At least not in the NHL.

Willis has been in the Carolina Hurricanes organization since he was selected in the third round of the June, 1997 draft. He has played for their farm teams in both the AHL and IHL -- winning the All-Star Game hardest shot competition in each league -- and saw action in nine games with Carolina before the start of this season, although he never scored a point.

Still, the skills the right wing showed during his limited exposure to Carolina coach Paul Maurice left an impression. And with the 2000-01 Hurricanes playing a transition game and sporting a younger, faster-paced lineup than in years past, Maurice has found a place for the speedy 23-year old.

Shane Willis is finding his range around the net this season.(AP)

"We have a defense now that can move the puck, so he's not taking a lot of pucks around the boards and having to grind it out," Maurice told SportsLine.com. "He's getting the puck in the neutral zone and using his speed. That's great for him and that's great for us."

The effect on Willis is obvious, according to Maurice.

"When he was here before, he didn't have enough confidence in his shot, he was always trying to pass the puck," Maurice said. "Now he does have the confidence, and he knows the players on the ice want him to shoot it too. That's critical for a guy like that."

Willis admits he feels more at ease with himself, but credits his early-season success -- he scored a goal and four assists in Carolina's first two games -- to arriving at training camp in better physical condition. It didn't hurt that there was the added motivation of knowing Carolina lost four veteran wingers during the summer, and had committed itself to retooling into a more up-tempo type of team.

"I knew there were going to be open spots for young guys to step in and I worked very hard this summer at getting stronger to take advantage of the opportunity," Willis said "I figured this would be the chance to show them what I could do."

Willis did exactly that during one of the final pre-season games in September. Playing on a line with veterans Rod Brind'Amour and Sami Kapanen, Willis scored three first-period goals and added two assists in the second 20 minutes to trigger a 6-3 win over Washington.

That convinced Maurice that Willis could create offense and showed his teammates that he belonged. It was a defining moment for the young player.

"That kind of night makes you feel more comfortable about doing the things I'm supposed to be doing," said Willis. "In the past, I didn't take as many shots as I could, but now I'm just trying to get in areas where I can shoot the puck. When I get it, I let it go."

Just like the all those cold days and nights in the Alberta town of Sylvan Lake, the remote area 90 miles of Edmonton where he grew up. With little else to do when he wasn't playing hockey, Willis would go out to the back yard and practice firing pucks for hours on end.

That helped him develop a 96 mile-an-hour slapshot and landed him in the WHL, one of Canada's major junior leagues, where he scored 179 goals and was an All-Star twice during a four-year career. It also helped him catch the eyes of pro scouts, who not only noted his shooting and skating abilities, but lauded him for being effective in the "finesse game" and for being a player who would not be intimidated.

Willis was selected by Tampa Bay in the third round of the 1995 draft, but when he couldn't come to a contract agreement by the signing deadline two years later, he re-entered the draft and was chosen by Carolina.

"Carolina has treated me with a lot of respect and patience," he said. "I'm very happy about the way things ended up."

Willis wasted little time in signing a contract with the Hurricanes, but was returned to junior where he had an outstanding season scoring 58 goals and 112 points in 64 games. The following year he attended his second NHL training camp, but again failed to make the team.

Rather than get discouraged, Willis simply became more determined.

"I learned a lot and worked on things over the last couple of years that have made me a better player," he said. "Now I want to put them to use here."