Five things to love about Jeff Skinner
Previously posted on Hockey Independent
By now we all know who Jeff Skinner is but why is there an exceptional amount of hype around this kid? Probably some sort of family lineage tying himself to Chuck Norris– a title usually reserved for most Leafs prospects (all hail the mighty Kahdri).
Without further adieu, why you too should love Skinner:
- Leading his team in the playoffs. During the 2010 OHL playoffs, Taylor Hall and the Windsor Spitfires steamrolled the majority of the league. They steamrolled the Erie Otters in a 4-0 first round sweep and then did the same thing in the second round to second overall pick Tyler Seguin and the Plymouth Whalers. Then along came the Kitchener Rangers led by the 20 goals scored by Skinner in just as many games. The Rangers would eventually fall to the Spitfires 4-3 in the series but they literally were the only team to challenge them.
- 70. Despite his draft ranking, Skinner entered with the most goals of any draft eligible player. There was no doubt the kid could finish as Chip Alexander of The News Observer points out so eloquently.
- Draft climber. Nobody climbed higher in the draft. Coming in ranked 34th amongst North American skaters by Central Scouting the Carolina Hurricanes took him seventh overall. Although this seemed a reach at the time, his stock has only raised as he becomes a strong contender to represent Team Canada at the World Juniors.
- The media hype. From Jeff Marek to everyone who cares about hockey in Carolina this kid has hype. I remember listening to Marek just rave about this kid on RLD Radio leading up to the draft as Marek simply gushed about how special this kid could be and how he could rise. While we saw Ryan Johanssen rise from a mid-first to a top five selection, the shock of Skinner at seven created a massive buzz for the better.
- The moves. Those last four weren’t enough? This “razzle dazzle” could be the shootout goal of the year!
In an offseason where the Canes worked with their own salary cap and consider Joe Corvo their big free agent signing, the Skinner hype seems like all we really can chatter about. A plethora of kids will get a shot to make the team and Skinner may very well be one of them.












