Top Moments of the 2019-20 Regular Season: No. 6

With the 2019-20 regular season officially over, Hurricanes.com is counting down the top 10 moments from the last year, presented by Storm Brew from our friends at R&D Brewing.

Previous Top Moments: 10. Ward Retires, Sounds Warning Siren | 9. Geekie Shines in First Two NHL Games | 8. Canes Bolster Lineup on Deadline Day | 7. Hamilton Scores from the Red Line

6. Jaccob Slavin wins Accuracy Shooting at NHL All-Star Skills

Dougie Hamilton's banner season was cut short when he suffered a broken fibula in his left leg in Columbus, an unfortunate injury that happened just a week before Hamilton was slated to make his first NHL All-Star appearance.

Instead, the Canes were represented in St. Louis by Jaccob Slavin, long one of the league's best kept secrets and a player incredibly well-deserving of an All-Star nod in his own right.

"He's as good as any defenseman in the league, in my opinion. Certainly, as valuable as any defenseman," head coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "He definitely deserves to be in that game."

The 3-on-3 NHL All-Star Game format is, of course, designed to promote offense and scoring. Slavin, one of the league's most stellar defensive defenseman, doesn't necessarily fit into that flashy mold, but that didn't make him any less worthy of recognition.

"Defense, I don't think, gets recognized the same as offense does," he said on episode 121 of CanesCast. "I think I might be the most defensive one there. It will be fun. I'm excited."

The highlight of the weekend for Slavin was NHL All-Star Skills. The Canes' defenseman was participating in Accuracy Shooting, a timed event in which players had to hit five digital targets as fast as possible.

READ: SLAVIN WINS ACCURACY SHOOTING EVENT IN ALL-STAR SKILLS

Slavin's simple strategy was influenced by former Canes captain Eric Staal.

"He said he was doing it a little bit this morning," Slavin explained. "He was just like, 'Just shoot them as fast as you can. Don't worry about if you miss or whatever.' So, that's what I tried to do."

Success!

Slavin, the seventh of the eight skaters to shoot, hit the five targets with eight shots in 9.505 seconds. He became just the second player to win with a time under 10 seconds (Daniel Sedin, 8.9 seconds in 2011) since Accuracy Shooting became a timed event in 2011.

Slavin captured a $30,000 prize for winning, the first Skills event victory for a Hurricane since Staal tied Marian Hossa in the same event in 2007, when it was based on shots taken instead of time.

The next day, staying true to his style of play, Slavin was the only player on the scoresheet to record a blocked shot when the Metropolitan Division matched up against the Atlantic in the All-Star Game. And though he didn't drop to the ice to defend a 2-on-1 rush, as he so often seemingly effortlessly does, his instincts almost took control.

"I really thought about it," Video: Accuracy Shooting: Slavin wins with superb shooting, in which the Metropolitan Division was defeated in a 9-5 final score.

Slavin finished the evening with a shot on goal, two shot attempts and a minus-2 rating.

Video: Accuracy Shooting: Slavin wins with superb shooting

"I didn't do my job tonight," he laughed. "I'm a defensive defenseman, and I was dash a couple."

But it's the All-Star Game, so, so what? Slavin left St. Louis with a Skills event title, an extra $30,000 in spending money and a memory-filled weekend spent with his family around the best in the league.

"It's a privilege and an honor to be here," Slavin said. "Just how much of a blessing it is to be here with the abilities God has given me and put me in the position I'm in. All in all, a really fun weekend."