The Hurricanes assigned center prospect Ivan Ryabkin to the Charlottetown Islanders of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League on Monday, according to a team press release.
Ryabkin, 18, had begun the season in the pros with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. A second-round pick this year (No. 62 overall) from the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the United States Hockey League, he was not subject to the NHL’s transfer agreement with the Canadian Hockey League. He was thus eligible for a full-time minor-league assignment.
However, today’s news means Ryabkin cannot be called up to Carolina (unless under emergency conditions) or reassigned to the Wolves until his junior season is over. Charlottetown picked up Ryabkin’s CHL rights in this year’s import draft and will now reap the benefits of that selection, albeit a few months later than most expected.
Carolina sending Ryabkin to the AHL to begin his post-draft season was a surprise. While often touted as a first-round talent based on skill alone, there were league-wide concerns over the Russian pivot’s conditioning and two-way game.
Nonetheless, the Canes saw enough of his offensive ceiling in Muskegon, where he scored 19 goals and 30 points in 27 games, to at least give him some initial reps in the pro game. He filled a role as an agitator in Chicago, averaging north of two penalty minutes per game, but it’s clear his offensive game needs more development before he’s ready to shoot for a top-six job in the AHL.
In 25 games with the Wolves to begin his pro career, the 5’11”, 205-lb Ryabkin scored one goal and six assists with a -2 rating. Tabbed as the No. 6 prospect in Carolina’s system by Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff and No. 8 by Elite Prospects, the Canes will look for Ryabkin to feature among Charlottetown’s top offensive producers – if not their points-per-game leader – down the stretch.-