Hurricanes General Manager Ron Francis has done a good job of amassing an arsenal of prospects in the past couple of years. Some of those youngsters have been performing very well and making a name for themselves at the lower levels. Aleksi Saarela has been doing it at the international level against opponents a decade older than him.
Aleksi Saarela – 89th Overall 2015 Draft – Center, Pori Assat (Finnish Elite Liiga)
Saarela was a highly touted prospect coming out of the Finnish Liiga in 2015 until an ankle injury decreased his draft value, and he slipped down to the New York Rangers at the end of the third round.