Carolina Hurricanes select Luke Martin with the 52nd pick of the 2017 NHL Draft

With the 52nd pick in the NHL draft, the Carolina Hurricanes selected 18-year-old defenseman Luke Martin from the University of Michigan. At 6’2”, 221 lbs, the St. Louis native put up 7 points (1 G, 6 A) last season with the Wolverines --- his freshman year. Though the team finished 13-19-3, Martin was a +2, the highest for the Wolverines, and appeared in all 35 games.

He played for the US U-18 team in 2016, scoring 20 points (4 G, 16 A) in 63 games.

Unsurprisingly, Martin is a Blues fan, but hopefully this draft pick can change his mind a little bit.

Scouting Analysis

Martin has great size at nearly 6'3" and 220 pounds. As an 18-year-old he played on Michigan's top pairing, finding time in all situations. He's built in the mold of a guy the Canes have in the roster in Brett Pesce, and has some similar attributes, He's not going to wow offensively, but he has tools to be a good solid three-zone player who makes sound decisions on the back-end.