The Carolina Hurricanes may put in a request to play all of their games in Finland. The ‘Canes won their second game in Helsinki in as many tries – and as many games this season – with a 2-1 shootout victory over the Minnesota Wild. Last year, Carolina only won two of their first 18 games; which was directly responsible for their finishing with just 80 points. By November 13 of last season, the Hurricanes had eight points total.

The biggest offseason acquisition might be Jeff Skinner, Carolina’s first-round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Not only did Skinner prove his worth in training camp enough to make the team in his first try, he also scored the one and only shootout goal in Friday’s game against the Wild. He also assisted on Tuomo Ruutu’s second period goal to knot things at one. What’s most impressive is that this 18-year-old is by far the youngest player who even attempted to make the team this year.

Skinner comes from Markham, Ontario. He and second-overall pick Tyler Seguin played on a line together with the Toronto Young Nationals before being drafted by the Ontario Hockey League’s Kitchener Rangers, where for two seasons he lead his team in scoring. He scored 27 goals as a rookie in 2008-09 and then added a team record 50 goals the following season. He put another 20 playoff goals in 20 games before his team was ousted by the eventual J. Ross Robertson Cup champion Windsor Spitfires.

Skinner plays with a level of power and leadership that not many others have. His natural ability to see and play the puck puts him at a level above most rookies, which is why he’s already on an NHL roster, and he’s already proven his worth. He’s yet to score an NHL goal, but as he’s awarded more playing time, he’ll get more chances. 30 goals a season will be common for this guy. While a repeat of 2005-06 is probably too much of a stretch this season for the Hurricanes, Skinner is definitely a great building block towards getting back there.