—as the more conservative defenseman on the first pairing for a Brandon team that went 53-11-8 this past season. His size and raw tools are strong on paper, and he purportedly put it all together in 2014-15, blossoming into a well-rounded prospect with considerable upside.

Dan Stewart of Future Considerations described the Saskatchewan native as a "safe, reliable, defense-first blueliner." Bill Placzek of DraftSite.com writes Pilon is a "workhorse defender" who "started as a player who relied mostly on his physicality but has progressed in other areas."

He would join Roland McKeown, Trevor Carrick and Brett Pesce as part of a large cast of B-grade defensive prospects in the 'Canes system.

Size: 6'1", 178 pounds

2014-15 Team: Regina Pats (WHL)

CSS Ranking (North American Skaters): 35th

The CSS is high on this physical WHL winger, but other rankings spot him around the 60-70 range and in a viable area for the 'Canes to pick Wagner with their third-round selection.

Playing a physical style and being on track to enter the NHL a few years down the road significantly heavier than he is now, Wagner fits the prototype of forward that the Hurricanes need.

Curtis Joe of Elite Prospects describes him as a "speedy skater whose naturally fluid skating patterns are quite remarkable" but notes his passing and shooting still need some work. His combination of size and skating ability, however, makes him a worthy mid-round selection.

Size: 6'0", 180 pounds

2014-15 Team: Brynas (Sweden)

CSS Ranking (European Skaters): 10th

The 'Canes would love for Jens Looke to fall to their first of two picks in the fourth round, this one acquired in the Tim Gleason trade.

Despite being a projected mid-round selection, Looke was ranked as high as the No. 3 European skater by the CSS at one point during the season and boasts a variety of complimentary scouting reports.

"A smart, offensive winger that is poised with the puck and makes creative on-ice decisions," writes Curtis Joe of Elite Prospects.

"Has significant upside based on his all-around skill and puck handling ability...really strong on the puck and a deft passer on the move," adds Bill Placzek of DraftSite.com.

He's known as more of a passer but scored 10 goals to eight assists in 18 games for the J20 team of Swedish team Brynas—the same organization that produced Elias Lindholm two years ago. In fact, Looke names Lindholm as his favorite NHL player, and the two played one game together on Brynas J18 in 2011-12.

The 'Canes have a newfound affinity for Swedish players (they've already signed two to their first NHL contracts this month) and would likely consider Looke a steal this late into the draft.

Size: 5'11", 200 pounds

2014-15 Team: Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)

CSS Ranking (North American Skaters): 97th

Originally expected to be a first- or second-round pick, Bear was mentioned among only 16 names in Mike Morreale of NHL.com's 2015 draft preview last July.

But a tumultuous season saw Bear fall to 133rd in CSS' midseason rankings and then climb back to 97th by the end of the season. He projects as a fourth-round selection, and the rebuilding 'Canes would be happy to take the risk on this uncertain prospect.

AJ Haefele of BSN Denver writes:

There were times Bear looked like a high-quality defender who could lock players down in transition and then other times he gave up oceans of space to oncoming puck carriers and watched them blow by him with ease. There are times Bear looks phenomenal but consistency was a problem.

That may sound much more negative than the scouting reports on other prospects, but with great risk comes great upside, and Bear has shown flashes of being a John-Michael Liles-type blueliner as well.

Size: 6'2", 185 pounds

2014-15 Team: Lakeville North High (Minnesota)

CSS Ranking (North American Skaters): 79th

Sadek, who just graduated from high school this spring, is still a long-term project for the NHL, but the 'Canes should be fine with that given their plethora of defensive prospects.

The 6'2" rearguard posted solid stats at the high school level, recording 25 points in 25 games, but that gives almost no reading on his future potential. He's committed to the University of Minnesota, and that will give the team that selects him a much better idea of what it has in Sadek.

For now, however, Bill Placzek of DraftSite.com praises Sadek for his "powerful legs, all-direction skating ability and a good burst" and says that he "doesn’t get rattled and plays with a bit of edge and jam."

Size: 5'11", 165 pounds

2014-15 Team: Guelph Storm (OHL)

CSS Ranking (North American Skaters): 74th

The Hurricanes use the Jets' fifth-round pick to choose Swiss center Pius Suter, whose combination of offensive talent and lack of size compares closely to Carolina prospect Sergey Tolchinsky.

Suter wasn't drafted last June as an 18-year-old, but after two years at Guelph—he was a teammate of Brock McGinn in 2013-14—the overage center has demonstrated enough production at the junior level to warrant a late-round selection despite his petite frame. His 43 goals ranked sixth in the OHL, just one behind Connor McDavid and Mitchell Marner.

Curtis Joe of Elite Prospects notes that scoring isn't his only strength; he also plays a responsible two-way game and sports a "willingness to battle against bigger players."

In a draft where the Hurricanes should be using their plethora of late-round selections to pick out high-upside fliers—inevitably whiffing on most but hopefully finding one or two future stars—Suter fits the mold perfectly.

Size: 6'7", 200 pounds

2014-15 Team: Des Moines (USHL)

CSS Ranking (North American Skaters): 153rd

It's not uncommon to see a player drafted this late for simply being 6'7" and a hockey player.

Pavlychev has more than just his height on his resume.

For his size, he is known as a decently fast and agile skater with respectable playmaking ability, as well as a to-be-expected punishing defensive style. If he adds more weight to his colossal frame—which shouldn't be too difficult—Pavlychev could become a forward version of Zdeno Chara down the road.

Although the 'Canes haven't drafted a single Russian in any draft since 2001, Pavlychev has played in the U.S. for the last three seasons and is not much of a KHL flight risk. He's committed to play for Penn State in the fall; by the time his first collegiate season comes around, his rights could possibly belong to Carolina.

Size: 6'1", 195 pounds

2014-15 Team: Tri-City Storm (USHL)

CSS Ranking (North American Skaters): 132nd

In his first (and only) full season in the USHL, Matthew Freytag emerged as a draftable player with 30 points in 49 appearances.

He boasts decent size but plays bigger than he is, projecting as a grinding third-line winger in the NHL if he realizes his potential.

Needing to choose a winger for the first time since the third round, the 'Canes take Freytag and hope he continues to improve at the University of Wisconsin next season.

Size: 6'4", 179 pounds

2014-15 Team: Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)

CSS Ranking (North American Goalies): Seventh

The 'Canes have drafted a goalie in four of the past five years, and on their 10th and final pick in 2015, they keep that streak alive with Nick McBride.

McBride, the team's fourth selection out of the WHL, boasts the height that is becoming more valued at the goaltender position. His stats with a cellar-dwelling Prince Albert team aren't fantastic, as he went 12-7-2 with a .908 save percentage in 2013-14 before regressing to 13-18-1 with an .895 save percentage in 2014-15, but junior leagues are generally higher-scoring; therefore, goalie stats suffer across the board.

"He is fundamentally strong, moves well side to side, stays upright and displays solid skills and feet to project as a pro-style netminder," writes Bill Placzek of DraftSite.com. Elite Prospects ranks him at No. 188 among draft-eligible prospects.

McBride joins Alex Nedeljkovic (2014 second-round pick) and Daniel Altshuller (2012 third-round pick) in the Hurricanes' cast of young, developing goalies.

Player rankings, height and weight courtesy of Central Scouting Service (CSS) rankings for North American skaters, European skaters and North American goaltenders. Prospect statistics courtesy of Elite Prospects.