{"id":3751,"date":"2026-07-02T18:36:30","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T18:36:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3751"},"modified":"2026-07-02T18:36:30","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T18:36:30","slug":"hurricanes-first-pick-in-nhl-draft-willing-to-wait-his-turn-keep-working","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3751","title":{"rendered":"Hurricanes\u2019 first pick in NHL draft willing to wait his turn, keep working"},"content":{"rendered":"

AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n

Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

Imagine being defenseman William Hakansson and being drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes.<\/p>\n

Read more More New World screwworm has been detected. Latest updates for NC<\/a><\/p>\n

There\u2019s excitement in knowing the Stanley Cup champions wanted you and picked you this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m super pumped,\u201d the Swede said this week.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also the realization that the champions have many of their players under contract and returning, for next season and beyond., plus defensive prospects eager to play.<\/p>\n

But no problem. You\u2019re 18 and in no real rush. You\u2019ll likely play in Sweden again in 2026-27 before making the jump to North America.<\/p>\n

Hakansson, picked Saturday in the second round of the NHL Draft, 51st overall, was in Raleigh this week for Carolina\u2019s prospect development camp. He said was able to watch the Canes in the playoffs and especially was impressed with the Canes\u2019 aggressive, in-your-face style of play on the back end.<\/p>\n

\u201cTheir D corps, and the way they play, I think that fits me really well,\u201d he said. \u201cIt looks really fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNastiness\u201d was a word Canes assistant general manager Darren Yorke used in describing Hakansson, who was the Canes\u2019 first pick in the draft Saturday after the team traded down out of the first round. It\u2019s almost like a badge of honor for the Stockholm native, who is listed at 6-foot-4 and 216 pounds.<\/p>\n

Hakansson played 22 regular-season games and nine in the playoffs with Lulea in the Swedish Hockey League last season. He said one of his first texts Saturday, after being drafted, was from a Lulea teammate, Jesper Sellgren.<\/p>\n

Sellgren was a sixth-round pick by the Hurricanes in the 2018 draft. The defenseman made the move to North America and helped the Chicago Wolves, Carolina\u2019s American Hockey League affiliate, win the league\u2019s Calder Cup in 2002.<\/p>\n

Read more Viral Raleigh hair salon opens second location in Raleigh\u2019s Village District<\/a><\/p>\n

But Sellgren would make the decision to return to Lulea and the SHL, signing a three-year contract, and has played in Sweden the past four seasons.<\/p>\n

Hakansson said Sellgren never mentioned his days in the Hurricanes system or why he abandoned his hopes of advancing and playing in the NHL \u2013 something one of Sellgren\u2019s Chicago teammates, defenseman Jalen Chatfield, was able to do and now will have his name on the Stanley Cup.`<\/p>\n

Of the text Sellgren sent him Saturday, Hakansson said: \u201cHe talked good about the organization.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sellgren is hardly a big guy at 5-11 and 180 pounds, which might have worked against him. Hakansson is just the opposite, tall and rangy with a big frame.<\/p>\n

Hakansson helped win a gold medal for Sweden in the 2026 U20 World Junior Championship, and was ranked 12th among European skaters by NHL Central Scouting entering the draft.<\/p>\n

The Canes have a number of younger D-men aching to get on the Canes roster and stay there. Charles Alexis-Legault, Joel Nystrom and Ronan Seeley got the chance to play some NHL games this season while others such as Dominik Badinka \u2013 a second-round pick in 2024 \u2013 await their turn in the AHL.<\/p>\n

Asked to describe his play, Hakansson said: \u201cTough, big D, good reach, try to use my stick a lot, move the puck forward, close gaps. And don\u2019t let in any goals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hakansson also has been described as a \u201cprankster\u201d off the ice. Accurate?<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, I just like having fun,\u201d he said, smiling. \u201cThat\u2019s just part of my personality and I try to bring it around everywhere I go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more How to watch Raleigh\u2019s fireworks from your house this July 4th<\/a><\/p>\n

One day, he wants that to be the Hurricanes locker room.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Defenseman William Hakansson, a 6-foot-4 Swede drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes, says he\u2019ll keep developing in Sweden before aiming for an NHL roster spot.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3750,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3751","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nHurricanes\u2019 first pick in NHL draft willing to wait his turn, keep working - Durham Moving Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3751\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Hurricanes\u2019 first pick in NHL draft willing to wait his turn, keep working - Durham Moving Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Defenseman William Hakansson, a 6-foot-4 Swede drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes, says he\u2019ll keep developing in Sweden before aiming for an NHL roster spot.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3751\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Durham Moving Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-02T18:36:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=3751#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=3751\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85\"},\"headline\":\"Hurricanes\u2019 first pick in NHL draft willing to wait his turn, keep working\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-02T18:36:30+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=3751\"},\"wordCount\":633,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=3751#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/4ced29016ee63e4cf11143e95989c10a.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Read today's Edition\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=3751#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=3751\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=3751\",\"name\":\"Hurricanes\u2019 first pick in NHL draft willing to wait his turn, keep working - Durham Moving Hub\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=3751#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=3751#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/4ced29016ee63e4cf11143e95989c10a.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-02T18:36:30+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=3751#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=3751\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=3751#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/4ced29016ee63e4cf11143e95989c10a.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/4ced29016ee63e4cf11143e95989c10a.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":674,\"caption\":\"BUFFALO, NEW YORK - JUNE 27: William Hakansson of Sweden looks on after being drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes with the fifty-first pick during day two of the 2026 NHL Draft on June 27, 2026 in Buffalo, New York. 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