NHL teams finding a way to balance experience with youth each year is always a difficult task. For teams making a serious Stanley Cup push, usually experience takes over. Teams in a rebuild usually have a larger youthful contingency. But every team needs both. The Carolina Hurricanes sit more in the former camp. But this doesn’t mean they haven’t been able to give opportunities to deserving rookies and prospects. One such player that has done so this season is Jackson Blake. And as much as this opportunity has been great for him, he has likewise helped the team.
Jackson Blake Starts Season on Opening Night Roster
Every year as training camp rosters are slowly reduced, there is some question and excitement about who will make the team. For Carolina, there are usually only a few open spots up for grabs over the last few seasons given their veteran roster. Even with the roster turnover this offseason, that remained true.
But as the process of camp cuts worked itself out, Blake found himself on the opening night roster. He beat out other notable prospects including Bradly Nadeau and Felix Unger Sorum as well as some players with NHL experience like Tyson Jost and Brendan Lemieux. This says a lot to beat out these guys as Rod Brind’Amour typically needs his hand turned when it comes to younger players beating out more experienced ones. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does there’s a reason. And Blake showed that.
And He Stays
There’s a reason that Jackson Blake not only made the opening night roster but has remained with the Hurricanes over halfway through the season. When it comes to beating out Nadeau and Unger Sorum, there is a degree of maturity difference and playing style.
Blake is 21 years old and played four years of NCAA hockey. Nadeau is 19 with only one year of NCAA experience while Unger Sorum is also only 19. Nadeau is more of a pure sniper while Unger Sorum is a playmaker that the Hurricanes are trying to convert from playing on the wing to centre. Blake on the other hand plays a strong two-way game with both shifty skating ability and high-level offensive awareness on the ice. When training camp and preseason came to an end, Brind’Amour didn’t have a choice but to keep Blake on the roster.
Since then, Blake has only gotten stronger and more confident. In 43 games this season, Blake has nine goals and four assists. For all NHL rookies, he is fourth in goals at the time of this writing. All of this done while playing mostly on the fourth line. For a guy who was drafted in the fourth round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, Blake has been a solid pickup for the Hurricanes.
Blake’s Season Showing More than the Pure Stats
You have to put up points in the NHL, plain and simple. But Blake does more than that and that is why he has stuck around. Typically, putting rookies on the fourth line and in more checking roles seems to run counter to their development and ability. But Blake’s two-way play and ability to get in hard on the forecheck, win puck battles, and work off the wall allows him to play well in this role.
Meanwhile, his offensive awareness plus a willingness to go to the front of the net is helping the team by giving the fourth line a scoring touch. So much so that Brind’Amour is using him on the power play and on higher lines when things aren’t really gelling for the team. The video below shows one example of Blake’s work and ability to play a strong two-way game.
Jackson Blake, professional puck hunter. pic.twitter.com/SGYCB8eVGa
— Walt Ruff (@WaltRuff) January 11, 2025
More for the Future
When looking at some numbers, Blake leads all Hurricanes forwards in Corsi, Fenwick and Expected Goals Percentage. At 5v5 he is third, fourth and fifth in those categories. As a rookie, this is pretty impressive work. He is showing that he can positively influence the play and work well in Carolina’s system. This bodes well for both the near and far future. As time goes on, he should keep progressing and get more ice time. Don’t be surprised to see him working consistently in Carolina’s middle-six in the next year (or earlier) while also seeing some top-line time.
This doesn’t mean he will necessarily top out better than Nadeau, Unger Sorum or others, but it does show that Blake is built to be a Hurricane. Blake also won’t likely win the Calder Trophy for rookie of the year, but that is ok. He was a top-three finalist for the Hobey Baker Award last year in the NCAA but ultimately lost. With his work ethic and ability, things like this should be a blip on the radar. If anything, something to fuel his fire. From a long-shot project to an NHL regular at 21, Blake has become a valuable asset for the Hurricanes.
Main Photo Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
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