When Finland dominated the 2016 World Junior Championship - winning the gold medal on home ice while posting a tournament-leading 23 goals - it became clear the NHL was about to see an influx of elite Finnish talent.
Winnipeg Jets winger Patrik Laine has dominated that narrative thus far, already emerging as one of the game's top goal-scorers. But don't sleep on Laine's world juniors centerman, Sebastian Aho, because the latter forward is putting together one of the best rookie seasons in Carolina Hurricanes history.
Through 54 games thus far, Aho has amassed 17 goals and 32 points, second-best among Hurricanes skaters in both categories. Stretch that production out over a full 82-game season, and Aho projects to finish 2016-17 with 25 goals and 49 points.
That mark would rank him among the top five rookies of all time for his franchise - even dating back to the club's days as the Hartford Whalers.
Here's a look at where Aho's season could potentially rank among the franchise's top 10 rookie performances:
| Player | Season | Production |
|---|---|---|
| Jeff Skinner (Hurricanes) | 2010-11 | 63 points |
| Scott Young (Whalers) | 1988-89 | 59 points |
| Patrick Poulin (Whalers) | 1992-93 | 51 points |
| *Sebastian Aho (Hurricanes) | 2016-17 | 49 points |
| Shane Willis (Hurricanes) | 2000-01 | 44 points |
| Bobby Holik (Whalers) | 1990-91 | 43 points |
| Erik Cole (Hurricanes) | 2001-02 | 40 points |
| Brad Shaw (Whalers) | 1989-90 | 35 points |
| Jody Hull (Whalers) | 1988-89 | 34 points |
| Michael Nylander (Whalers) | 1992-93 | 33 points |
Longtime captain Eric Staal is notably absent from the list. The 2006 Stanley Cup champion exploded offensively in year two of his career, but posted a much more pedestrian 31 points as a rookie, already bested by Aho with plenty of games left on this season's schedule.
The 19-year-old Finn is looking even better among the all-time group when it comes to goal-scoring. If he keeps putting pucks in the net to reach that projected 25-goal plateau, his total will be the second-highest ever posted by a Canes or Whalers rookie, bested only by teammate Jeff Skinner's 31 tallies back in 2010-11.
Given Aho's recent play, that doesn't seem like much of a stretch.
Aho. A hat trick. The 19-year-old has three. 🎩🎩🎩 pic.twitter.com/g70nGckMW0
— NHL (@NHL) February 1, 2017
After posting seven goals through his first 36 games in the big leagues, Aho opened the floodgates and racked up eight goals in 13 January tilts. He's continued that run in February, taking his recent numbers to 10 goals and 12 points over his past 17 games.
Finding the right offensive pieces to build around hasn't been easy for Carolina. In four of the past six drafts, the Hurricanes used their top pick to select a defenseman. But some of the club's more astute selections - particularly Aho, Victor Rask, and Elias Lindholm - are beginning to right the ship.
And 54 games into the finest first-year effort the club has seen since Skinner's Calder Trophy-winning performance, Aho looks poised to lead the next wave of Hurricanes scorers.
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