Jackson Blake providing an unexpected boost to Hurricanes early season success.

Over the last few seasons, the Carolina Hurricanes have been considered among the favorites to win the Stanley Cup. Their formula for success has been a balanced attacked that featured a strong veteran presence that could be relied upon for scoring enough to overcome occasionally inconsistent goaltending. Former General Manager Don Waddell was a wizard in making the right moves both in acquiring players in free agency, trades, and supplementing the system with a deep prospect pool. The end result was consistently deep playoff runs.

When Waddell departed this previous offseason to take over the Columbus Blue Jackets, fans and media were concerned he had closed the contention window on the Hurricanes on his way out the door. Waddell’s top lieutenant, Eric Tulsky, was promoted to try and keep things pointed in the right direction. He faced a difficult task in the free agency period that began in July. His roster was quickly depleted of significant scoring punch with the departures of forwards Jake Guentzel, Teuvo Teravainen, Stefan Noesen, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and defensemen Brady Skjei, and Brett Pesce. Tulsky was able to offset the losses with the signings of forwards Tyson Jost, William Carrier, Jack Roslovic, and defensemen Shayne Gostisbehere, and Sean Walker. At that point in free agency, the minuses outweighed the pluses. If the Hurricanes were to remain a contender, the difference would have to come from within the system.

One of Waddell’s best accomplishments during his tenure was to maintain a relatively deep prospect pool while remaining at the top of the standings. At each summer’s draft, he would move around the draft board like a grand master chess champion. He was able to stockpile picks and unearth hidden gems. Prospects, however, can be like highly sought collectibles, bright, shiny, appealing, and coveted, until you open the box. Tulsky knew that over the course of the season his collectables would be counted upon to round out the roster. Players on Entry Level Contracts provide franchises with financial flexibility to maintain their competitive edge. Young legs can tip a playoff series at the end of a grueling regular season.

Carolina has multiple prospects that are highly regarded. Russian defenseman Alexnder Nikishin is their top prospect, and his ranking is among the best in the NHL. However, he remains under contract to SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL. Additionally, his offensive game isn’t quite ready to be a significant skill at the NHL level. Bradley Nadeau is the top forward prospect and was a first round pick in 2023. Nadeau was considered a longshot to make the Hurricanes out of training camp. He received a one game NHL cameo at the end of the 2023-2024 season after signing his ELC. He is only 19 and with a single season of college hockey to his credit, so it was not surprising he was assigned to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL to further develop his game.

Carolina did have one prospect who distinguished himself in training camp and has remained on the NHL roster, forward Jackson Blake. Blake is the fourth rated prospect and was a fourth round pick, 109th overall, in the 2021 draft. He has NHL bloodlines as the son of 14 year forward Jason. The North Dakota native made his NHL debut alongside Nadeau in the Hurricanes’ final game of the 2023-2024 season. It was expected Blake would also begin the 2024-2025 season with the Wolves. The 5’11, 178 lbs. had other ideas. Displaying a game similar to his father’s, Jackson used his speed and tenacity to impress Head Coach Rod Brind ’Amour and his staff. His relentless energy left the staff with no choice but to add him to the opening night roster. He rewarded their faith with his first NHL goal, the game winner, in the third period of Carolina’s second game of the season.

Blake followed up that goal with five more, including another game winner, and added two assists in the next 19 games. He has skated primarily on the Hurricanes’ fourth line and has seen his ice time grow from 10:57 on opening night to a high of 17:24 against the St. Louis Blues on November 17. For the season he is averaging 12:24. He is a winger but is perfect in the face off dot going six for six. Despite his lack of prototypical size, Blake is not afraid to venture into the high traffic areas of the ice or to get his nose dirty to make a play. His infectious energy is a boost to the team when it needs to jumpstart its attack. He is defensively responsible as demonstrated by his +2 statistic. One can easily envision the “A” or even the “C” being attached to his sweater in future seasons.

There is no guarantee that Blake will remain in Raleigh for the entire season. He is only 21 years old and won’t turn 22 until the offseason. Players that age slump and fall into bad habits that sometimes require a stint in the minors to correct. There is little doubt his long-term place will be in the NHL. Blake has established himself as part of the next wave of Hurricane players that should expect to play deep into the postseason. He will eventually be joined Nikishin, Nadeau, defenseman Scott Morrow, and forward Felix Unger Sorum, among others. 

The transition between the old guard and the new blood might not be seamless, but it will be encouraging and exciting. For now, Blake continues to play within himself and has injected necessary youth, energy, and affordability into the Hurricanes veteran roster. Blake is not the main reason Carolina is neck and neck with the New Jersey Devils for the top spot in the Eastern Conference, but his contributions should not be overlooked.