Carolina Hurricanes: The Rise of Lucas Wallmark in 2019

2018-19: Wallmark’s Rookie season

As a rookie in 2018-19, Wallmark was a real bright spot. His numbers as a rookie don’t necessarily jump off the page – 10 goals, 18 assists in 81 games – which is solid production for a rookie, but the circumstances are what make it even more impressive. He played up and down the lineup, finding his footing as a center and filling that dynamic hybrid role that the Hurricanes had been in search of.

When you dive into the advanced stats, the numbers support the eye-test. His Corsi For percentage was 54.1%, though most Hurricanes were positive in that regard. He was a victim of poor luck – his PDO was amongst the worst of all Canes forwards at 97.7, and his shooting percentage was just 7.6%, which shows real room for improvement if some bounces went his way more often.

He was also an all-situations player, which is impressive for any rookie in this league. He averaged 1:14 per game on the powerplay, and scored 7 powerplay points while usually mounted on the half-wall on the 2nd unit. He’s shown great vision, patience and creativity as a passer. He’s also got a rifle for a shot, which fans often voice that they would love to see him use more often.

Shorthanded, he was also decently effective. He was a regular amongst the Hurricanes revolving door of penalty killers, and posted a better GA/60 shorthanded than Jordan Martinook and equal to that of Jordan Staal.

He was also pretty spectacular for a rookie at even-strength – he had 21 points (8 goals, 13 assists) at 5 on 5 while obviously (54.1 Corsi) controlling possession while on the ice. He capped his rock-solid debut campaign in style during the playoffs, when he scored his first career NHL playoff goal against Washington.

In his exit interview after the season, Wallmark was asked if he’d felt he’d found his place in the NHL.

"“Uh, yeah … I’m just trying to play my game and work hard for it .. It was a really fun year, and hopefully I can get better (next year) and do a bit more.”"

He also acknowledged that filling in for an injured Jordan Staal in the Canes top-6 gave him confidence.

"“Jordo is a key player for us, and with him (out), I had to take a bigger role and I felt OK with that .. I felt like I got more confidence from that.” he said."

Undoubtedly, it was as good of a rookie season as anyone could have hoped for.