from Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe,
In September, Noah Hanifin will try the hardest thing he’s done as a hockey player. The Norwood native will report to Traverse City, Mich., to play in the Red Wings’ annual eight-team rookie tournament. The 18-year-old will then graduate to Carolina’s main camp.
The two components will help determine whether Hanifin will make his NHL debut on Oct. 8. Most 18-year-olds are still asking their mothers to wash their dirty socks, not battling men with mortgages.
“If he’s ready to play, he’ll be in our lineup come October,” said Hurricanes general manager Ron Francis. “If he needs more time, we’ll do what we have to do to help in that regard, as well. We want what’s right for Noah.”
Hanifin, who left three years at Boston College on the table by turning pro, will have to fight for his first NHL paycheck. He’ll be competing for ice time against older teammates such as Ron Hainsey. In 2002, when Hainsey made his NHL debut, Hanifin was five years old.
But if anything ensures Raleigh as Hanifin’s landing spot instead of Charlotte, the Hurricanes’ AHL affiliate, it is the way he moves.
continued plus more hockey topics...
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