The Carolina Hurricanes are a bad hockey team. They’ve been bad for the better portion of the past decade, leaving many fans to wonder when — if ever — things will turn around for the better.

As crazy as it may seem for a team missing the playoffs each of the previous six seasons, the Canes’ future is brighter than ever thanks to a stable of young talent and a stockpile of valuable draft picks.

Just four months ago, following another disappointing season without making the playoffs, the Hurricanes selected an 18-year-old defenseman, who just completed his freshman year at Boston College, with the fifth overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft.

Noah Hanifin, who graduated high school a year early to attend college and accelerate his development, made his way to the draft stage as the first defenseman selected and immediately became the cornerstone of the Hurricanes franchise moving forward.

A guy with barely noticeable peach fuzz on his face, who should really have been walking across a graduation stage, signed an entry-level contract and made the team out of training camp. 

Hanifin instantly noticed six digits in his bank account while feeling the pressure of being the organization’s star in the making.

This, all at the young age of 18, the age many students at NC State first spend weekends out until the early morning hours, making their parents undeniably proud. 

At 18, I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do with my life nor what career I was remotely interested in. My biggest accomplishments included making ramen noodles in a coffee pot and waking up by 10 a.m. in time for my second class of the day — not being the top defensive prospect in the opinion of almost all NHL scouts.

The fact that an 18-year-old can perform at such a high level against grown men twice his age is simply remarkable.

Everyone in the hockey world knows just how talented Hanifin is, but his maturity and professional approach add to the belief among management that he will be a Hurricanes star for years to come.

While the Hurricanes’ future starts with Hanifin, there are several other top-notch prospects in the organization currently playing in either the minor leagues or junior hockey that can help propel the team to success in the future.

Carolina currently boasts one of the best and deepest group of defensive prospects among NHL organizations, which includes the 2014 NHL Draft seventh overall pick Haydn Fleury. 

Fleury, the second defenseman taken in the 2014 draft, and a member of multiple Canadian national teams, is expected to make the Hurricanes roster next season after being one of the final players cut this preseason.

The Canes have plenty of other defensemen with potential in the system, including Trevor Carrick, Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce and Roland McKeown.

Offensively, forward Brock McGinn is one of the top players to watch. When the Canes called him up earlier this month, he immediately made an impact, scoring a goal on his first shift of his first NHL game.

Forward Sergey Tolchinsky became a viral sensation during preseason play as videos circulated on social media of his several highlight reel goals.

Despite his 5-foot-8, 170-pound size, Tolchinsky has proven to be an electrifying goal scorer in juniors. The Hurricanes hope that his scoring ability transfers to the professional ranks. If so, he can be a contributor within the next couple of years.

2015 second-round draft pick Sebastian Aho is another forward who is anticipated to help the Canes in the future.

Aho is a capable scorer, as he averaged a point per game in Finnish juniors. Just as importantly, he is very good defensively, being aware and helping his own defensemen on the backcheck.

Despite the solid group of prospects already in the Hurricanes organization, it is expected to get even better.

The Hurricanes currently hold two first-round picks in the 2016 NHL draft and five total picks in the first three rounds, giving the franchise plenty of opportunities to add quality players.

With goaltender Cam Ward and forward Eric Staal both in the final year of their contracts, the Canes could trade them at the deadline — if they can’t reach a new contract agreement — and receive valuable draft picks and quality players in return.

While things may look grim now, help is on its way to a struggling Hurricanes team. The young talent is there, it’s just a matter of developing it and using it to help the team win games in the years to come.