EDMONTON -- Jackson Blake is fitting in well as the only rookie on the Carolina Hurricanes.
Five games into the season, the 21-year-old is endearing himself to his veteran teammates through his play and work ethic.
The Carolina Hurricanes forward scored his first NHL goal in his second game this season, the game-winner in a 4-2 victory against the New Jersey Devils on Oct. 15. Blake scored again in his next game, a 4-1 win at the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 18.
"It's a relief to get the first goal, but obviously you don't want to stop at one or two, now you want to keep going and strive for the next one," Blake said prior to Carolina's 3-2 overtime win against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place on Tuesday. "But it was good to get those first two and now you have to strive for more."
An NCAA star with the University of North Dakota and the son of retired NHL forward Jason Blake, Jackson was a Hobey Baker Memorial Award Hat Trick Finalist last season with Macklin Celebrini of Boston University and Cutter Gauthier of Boston College. Celebrini won it and was then selected No. 1 by the San Jose Sharks in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Blake was chosen in the fourth round (No. 109) of the 2021 NHL Draft and turned pro after he had 60 points (22 goals, 38 assists) in 40 games as a sophomore for North Dakota, the program's highest single season scoring output since Brock Boeser's 60 in 2015-16. He was named National Collegiate Hockey Conference forward and player of the year.
"Obviously it's a little different coming from college to here, but it's been great," Blake said. "Everyone has helped me out, and I think every day I'm just getting more comfortable being here. I think I realize that I belong here, and I just have to go every day and work as hard as I can to try and stay here. It's been good. It's a lot of fun."
Carolina has a roster loaded with veterans. There were not a lot of openings for rookies heading into the season, but Blake forced management's hand and earned a spot in the lineup. Now, it's a matter of keeping it.
Blake was held off the score sheet Tuesday. He had one shot on goal in 9:44 of ice time.
"He earned it, there's no doubt about it," Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "He pushed guys that are NHL guys out of that spot, and that's kudos to him and the work that he put in, in the summer, because we didn't know coming in how it was going to shake out. But he's definitely earned a position."
Carolina is expected to bring Blake along slowly and not put too much pressure on the right wing. He is capable of playing a top six role but was in the bottom six against Edmonton.
"He's just continued his progression," Brind'Amour said. "It's still early, but if you forget the points and the couple of goals he's scored already, he's really impactful out there and he doesn't look out of place, that's for sure. It takes time coming out of college, but the college game is really a great learning area to take that next step."
Blake joined the Hurricanes at the tail end of last season once his NCAA year concluded at North Dakota. He made his NHL debut in Carolina's last game of the season, a 6-3 loss at the Columbus Blue Jackets on April 16.
"I was here for a month last year, and that helped a lot," Blake said. "The game I played in was a little weird. I didn't play for three weeks and then I got into that game, and it was definitely a cool experience. It was good to come in here this year and know all the staff and come in and know the guys a little bit and be familiar with everything. That helped a lot."
Blake has injected youthful enthusiasm to the Hurricanes, who are among the oldest teams in the League, averaging 28.8 years on opening night. He has also added to their team speed, which was on full display against the Oilers.
"He's been really good so far, we were all happy for him when he scored his first goal," Carolina captain Jordan Staal said. "He was so excited, and that's infectious. We all remember what it was like at that age and it's good to have him here."
Blake feels his two seasons at North Dakota prepared him to play in the NHL and is working on bridging the gap. He had 102 points (38 goals, 64 assists) in 79 games in his two seasons at North Dakota, becoming only the second player in school history in 30 years to reach 100 by his sophomore year, joining Zach Parise.
"College is a tough game, but the NHL is a different breed and a whole other level of speed," Blake said. "I think if you can get used to that as quick as you can, I think it'll set you up for success and then your confidence will just grow. I'm still getting used to it a little bit, but I think I've come a long way."
Coming from college, Brind'Amour feels Blake is better prepared to make an impact this season. Brind'Amour followed a similar path, playing one season at Michigan State University before moving on to the NHL and having 1,184 points (452 goals, 732 assists) in 1,484 games.
"The college game definitely prepares you to play in the NHL sooner, just the nature of the game," he said. "You're not playing against 16-year-olds. You're playing against 22, 23-year-olds who are fully-grown men, and the pace and everything. In the environment, you get a lot more practice time and I think, it definitely sets guys up quicker coming out of it."
