Fresh off of becoming a $45 million man, it's clear that Jackson Blake isn't a rookie anymore.

No, Blake, just a couple days away from his 22nd birthday, is looking more and more like he's going to be a relied upon piece of the Carolina Hurricanes for years to come.

So what can we expect from the kid after a 17 goal, 34 point inaugural season?

In year one, Blake really did have one of the most unpredictable runs we've seen in a while.

Fresh off of a standout sophomore season at the University of North Dakota that saw him as a Hobey Baker finalist, Blake had a memorable training camp and preseason that just left the staff too impressed to leave him off the roster.

"It was just his play," Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour had said at the time. "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."

Every game he played, Blake just got better.

He's not the most explosive skater, nor does his talent really jump off the page, but he's just such a smart player and one who works so hard too.

He's the kind of player who more often than not, finds himself in the right spots and doing all the right things that really tilts the ice in his team's favor.

And I will say, his poise with the puck on his stick and then the ability to win pucks back  where well above the expected levels for a rookie.

He also demonstrated an ability to play with high-end talent on both the Canes' top line (Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, Andrei Svechnikov) and on the team's top power play.

Brind'Amour always commented on how consistently Blake was amongst the best players on the ice and for a team that's been as consistently good as Carolina has been, that says a lot.

Blake led all Hurricanes forwards in Corsi For (61.23%), expected goals for (60.52%) and actual goals for (58.46%) in the regular season.

Even if he wasn't always on the scoresheet, he was always around it.

Blake isn't the biggest guy, but he was never afraid to go into the corners or battle in front of the net. He was always willing to give that extra effort and that's what the Canes like about him.

So what more can Blake bring in year two?

The 21 year old was almost always a driver on his line, but he had a penchant to pass off a bit too much.

Blake was at times a bit too timid of a shooter, with just 6.44 shots on goal and 12.16 individual chances per 60, both in the bottom half amongst Canes forwards.

However, when he did shoot, it was primarily between the circles and closer to the net, so he knows and goes to the spots on the ice where he needs to to score.

If he just starts to trust a little more in himself, I think it will go a long way.

That and another year growing into his body will be huge for Blake.

The 5-foot-11 winger is in the lower portion of the league in terms of size, but he plays bigger than he is and adding more muscle to his frame will just allow him to do just that much more on the ice.

The Hurricanes obviously see Blake as a huge part of the team moving forward and if he can continue to build on his promising start, their bet is going to pay off immensely. 

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