Noah Hanifin and Zach Werenski were once defensive partners and roommates with the U.S. National Team Development Program, and the two friends planned to get together Monday night for dinner.
There’s a lot to talk about. Hanifin is halfway through his second NHL season with the Carolina Hurricanes and Werenski is in his rookie season for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Both defensemen are 19. Both were high picks in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft — Hanifin taken fifth overall by the Canes and Werenski eighth by Columbus.
“We both have taken the same path in accelerating,” Hanifin said of their progression.