Carolina Hurricanes Prospects on Display at Training Camp

After sweeping the Traverse City Tournament and winning it all after trailing in a game just once, the Carolina Hurricanes have switched their focus to training camp.

The club announced their camp roster on Wednesday ahead of Friday's first on-ice session. The 57-man roster includes 22 prospects who laced up their skates for the Canes in Michigan over the weekend.

The schedule for training camp practices that ARE open to the public are as follows:

Friday, Sept. 23

TEAM A

8:30 – 9:15 a.m. ............Team A PRACTICE

9:30 – 9:45 a.m. ............Team A - Special Teams

9:45 – 10:05 a.m. ..........Team A vs. Team B Scrimmage

10:15 – 10:30 a.m. ........Recovery off ice workout

TEAM B

9:45 – 10:05 a.m ...........Team B vs. Team A Scrimmage

10:30 – 11:15 a.m. ........Team B Practice

11:15 – 11:30 a.m. ........Team B – Special Teams

Saturday, Sept. 24

TEAM B

8:30 – 9:15 a.m. ............Team B PRACTICE

9:30 – 9:45 a.m. ............Team B - Special Teams

9:45 – 10:05 a.m. ..........Team B vs. Team A Scrimmage

TEAM A

9:45 – 10:05 a.m ...........Team A vs. Team B Scrimmage

10:30 – 11:15 a.m. ........Team A Practice

11:15 – 11:30 a.m. ........Team A – Special Teams

Sunday, Sept. 25

8:45 a.m ........................Goalies on Ice

9:15 – 10:00 a.m. ..........NON GAME PRACTICE

1:00 p.m. .......................Team RED vs. Team WHITE

Monday, Sept. 26

10:30 a.m. .....................GAME GROUP PRACTICE

11:30 a.m. .....................NON GAME GROUP PRACTICE

Thursday, Sept. 29

9:45 – 10:30 a.m. ..........Team A practice

10:45 – 11:00 a.m .........Team A-PP/Special Teams

11:15 – 12:00 p.m .........Team B practice

12:15 – 12:30 p.m. ........Team B-PP/Special Teams

Friday, Sept. 30

10:30 a.m......................PG Skate GAME GROUP

11:30 a.m......................NON GAME GROUP PRACTICE

Among those young players attending camp are 2016 first round picks Jake Bean and Julien Gauthier.

Both top-25 draft picks performed well in Traverse City as Bean facilitated offense well on the opposing blue line and Gauthier came through in the championship game with a pair of goals en route to a 6-4 Hurricanes win over the hometown Red Wings.

With Carolina's regular season roster seemingly written in ink, it's hard to image either of these top prospects cracking the NHL roster out of camp, but given each of their performances over the weekend they certainly aren't out of the hunt quite yet.

Janne Kuokkanen, another pick from June's draft, showed out in the tournament as well showing his high offensive instincts and his ability to push the play up ice. Like Sebastian Aho, he's a Finnish second rounder who looks like a potential steal for where he was taken. There's still a long way to go with this player, but keep a close eye on him as training camp proceeds. He will be transitioning from the European game to the North American game this year as he will suit up with the London Knights in the OHL.

Among the bigger surprises from Traverse City was defenseman Ben Gleason, cousin of former Hurricane Tim Gleason. Gleason was a training camp invitee back in early July and earned his way into Carolina's top-six over the weekend.

Gleason stepped up in Haydn Fleury's (injury) absence and was an impact player on the blueline for the Hurricanes throughout the tournament.

The Ortonville, Michigan native will return for his third OHL season following training camp, and based off his performance over the past two and a half months, he could be doing so with an entry-level contract from the Hurricanes.

Speaking of Haydn Fleury, he may have the best chance of anyone on the Traverse City roster to actually crack the NHL roster on opening night in Winnipeg.

Fleury took an awkward fall late in game one of the tournament but, thankfully, it's listed just as a day-to-day injury that shouldn't restrict him in training camp.

The 2014 seventh-overall draft pick entered the weekend as Carolina's captain in the tournament, and in limited action, he stood out as the Hurricanes' best defenseman alongside Roland McKeown on the top pairing.

A good outing in camp could elevate him into roster spot discussion alongside the likes of Ryan Murphy and Matt Tennyson. The sixth defenseman spot on the Hurricanes is far from decided on, so this is a great opportunity for Fleury to show how much he's improved since his draft year and potentially make an NHL impact right off the bat in his rookie season as a pro.

Among Carolina's seven goalies in camp will be prospect tournament standout Alex Nedeljkovic. Nedeljkovic backstopped three of four Hurricane wins in Traverse City and is entering his rookie season as a pro.

With Daniel Altshuller and Michael Leighton (both of whom will be at training camp) in the fold as goalies in Charlotte this season, Nedeljkovic will have to earn his playing time in the AHL. If he can't do that then he'll likely see games with the Florida Everblades in the ECHL.

Coming off of an incredible performance for the United States in January's World Junior Championships, expectations for Carolina's top goalie prospect will be raised going forward.

One last thing to watch for as camp nears is the status of Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen. As Jamie pointed out yesterday, Finland's early exit from the World Cup of Hockey could lead to an early entrance into Canes camp for the two Finns.

Sounds like we might be up to 59 sooner versus later with Finland eliminated from the semi-finals and done after tomorrow's game. https://t.co/oIEA1FH1R0

— Jamie Kellner (@jbkellner) September 21, 2016

Hockey things are starting to happen and that's exciting. Training camp is just one day away and the regular season is just a few weeks out.

It's time to get excited, Hurricanes fans!