RALEIGH, NC - Don Waddell, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League's Carolina Hurricanes, today announced the following changes to the team's scouting staff: Robert Kron has been promoted to Director of European Scouting, Mike Dawson has been promoted to Head North American Scout, and Cody Nickolet, Eric Fink and Oleg Smirnov have been hired as amateur scouts.

Kron has spent 11 seasons as a scout with Carolina including the last two as Head European Scout. He played 509 games as a forward for the Whalers and Hurricanes from 1993-2000, registering 247 points (108g, 139a) and reaching the 20-goal plateau in 1993-94 and 1995-96. The Brno, Czech Republic, native posted 338 points (144g, 194a) in 771 career NHL games with Vancouver, Hartford, Carolina and Columbus from 1990-2002.

Dawson has spent the last seven seasons as an amateur scout for the Hurricanes. The Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., native played three seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with Kingston and Newmarket from 1990-93. Following his junior career, he played four seasons collegiately in Canada with Acadia and one season with Saint Mary's before playing two seasons professionally in the Netherlands and finishing his pro career with Lubbock in Central Hockey League in 2002-03.

Nickolet joins the Hurricanes following four seasons as a scout and Director of Analytics for the Western Hockey League's Saskatoon Blades, and he previously spent a season as a prospect analyst for the Florida Panthers. Fink spent the last six seasons as a scout for the WHL's Portland Winterhawks. Prior to working for Portland, he spent four seasons in the United States Hockey League as Assistant Coach of the Tri-City Storm. Smirnov worked as a player agent representing players in Russia from 2016-19. He previously worked for the KHL Players' Trade Union from 2009-16.