5 Things the Carolina Hurricanes Should be Thankful For

The Youth Movement

Jan 9, 2014; Raleigh, NC, USA; Carolina Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner (53) is congratulated by teammate forward Elias Lindholm (16) after his 1st period goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs at PNC Arena. The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-1. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

The future is now for the Hurricanes. Young players like Jeff Skinner, Elias Lindholm and Justin Faulk get most of the headlines, and deservedly so, but other youngins deserve credit, as well.

Victor Rask has been fantastic since the month of November started for the Hurricanes. Jordan Staal’s injury rushed Rask to the NHL, and he has stepped up in a big way.

Rask’s 5 points (3 goals, 2 assists) in 20 games will, by no means, blow you away, but it is the young Swede’s all-around play that has impressed the most. He has been extremely reliable on the Canes third-line and main powerplay unit while averaging nearly 15:00 of ice time per game.

The 21-year-old center has a faceoff percentage of 53.4%, which is not only remarkable for a rookie, but also ranks 3rd on the Canes, a team that ranks 3rd in the league in team faceoff percentage.

Elias Lindholm, 19, has put a beating on opposing defenses in the month of November. The 2nd year forward out of Sweden has posted 9 scoring points in 12 games in November.

Lindholm’s success has been crucial for the Canes. In games that Carolina has won, Lindholm is over a point per game player (7 points in 6 wins) and is a +3. In games that Carolina has lost (14), Lindholm has 3 points and is a -9.

There is no question that Justin Faulk is the number one defenseman on the Hurricanes now and will be for a very long time. Faulk, 22, has tallied 10 points in 12 games played in November and playing a whopping 25:00 of ice time per game over that span.

Faulk has an even plus/minus in November despite being a -4 over the past 2 games.

Last but not least, Jeff Skinner, 21, has finally turned it around. Like most player in Carolina, Skinner struggled exponentially in October, but since the start of November, Skinner has tallied 9 points in 12 games and is a +1.

Skinner has seen a lot of even-strength ice time with Victor Rask on Carolina’s 3rd forward line and has tallied 5 points (2 goals, 3 assists) over his last 3 games.

If nothing else, the future is incredibly bright for the Carolina Hurricanes, and that is certainly something to be thankful for.