The Carolina Hurricanes are a team that's built a strong foundation on the talent that they themselves have drafted.
From the forwards to the defense and even in goal, the Canes' core is almost fully composed of that homegrown talent?
But which player is the cream of the crop?
Why, none other than Sebastian Aho, of course,
Looking back, almost everyone regards Aho as the steal of the 2015 draft.
Despite being taken 35th overall in the second round, Aho currently sits third among his draft class in goals (254) and fourth in points (557).
So while he's now a clearcut top-of-the-line player, at the time, many felt that Aho at 35 was even still a bit of a reach.
Back in his draft year, the franchise centerman was a thin-framed teenager who stood at just 5-foot-11 and weighed 172-pounds.
But the evident talent on the ice really made the Hurricanes eye in on him.
In a story by former Hurricanes staff writer Michael Smith on the scouting of Aho, past members of the scouting department recounted the push to take the Finnish star.
"He was a little guy, but he played really well," said Robert Kron, [at the time] the Canes' lead European scout. "To me, he looked special and different from the other kids."
"He had really good hockey sense and was really competitive," Kron said. "He was a little guy who figured out the game very quickly. At the same time, he wasn't afraid to go to the corners, play with the puck and make plays. At that age, it was impressive, especially playing with men."
"Being a smaller player, there's always some doubt in peoples' minds, and that's how he slides to the second round," said Darren Yorke [at the time a Canes' scout, but now the team's assistant general manager]. "At the end of the day, the hockey sense and competitiveness combined with his speed allowed him to have a successful season and basically prove that he should have been drafted higher."
Since becoming a full-time Hurricane, Aho has been everything for the organization.
The Finnish center has led the Canes in goals in seven straight seasons and in points in six of those seven.
At just 26 years old, he already ranks seventh all-time in goals by a Finnish-born player and 12th all-time in points.
Aho's also the organizations all-time leader in shorthanded goals (17) and every significant playoff stat: goals (27), assists (43) and points (70).
He plays in every situation — centering the top line at 5v5, leading the top power play unit, deploying on the second penalty kill unit — wears a letter on his chest as an alternate captain and is all-around just the Canes' go-to guy.
Aho has delivered time after time in big moments and his drive to win is what helps to pull the Hurricanes along and it's no coincidence that his rise has coincided with Carolina's meteoric rise back into relevancy.
And now with an eight-year extension that kicks in for the 2024-25 season, Aho's locked in for a good long while where he'll continue to lead them as a franchise icon.
