Hanifin going to All-Star Game for Hurricanes, remains work in progress

Carolina Hurricanes coach Bill Peters delivered the good news to defenseman Noah Hanifin on Wednesday afternoon that he had been selected to play in the 2018 Honda NHL All-Star Game at Amalie Arena in Tampa on Jan. 28 (3:30 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, SN, TVA Sports.
"I was pretty surprised," Hanifin said.

Peters delivered a different kind of message to Hanifin on Friday after his turnover led to Brett Connolly's tying goal with 3:08 remaining in the Hurricanes' 4-3 loss to the Washington Capitals. Although Hanifin is headed to the All-Star Game for the first time, Peters understands that he's a young defenseman and not immune to growing pains.
So instead of criticizing Hanifin, Peters backed him.
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"You've got to stay with him," Peters said. "You've got to teach, you've got to learn from it, and you've got to stay with people."
Hanifin, the No. 5 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, is in his third season in the League, but has yet to turn 21. He'll do that on Jan. 25, the day before he leaves for 2018 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend, which includes the NHL All-Star Skills Competition on Jan. 27 (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVA Sports).
The Hurricanes lost 4-1 to the Calgary Flames at PNC Arena on Sunday and are 1-4-0 heading into their five-day, NHL-mandated break before their next game at the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; FS-D, FS-CR, NHL.TV), but they are pleased with Hanifin's progress. Although the 6-foot-3, 206-pound Boston native has been playing mostly on the third pair with Trevor van Riemsdyk, he leads Carolina's defensemen with seven goals and 21 points in 45 games.

"Our team, we've had a few tough games lately, but for me individually I think it's been a pretty good year so far," Hanifin said. "There's been some ups and downs, and there are definitely things I can continue to work on and get better at. I'm still pretty young in this League, so there's still a lot of work I can do, but I think from last year and the year before to where I am now, I think I've definitely developed and learned a lot since I first started in the League."
Despite hiccups such as Hanifin's decision to pass out of the right corner into the slot on the giveaway to Connolly, Peters said his game is "better everywhere."
"Now, in Year 3, he's played [205] games in the NHL and he's more comfortable with the League," Peters said, "He's been around the League. He's played in every building there is and just the confidence you gain from having been there, done that is important, especially for a D-man. It's a tough position to play in this league."
Going to Tampa should reinforce Hanifin's growing confidence. He remembers watching the All-Star Game and the skills competition with his father, Bob, when he was growing up. Now his father will be there to see him participate in both.
"It should be a fun experience," Hanifin said. "There's a lot of guys in this room that could have went and fortunately I'm lucky enough to go and represent the organization. I'm excited. It should be a good memory."
Hanifin will be part of a young generation at the All-Star Game that will include Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (20), Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (21) and Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel (21). Like Hanifin, Eichel will be playing in his first All-Star Game.
"I'm happy to see him having such a good year. It's awesome," Eichel said of Hanifin. "We grew up pretty close together. We train together in the summer and skate and hang out a lot so we're pretty tight. I'll be really cool to have him down there."
Three years ago, Hanifin was playing for Boston College as a 17-year-old. At the NHL All-Star Game, he'll be teammates on the Metropolitan Division team with players he watched as a kid such as Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals.

"It's pretty crazy, and it goes by pretty fast," Hanifin said. "I still have a lot of work to do. I haven't reached the ceiling of what I'm capable of, yet. I still think I can get a lot better in certain areas."
Eliminating turnovers like the one Hanifin committed Friday will help. But he's also had plenty of positives to build on.
"He's playing well," said Hurricanes defenseman Justin Faulk, who played in the All-Star Game in each of the past three seasons. "I think he has a lot more confidence with the puck and with his ability to make plays out there. He's such a good skater. He can skate himself out of trouble. He skates himself into trouble once in a while, but he's a player who can make those plays and put himself in a position to either make a play or receive a pass, get a good shot off, anything like that.
"It's been great to see this year, and I don't think we've really scratched the surface of the potential he has."