Breaking Down What Recent Signings Will Bring to Carolina Hurricanes

Two weeks remain until the official start of the 2015 NHL free-agency period, but the Carolina Hurricanes have already signed three players to their first NHL contracts so far in June.

Recent draft picks Tyler Ganly and Lucas Wallmark, as well as European hockey veteran Derek Ryan, have been inked by the Canes to two-way contracts.

All three are likely to at least start the 2015-16 season with the Charlotte Checkers, the AHL affiliate of the Hurricanes. The two prospects offer promising upside in the future, while the addition of Ryan fits with Ron Francis' new veteran-oriented vision for the Checkers.

What will each recent signee bring to the Canes organization? A breakdown of each lies below.

Tyler Ganly

Gregg Forwerck/Getty Images

The Hurricanes' sixth-round selection in 2013, Ganly adds another reliable youngster to the franchise's increasingly immense defensive depth.

The 6'2" rearguard will almost certainly join Charlotte next fall after spending 2014-15 with the OHL's Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. He'll fill a third-pairing and penalty-killing role for the rebuilding Checkers and will hope to one day fill a similar niche for Carolina.

Francis will likely hope Ganly follows a Brett Bellemore-like path, paying his dues in the minor leagues for several years before emerging as a physical, conservative bottom-pairing option at the NHL level at some point in the future.

Lucas Wallmark

THERESE NY/Associated Press

Riding a wave of rising stock and skyrocketing expectations, Wallmark, a 2014 fourth-round pick, will join the Hurricanes' professional ranks with considerable fanfare.

Wallmark established himself among professionals with a strong season for Lulea of the Swedish Hockey League in 2014-15. Writes Chapin Landvogt of Hockey's Future:

"

Long talked about as a truly talented puck magician who knows not only how to create space, but also make great use of it, Wallmark played a central role in Lulea’s success this season while also chipping in six points in seven games for Sweden at the WJC. His face-off skills continue to be far above average while his tendency to set up teammates...is becoming his trademark.

"

Lulea also won the European Champions Hockey League with Wallmark on the roster. The Hockey News' Ryan Kennedy recently named Wallmark the Hurricanes' prospect of the year.

Wallmark, meanwhile, has indicated that he's shooting for the NHL in 2015-16 and will return to Lulea for another year if he falls short, according to Ola Winther of Hockey Sverige.

While news flies around the blossoming 19-year-old star at a rapid pace, it's still yet to be seen whether he translates his style to the North American game.

Oft-criticized for his inconsistency, Wallmark remains a boom-or-bust prospect for the Canes—his performances at prospect development camp and NHL training camp this summer will be very telling of what the future holds.

Derek Ryan

One of the Hurricanes' more intriguing and unusual free-agent signings of recent years, 2015 Swedish Hockey League MVP Derek Ryan was unexpectedly inked to a one-year contract on Tuesday, according to the Hurricanes website. 

Ryan has never played professional hockey on this continent. He has, however, previously played four seasons for the WHL's Spokane Chiefs (including two under the coaching of Bill Peters), four seasons for the University of Alberta, three seasons in Austria and, most recently, one in Sweden.

Now 28, Ryan is finally getting his first NHL opportunity. Francis noted in Tuesday's press release that he's "excited that [Ryan] chose our organization," and indeed, the Avalanche, Maple Leafs and Capitals were also reportedly interested in the well-traveled veteran, as reported by Mike Chambers of the Denver Post.

It's hard to know whether Ryan is really a viable NHL forward or not—he is only 5'10" and 170 pounds, after all—but his contract is for only $600,000, and Francis has vowed to add older players to the Checkers' AHL roster.

The decision to add Ryan to the fold, regardless of where he ends up within it, seems hard to argue against.

Mark Jones has been a Carolina Hurricanes Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report since 2009. Visit his profile to read more or follow him on Twitter.