Hurricanes draft Andrei Svechnikov with 2nd overall pick in NHL draft

RALEIGH, NC (WTVD) -- The Carolina Hurricanes have selected Russian forward Andrei Svechnikov with the second overall pick in the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft on Friday.

Svechnikov, 18, was ranked first overall among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting.

He also won the 2017 and 2018 CHL Top Prospect Award and was named OHL Rookie of the Year.

This is the fourth time in franchise history the Hurricanes have taken a player with the second-overall pick; they drafted Eric Staal in 2003, Chris Pronger in 1993 and Sylvain Turgeon in 1983.

Svechnikov becomes just the eighth Russian selected by the Hurricanes in the NHL Draft in franchise history.