Dwight Helminen has played in the last four games for the Hurricanes, all victories, since being called up from the Albany River Rats. The fourth-line center, he hasn't gotten a lot of ice time but you won't hear him complaining about it, either.

A spot on the Canes' bench, healthy and eager to play, is a far better place than where he found himself in the early morning hours of Feb. 19.

Helminen remembers dozing on and off in the back of the River Rats team bus as it sped down the Massachusetts Turnpike after an AHL game in Lowell. He remembers the helpless feeling of the bus first beginning to fish-tail a little, then a lot, losing control and sliding off the snowy, icy highway.

"It was a little bit of a sinking feeling," he said. "It was really scary. I was thinking, 'I hope we're all still in one piece when this is over.'"

For NHL rookies, memories are made of this ...

For the Canes' Dwight Helminen, it was scoring his first NHL goal and notching his first assist in Carolina's 6-4 victory Sunday over the Maple Leafs. For Patrick Dwyer, it was getting more than 14 minutes of ice time in his NHL debut and being a part of the comeback win. ...

"It's amazing," Dwyer said. "It's something you dream about as a kid, and then to get out there and actually do it is an amazing feeling."

MONTREAL -- Dwight Helminen will be playing his first NHL game tonight, centering the fourth line for the Hurricanes.

What a way to make a debut.

In Montreal, against the Canadiens. In an important road game for the Canes. And being asked to replace another rookie, Brandon Sutter, who had become a key contributor in just seven games before his concussion against the New York Islanders.

"I'm extremely excited," Helminen said today at the Bell Centre. "Getting an opportunity to play in one of the best buildings in the league is something I'll never forget. There will be a lot of emotions running in this game."

With Keith Aucoin gone from the organization, the Canes moved to shore up their minor-league depth at center Thursday by signing Dwight Helminen to a one-year deal.

Helminen spent last year in Finland after playing three seasons for the Rangers' AHL affiliate in Hartford. He also played in the ECHL with Charlotte. Helminen will make $475,000 in the NHL and $100,000 in the AHL.