The youngest Hurricane has transformed from a tentative rookie into a relentless, high-octane offensive force fueled by newfound confidence.
It's crazy how much of a difference a year of experience can make for a player.
Carolina Hurricanes winger Jackson Blake has gone from a bright eyed rookie, one just happy to be in the NHL, to a relied upon producer on one of the best teams in the entire NHL.
Look no further as an example of that than on Saturday, where Blake became the youngest player in team history to score a series-clinching goal with his two-goal, three-point performance in Game 4, including the overtime winner.
"He's certainly stepped up this year," said Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour. "I wouldn't say it's necessarily surprising, but the level at which he's played is certainly special."
In the regular season, the 22-year-old winger saw a big jump in production, going from 17 goals and 34 points in Year One to 22 goals and 53 points in Year Two.
"Production wise, this year went better from last year," Blake told The Hockey News. "I think obviously that came with more opportunity this year. With more ice time and stuff like that, you should be doing better, in my opinion, but I'm happy with the step I took from last year to this year, for sure."
And not only was Blake's production better, but so too was his overall process and game.
The winger saw an offensive explosion this season, generating nearly 100 more individual chances, 50 more scoring chances and over 20 more high-danger chances.
Blake has also evolved into one of the most relentless forecheckers on the Hurricanes and his tireless drive and motor often see him stripping pucks and forcing turnovers on defenders, which has led to that bump in chances.
"Smaller guy in stature, but he doesn't play that way," Brind'Amour said. "Super competitive and that sometimes overshadows the fact that he's super talented. One of the more talented players that we have, for sure. Without a doubt, he's one of the most offensively creative players on the roster. You don't even have to know hockey. You just watch and he stands out almost every shift doing stuff."
But what's been the secret to Blake's level up? Well, for the youngest member of the Carolina Hurricanes, it's as simple as feeling like you belong and being confident in yourself as a player.
"Last year, I wasn't even supposed to be here," Blake said. "So I was just working hard and doing what I could do. This year though, I know that I'm here with full stability. Confidence is the biggest thing in hockey. When you're confident, you're probably gonna play better and when you're not, you're probably not going to play very good. So I think for me, confidence was big. I was confident last year, but this year it's just a whole different level."
"It's the natural progression of a kid," Brind'Amour said. "If you're willing to put the work in and understand that, when I say work, it's not just on your game, but understanding what's going on, what's expected and you really dive into that, then you should see what you're seeing. It's clear that he's getting better and better."
It's been a really special season for Blake and his line with Taylor Hall and Logan Stankoven has turned into one of the best in the entire NHL this year, leading the Hurricanes in goal share, scoring chances and high-danger chances.
That domination has only continued into the postseason too, where the line has outscored opponents 9-1.
"I think it's just the work ethic," Blake said on the reason for his line's success. "All three of us have bought in on how to play and we play the right way. You're going to get your chances if you're playing the right way for the most part."
Blake himself has been a big part of that postseason success too.
In last year's postseason, Blake had a good start, with four points in the first-round series against New Jersey, but his game quickly tapered off against the bigger, physical Washington Capitals and Florida Panthers.
But already this year, he's surpassed his first year's production and is currently second on the Canes in points (4g, 11pts in 8gp).
"Honestly, I'm just more comfortable," Blake said on the biggest difference between this year and last. "I think last year, I was nervous coming into it because I didn't know what to expect. So I've come into this year a little more confident, a little more comfortable, but obviously I still get a little bit nervous for these games because you have to be at your best and you have to perform for your team. You always have to give 100% out there no matter how you're feeling or what's going on. It's the most fun hockey though, right? This is what you dream of playing in as a kid. It's been good. Having fun."
And even though he's a smaller guy, Blake hasn't been nearly as affected by the postseason physicality this year as he was last.
"I've just tried to up my own physicality," Blake said. "I think that's been the most important thing. I'm obviously one of the smaller guys, but there's no reason to not go and try to play physical out there. Even those little bumps on a D, as a forward I don't like that. For me personally, I've just embraced it. You know they're going to finish all their checks and things like that, so you just have to be aware. On my end, just try to up my physicality a little bit and my work ethic. That's all I can do."
"He's tough," Brind'Amour said. "That's just how he is. It's tough to measure what's inside and he has it."
And while Year Two has been quite impressive for the 2021 fourth-round pick, for him, it's just a step in his progression.
"There's still another level I want to get to," Blake said.
"I get real excited because there's still a lot of room to grow there game," Brind'Amour said.
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