He played Tier II Junior "A" with the Nepean Raiders from 1972 to 1974, then major junior with the Winnipeg Clubs in 1974-75 and the Ottawa 67's in 1975-76. He was chosen 92nd overall by the Kansas City Scouts in the 1976 NHL Amateur Draft just before the Scouts moved to become the Colorado Rockies. Skinner turned pro with the Rockies in 1976-77 and scored the first goal in Rockies' history. But he only scored 4 goals and 3 assists in 19 games in that season, and got into only 28 more NHL games in the next three seasons. He is now an assistant coach for the Ottawa 67's.