OHL debut on September 18, 2008, where he recorded two goals and an assist in the 4–2 win over the Plymouth Whalers. By November 13, 2008, Skinner was selected to compete with Team Canada at the 2009 World U-17 Hockey Challenge, where he helped the team win a gold medal by scoring the game-winning goal. A few days later, Skinner was presented with the Rangers Academic Player of the Month Award for his academic success while attending Eastwood Collegiate Institute. After leading the Rangers in scoring through his rookie campaign, Skinner participated in the 2009 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, scoring 6 goals for 6 points, while winning the gold medal with Team Canada. Upon his return to the Ontario Hockey League for his sophomore season, he was named an Assistant Captain alongside Mike Mascioli. During the season, Skinner scored 50 goals and led all CHL draft-eligible forwards in goal scoring. He became the first Ranger in 23 years to reach the 50-goal milestone. However, despite leading the league in goals at the time, the NHL Central Scouting Bureau ranked Skinner as the 47th best North American skater during their midterm rankings, and only 34th during the final rankings. This contrasted ratings from other organizations such as ISS and TSN's Bob McKenzie who had him much higher. Professional Carolina Hurricanes In his first year of eligibility, Skinner was drafted in the first round, seventh overall, by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. At the time of his selection, the Hurricanes’ director of amateur scouting stated ”There’s nobody in the draft that scores goals like Jeff Skinner." During his first NHL training camp, he signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Hurricanes on September 21, 2010, worth $2.7 million. On October 7, Skinner made his NHL debut with the opening roster in the Hurricanes' 4–3 win against the Minnesota Wild during the NHL Premiere Series in Helsinki, Finland. In 16 minutes of ice time, he had two shots. The following day, Skinner recorded his first career NHL point with an assist on Tuomo Ruutu's goal. He also scored the game winning shootout goal to become the third-youngest player in NHL history to score a shootout goal. On October 20, Skinner scored his first NHL career goal against Jonathan Bernier of the Los Angeles Kings in his fifth game of the season. Midway through his rookie campaign, Skinner was named