Jeff Skinner not going to AHL

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Jeff Skinner won't be at AHL training camp and it remains to be seen whether he'll play in the league this season or not.

Assigned to AHL Charlotte earlier this month, the Carolina Hurricanes announced Friday that he wasn't going to report at this point.

Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford said the decision was a mutual one.

"As it goes along, we can work together to see what makes the most sense for him. We'll see," Rutherford told ESPN.com.

"But this decision was made together."

Skinner, 20, was among an impressive group of young NHLers sent down to AHL teams in mid-September, still eligible to play there during the NHL lockout.

But after two NHL seasons and two men's world hockey championships representing Canada, an AHL demotion didn't appear to interest Skinner much.

Charlotte coach Jeff Daniels left the door open for Skinner to return, if he so chooses.

"If this lockout drags on and he decides he wants to play some games, Charlotte will be an option for him," Daniels told Charlotte's team website, gocheckers.com.

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Pierre LeBrun

NHL

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• Covers the NHL for ESPN.com and TSN of Canada
• Six years on the "Hockey Night In Canada" Hotstove panel
• 13 years at The Canadian Press National News Agency