The All-Nobody Team: Look Who's #1!

[Anybodyhome]

I enjoy some of the article on the score, and their game casts aren't bad, either if you're trying to catch a score when you're out somewhere...

https://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/3165975/the-all-nobody-team-6-nhlers-quickly-becoming-somebodies

Jackson Blake, Hurricanes, F

Icon Sportswire / Getty Images

One way to decipher how serious a team is about winning is to peruse its list of rookies. How many have appeared in at least one game? Any full-timers?

Edmonton is the only team without a single rookie on the books this season. Four other clubs, including Carolina, have dressed just one. The Hurricanes are firmly in contention mode and look every bit like a legitimate Stanley Cup threat in 2024-25. Blake, a 21-year-old all-around winger, is their lone youngster, essentially the kid brother in a dressing room filled with veterans.

It's a fitting dynamic for someone who frequented players-only spaces as a boy (his dad, Jason Blake, played in the NHL from 1998 to 2012). The younger Blake has suited up for all 38 Canes games, pitching in eight goals and four assists despite logging only 11:38 a night. Carolina has outscored the opposition 13-10 in his 360 five-on-five minutes - no small feat for an unheralded rookie.

Star forward Marty Necas leads the team with five game-winning goals; Blake is second with four. Here's a clip of the University of North Dakota product unleashing a lethal wrist shot for the eventual winner back on Nov. 27:

Blake possesses silky hands. However, what's really endeared him to head coach Rod Brind'Amour is his non-stop motor and 200-foot sensibilities. This tenacious brand of hockey has blended well with the Hurricanes' patented style and led to a ton of penalties - 13 drawn and 10 taken, which rank first and fifth, respectively, among NHL rookies. Surely, Brind'Amour would love it if those numbers were more lopsided in the direction of "drawn."

Blake made his NHL debut last year in the Canes' final regular-season game. It allowed the Hobey Baker Award finalist to get a feel for the pros and also burn a year off his entry-level contract. He's a restricted free agent in 2026.

[Stumpy]

From the rumors in training camp, to the 1 week  "tryout" to start the season, Blake has given me some serious Seth Jarvis vibes!

It's not easy for an unheralded  rookie to look like the belong, much less stand out, against and next to experienced veterans. We found another good one!