The rookie forward looks to be in line to play opening night.
When Jackson Blake was recalled by the Carolina Hurricanes yesterday, it was clear that he had made the team, but it wasn't yet clear if he would indeed be in the opening night lineup or not.
However, Wednesday's practice cleared all of that up as Blake was not only working alongside Jack Drury and Eric Robinson on the fourth line, but was also on the second power play unit.
"It was just his play," said Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour on what made Blake stand out. "It was obvious that he belonged. He made mistakes like everyone else, but I just felt like with what he showed, we wanted to see more. That's why the decision is what it is."
And if you needed any more convincing, Tyson Jost was placed on waivers today and Rod Brind'Amour confirmed that Brendan Lemieux would be out for a little while with an injury.
So with only 12 forwards on the roster, that means Blake is practically a guarantee to play on Friday.
"He had a great pre-season and really offseason," Brind'Amour said. "Took big steps and earned his way to be here. We'll see where it goes. It's not written in stone, but he did all he could to get to this point."
Blake, 21, is heading into the second year of his three-year ELC.
Last season, he was a Hobey Baker finalist playing for the University of North Dakota and after signing with Carolina, he made his NHL debut in the final game of the regular season.
This year, he'll be seeing just how far he can go.
"He's going to learn a lot playing at this level," Brind'Amour said. "We know the talent and that he has to play in certain situations and if he can't do that, you're probably better off getting him somewhere where he can do that. But he's going to learn a lot here and maybe he stays, maybe he doesn't but we're just taking it day-by-day here right now."
Recent Articles