Justin Faulk Wins One For Carolina

There was some chatter on Twitter a few weeks ago about former UMD defenseman Justin Faulk being a candidate for the Calder Trophy, given to the NHL's top rookie.

I chuckled a bit, and didn't take it all that seriously.

Now, I am.

Faulk continues to play big minutes, and his contributions are increasing virtually every time I look. Tuesday night, he scored the overtime winner for the Hurricanes in a 4-3 victory over Washington.

The winner comes at the end of the video. Fast forward to around 3:45 and enjoy.



Faulk has eight goals and 18 points in 50 games, but there are some other interesting numbers. He's averaging over 22 minutes of ice per game, tops among all NHL rookies. Since the calendar flipped to 2012, the 19-year-old has played in 26 games, scoring six goals and totaling 11 points while compiling a plus-six and averaging nearly 23:30 of ice time per game.

I'm not saying he SHOULD win the Calder, but he sure has vaulted himself onto the list of candidates.

******

By the way, fellow former UMD player Mike Connolly was scratched for Colorado against Minnesota Tuesday. The guy whose spot he took in the lineup Sunday, Steve Downie, returned from a shoulder injury and played.

It might not be back to Lake Erie for Connolly, however, Colorado center Matt Duchene suffered an ankle injury against the Wild, and that might keep Connolly on the big club for the time being.

Justin Faulk's First NHL Fight

Former UMD defenseman Justin Faulk is seeing some serious success in his first professional season. The 19-year-old is being talked about as a Calder Trophy candidate, and he continues to get better virtually every time he plays.

Monday night, Faulk scored the first goal in a 5-0 pasting by his Carolina Hurricanes of division rival Washington. As the score swelled, and the Capitals became frustrated, it was inevitable there would be some fighting.

In this case, one of the fights involved Faulk, marking his first NHL fight.



Winner by decision: Justin Faulk.

Justin Faulk: Carolina Hurricane

Anyone who follows me on Twitter knows I've been all over the prospect of former UMD defenseman Justin Faulk making the Carolina Hurricanes for months. For me, this isn't really a surprise, just an affirmation of something I felt pretty strongly about as the summer got started.

Faulk -- who starred for UMD during last season's national championship run -- signed with Carolina after the year ended. When I talked to him in July, he was a confident young man who felt like he really had a shot to be in the NHL this fall.

Wednesday, the Hurricanes trimmed their roster to 23, as mandated by NHL rules, ahead of Friday's season opener against Tampa Bay.

Faulk is among nine defensemen on that final roster. And if you believe head coach Paul Maurice, Faulk has a real shot of sticking around for quite a while.

After Wednesday's practice, Maurice spoke to the media about a number of topics, including the final cut (former Cornell star Riley Nash) and Faulk. Here is a transcript of his Faulk comments.

He's had a great camp. We've got a lot of faith in him. We really like the way he's played, and I think he has the opportunity to continue to get better.

Like I said yesterday, we're not pulling Justin in and showing him a lot of video about things he has to learn about the game. He's got a lot of great instinct to play defense and a nice little offensive upside. So we are comfortable putting him in the lineup.

Faulk, 19, won't be the youngest defenseman on the team. Ryan Murphy, 18, was Carolina's first-round pick this summer. He is on the roster after a huge offensive season for the OHL's Kitchener Rangers last season and a great training camp.

Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford's thoughts on Faulk?

Canes general manager Jim Rutherford was discussing personnel and roster decisions to be made today when a question was raised about Justin Faulk and whether Rutherford would consider him one of the team's top six defensemen.

"No," Rutherford said, "in the top four."

What has impressed Rutherford the most about Faulk, who's 19 and was enrolled at Minnesota-Duluth this time last year and set to play college hockey?

"Pretty much everything," Rutherford said. "To think that he's 19 years old, and to have the composure he has, and the way he handles the puck and the way he handles different situations, how he moves the puck, how he skates. He knows the game.

"I haven't seen many flaws in his game to this point. This is great for us. We knew we had a good player in Justin, but as a defenseman we always say it's going to take longer. But for him to do what he did in the preseason as a 19-year-old is pretty impressive."

The lesson learned here? For starters, the U.S. Junior National Team will be missing one of the top returning players (at least in terms of age eligibility) if Rutherford is at all accurate. No way the Hurricanes make Faulk eligible for the World Junior Championships if he's still on the NHL roster. The only way he plays in Alberta is 1) when Carolina heads to Edmonton and Calgary in December, or 2) if he somehow struggles in the NHL and the Hurricanes send him to AHL Charlotte. If that happens, Faulk could be available for the U.S. team.

Otherwise, no chance. And good for Faulk, because he's an example of a player who wasn't going to get any better in college hockey. That he has been deemed NHL-ready out of his first pro training camp says a lot about college hockey's ability to develop elite-level talent.

So, even though he only went to UMD for one year, Faulk is a guy College Hockey, Inc., can look at as a positive story about the game and its potential impact on player development.

Justin Faulk Moves On

The national champion UMD Bulldogs are up to two (2) early departures as the offseason gets rolling.

Junior forward Mike Connolly signed with the San Jose Sharks this week, and freshman defenseman Justin Faulk -- as was somewhat expected -- has followed him out the proverbial door.

Faulk agreed to terms Friday with the Carolina Hurricanes, the team announced Friday.

As a freshman at UMD, Faulk had a great season, quickly establishing himself as one of the league's best offensive defensemen. He scored eight goals -- including two game-winners -- and had 33 points in 39 games. He missed three games while with Team USA at the World Junior Championships.

“Justin is a gifted offensive defenseman who excels on the power play and has a big shot from the point,” said VP and assistant general manager Jason Karmanos. “He had a hugely successful year at Duluth and with his strength and build, we feel that he is ready to begin his professional career.”

Faulk got better as the season wore on, and he was simply a beast in the NCAA Frozen Four. He didn't score any goals, but he was a key player offensively in UMD's 4-3 semifinal win over Notre Dame, helping set up three goals while showing his improvement as a defensive player. Faulk routinely won physical battles and races in the UMD zone, preventing Notre Dame from getting players and pucks too close to goalie Kenny Reiter.

In the championship game, he struggled a bit with the puck, but didn't struggle nearly as much with his positioning or understanding of his defensive responsibilities.

To be blunt, Faulk wasn't going to get much -- if any -- better at UMD. It was time for him to move on, and UMD fans should simply tip their cap, thank him for making such an impact this season, and wish him well at the next level.

His three-year contract kicks in next season, paying him a signing bonus of $270,000, according to the Hurricanes. He will join the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League as they compete in the Calder Cup Playoffs. Charlotte upset two-time defending champion Hershey 5-4 Thursday night in the opening game of their best-of-seven series.