RALEIGH Hurricanes prospect Aleksi Saarela will miss the team’s training camp due to injury. The news, reported by Finnish journalist Juha Hiitela, was confirmed to North State Journal by the Hurricanes early Monday. Saarela, 19, is considered one of Carolina’s top forward prospects. Acquired from the Rangers as part of the trade that sent former captain Eric Staal to New York, he led his Finnish team, Assat Pori, in goals last season with 20. He signed a three-year, entry-level contract with Carolina in June. Saarela (5’11, 198 pounds) was on Finland’s gold medal team with fellow Hurricanes top prospect Sebastian Aho at the 2016 World Junior Championships, and he was one of several young forwards poised to compete for a roster spot during training camp. Saarela was a third-round pick, 89th overall, in 2015, and he came to Carolina along with two second-round draft picks in the Feb. 28 trade with the Rangers.
