The Hurricanes have several prospects playing on loans overseas this season, a by-product of them not having their own AHL affiliate. One of those is winger Noah Gunler who is currently playing in Finland. However, it appears he’s close to heading back home as Henrik Sjoberg of HockeyNews SE reports that Gunler is close to signing with SHL Lulea for the remainder of the season.
The 22-year-old was regarded by some as a first-round pick back in 2020 but ultimately slid to the second round, going 41st overall. Since then, Gunler has bounced around a bit, spending time in Sweden, the AHL, and Finland.
This season, Gunler has posted five goals and three assists with Karpat while averaging 15 minutes a night. But a move to Lulea would allow him to rejoin his hometown team, one he spent time with as recently as the 2020-21 campaign.
Gunler is signed with Carolina through the 2024-25 season and assuming the Hurricanes are able to find a more stable AHL situation, he should be back in North America to play the final year of his entry-level contract.