He followed the advice of brother Bryce, a defenseman selected by the Carolina Hurricanes in the sixth round (No. 170) of the 2021 NHL Draft, and stepped in when five key London players were away competing at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship in Ottawa.
Defensemen Oliver Bonk and Sam Dickinson and forward Easton Cowan played for Canada, and forwards Kasper Halttunen and Jesse Nurmi skated for Finland.
Blake had 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) in nine games while his London teammates were preparing for and competing in the IIHF tournament.
That was part of a 14-game point streak (24 points; 12 goals, 12 assists) Blake put together from Dec. 14-Jan. 23, including goals in four straight games from Dec. 12-20 and five goals in a three-game span from Jan. 3-11.
“We had three forward and two defense go to World Juniors so he gets more time on the power play, he gets more favorable matchups with his linemates,” London associate general manager Rob Simpson said. “I think he did an amazing job taking advantage of it and showing the staff here of how good he is, and he can really be put in any situation.”
Blake (6-foot-4, 195 pounds) said the increased roles allowed him to get better acclimated with his teammates and the OHL.
“I definitely feel comfortable just to play my game here, and then obviously being surrounded by great players,” he said. “I like the consistency of it, the schedule, and then knowing what I'm expected of, especially stepping up while some guys were gone recently. I just more comfortable in this league now.”
Ottawa selected Blake after he was not taken in the 2023 NHL Draft. Not knowing what to expect in 2024, he didn’t attend the draft at Sphere in Las Vegas and opted to watch it from Bermuda, where his mother, Kimberly Robinson, is from.
“My mom and a lot of her family are there, people I haven't seen in a while too, and some older family who are getting up there,” he said. “It just made more sense for me to be more comfortable and not so stressed in a stressful time.”
If things do get stressful, Blake can always turn to Bryce, who’s playing this season for Bloomington of the ECHL, which has a working agreement with the Hurricanes, and for Chicago, Carolina’s American Hockey League affiliate.
“I'm in touch with him almost every day in some form of communication,” Bryce said.
Carolina signed Bryce to a three-year, entry level contact on Oct. 6 after he had 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in 42 games for South Carolina of the ECHL, a Washington Capitals affiliate. He had eight points (two goals, six assists) in 84 games over four seasons with London.
The 22-year-old said he enjoyed playing for South Carolina of the ECHL last season, but is happy to be playing for teams in the Hurricanes system this season.
“It's a lot easier just for being connected with them," he said. "They have a lot more access to me now. I think it's helping me a lot learning the way I should be playing when I'm with them (Hurricanes).
Bryce (6-foot-4, 230 pounds) has no points in three AHL games for Chicago and five points (one goal, four assists) in 32 games for Bloomington this season. His goal in a 4-2 loss to Toledo on Oct. 20, 2024, was historic: the first one in Bloomington’s inaugural season.
“That whole game, nobody was scoring so I kind of said to myself, ‘I'm going to get one here,’ he said. “And then it came. It's cool. I got to get that under my belt. Now I’m trying to get a few more.”
