Hurricanes’ Jackson Blake Through 6 Games Reconfirms His Star Status

It comes as no surprise to those who watch Carolina Hurricanes hockey that Jackson Blake is a star player just a few games into this third season in the NHL. The 23-year-old is already up to one goal and seven points in six games, while being on a five-game point streak. Over the last two games alone, he has tallied one goal and three assists on back-to-back multi-point nights. It’s already confirming that he is a star player and will only get better before he hits his prime in a couple of seasons. That said, will everyone else outside of Raleigh see it?

Blake Becoming the NHL’s Next Underrated Star?

Blake currently leads the Hurricanes in assists (six), while being second in points (seven) behind Sebastian Aho’s nine. While he is already on an assist-per-game pace, the scoring will follow. Especially when looking over the last five games, he has shown he is not afraid to shoot the puck, having 14 shots over that span. He finished his breakout sophomore season in 2025-26 with 22 goals and 53 points in 81 games. Even in the playoffs, en route to his first-ever Stanley Cup, he led the team in assists (13) and points (20) in 19 games.

Looking back to the preseason before the start of the 2025-26 season, Blake’s mindset for season two in the NHL was becoming a better player each season. He just came off a rookie season where he finished with 17 goals and 34 points and signed his eight-year extension. It showed that the Hurricanes saw something in him early in his career. That turned into what everyone witnessed last season.

Now under his new eight-year, $5.117 million annual average value (AAV) deal, Blake is already living up to that deal. His seven points through six games this season have him at a 1.17 points-per-game average and a 96-point pace. While it’s a significant jump from 53 to 96, no one would bat an eye if that occurred.

After signing his deal last summer, Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky stated about what Blake is capable of, “Jackson had an outstanding rookie season, and we think he is just scratching the surface of the player he can be. His tenaciousness on the puck and competitiveness match our team’s culture, and we’re excited about his future with our club.”

As part of the “Junkyard Dawg” line, which includes Logan Stankoven and Taylor Hall, the trio is known for their relentless forechecking, puck retrieval instincts, and bulldog-like mentality to impose their will. The trio was the most underrated line not just for head coach Rod Brind’Amour, but in the playoffs as a whole. For Blake to go from six playoff points the year before to 20 shows how his game continues to get better.

In a behind-the-scenes documentary he did over the offseason with Everything College Hockey, Blake mentioned how the first season is about learning the lay of the land in whatever league he was playing in. After that, his second season is when everything clicks, and he has an even better year. From Minnesota high school hockey, to playing with North Dakota in the NCAA, to the Hurricanes, that process has continued.

Now just six games into his third season, Blake is showing signs of taking another step in his young career. When discussing NHL primes, the consensus is that players hit their proverbial stride between 26 and 29. However, Blake’s ceiling is so high that no one seems to know where it ends. The former Hobey Baker finalist continues to shine a light on what he can do with or without the puck.

Is Blake already a star player in the NHL? Some would say yes, especially after his breakout second season in the NHL during 2025-26. It’ll be interesting to see how season three will play out since it’s only been six games. That said, with how his trajectory has been so far, it’ll continue as he looks to reach another level in his already impressive game.