After decision to turn pro, Noah Hanifin swept up by quick pace of NHL
Carolina Hurricanes draft pick Noah Hanifin had not made a decision Friday night as to whether to stay in college or turn pro. By Saturday, however, Hanifin was ready to sign an NHL entry-level contract in front of the audience at the annual Carolina Hurricanes "Summerfest".
"[Friday] night I didn’t have a plan I was signing [Saturday],” Hanifin told The News & Observer. “I talked to [general manager Ron] Francis this morning and he talked to my agent and my parents. I’m ready to make the step. I’m really excited to get this done and focus on the future.”
And thus Hanifin ended his Boston College career and began his professional hockey journey. At 18 years old, Hanifin is already 6-foot-3 and 206 pounds. He excelled in his freshman season at BC, but there is no telling whether the defenseman will make the Hurricanes straight out of training camp.
If he needs a role model, however, he does not have to look far. Canes defenseman Justin Faulk spent one season at the University of Minnesota-Duluth before signing a pro contract with the Hurricanes, and Faulk made the NHL team out of camp. He did spend some time shuffling back and forth between the NHL and AHL early on, but three years later, Faulk is the team's top defenseman and led all Canes by playing an average of 24:25 per game in 2014-15.
"It took some time, [Faulk] going to Charlotte, getting some confidence and then coming back," Francis told The News & Observer. "We want to make sure we do what’s right for Noah, long term."
After all, what's right for Hanifin will probably be what's right for the Hurricanes in the possibly bright future.
(h/t The News & Observer)
Photo credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
