2015 NHL Mock Draft: Noah Hanifin to Hurricanes

The Fansided Network will be having a month long mock draft with each team blog selecting their team’s player. The next one up is Cardiac Cane, bringing the Carolina Hurricanes selection of Boston College defenseman Noah Hanifin.

Noah Hanifin

College Team: Boston College Eagles

2014-2015 Stats: 23 points in 37 games. 20 points in last 28 games

Prospect Profile

All of the talk in New England has been centered on Boston University forward Jack Eichel, but there is another Boston player being overlooked. Noah Hanifin of Boston College was one of the best defensemen in the country this past season.

He’s 6’2 and 205 lbs. He is big enough to sustain an NHL season and the Hurricanes very well could have him on their NHL roster next season.

NHL.com has this to say about Hanifin.

"“Everybody looks at him and says he’s a gifted offensive player, and he is, but what makes him so special is his transition game. He ‘gets it’ – that you have to play defense first and the offense will follow.”"

Cardiac Cane mentions that he models himself off of Drew Doughty and Duncan Keith, two of the best offensive minded defensemen of this generation. Also, the two have been perennial Norris candidates.

“For an old school guy, he’s maybe like a Rob Blake kind of guy,” a Western Conference amateur scout said on an article on Yahoo!. “That big, that strong can skate, can do it both ways. Just one of those big horses every good team in the league has one or more of those guys. He’s going to be one of those guys who will be a fixture for a long time you can rely on a lot and using in all situations. “

How He Fits

The Hurricanes should be happy with Hanifin. He easily could have been the fourth pick to Toronto or Arizona could have even reached for him at the third pick. They easily could select forward Lawson Crouse in this spot, but honestly their need for Hanifin is far greater.

Justin Faulk was their big prospect last season who broke out, and he should be a good fit to play along side the soon to be 19 year old Hanifin.

There aren’t any better defensemen in this draft, so if the Hurricanes want to improve at this area, he is their guy. The draft does slide a bit from here, other than maybe Crouse, so they are in a good position to be able to select Hanifin.