Former Giants captain Justin Sourdif makes NHL debut with Florida Panthers and stays with the staff as they get able to face the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks this week.
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Vancouver Giants normal supervisor Barclay Parneta stated Wednesday that star ahead Samuel Honzek will likely be sidelined for six to eight weeks with a decrease physique damage after getting harm in a preseason recreation with the Calgary Flames on Oct. 4.
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Honzek, 18, will proceed to do his rehab with Flames employees in Calgary, based on Parneta. Honzek was a first-round decide, No. 16 general, by the Flames on this summer season’s NHL Draft.
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A Flames spokesperson had listed Honzek as sidelined day-to-day final Thursday. Parneta declined to elaborate on the damage, which passed off in an exhibition recreation in opposition to the Edmonton Oilers. The Flames initially reassigned Honzek to the Giants the next day.
The timeline places Honzek heading in the right direction to be able to play for the Slovaks on the world junior event, which runs Dec. 26 to Jan. 5 in Gothenburg, Sweden. Honzek was a part of the Slovak staff final yr and, oddly sufficient, was harm on the event, getting the again of his leg stepped on by an opponent. He wound up lacking 20 Vancouver video games.
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Honzek completed with 23 targets, 56 factors and a plus-17 ranking in 43 common season video games with the Giants final season, his first within the WHL. He had one purpose and 4 factors of their first-round loss to the Kamloops Blazers.
In different Giants damage information, defenceman Damian Palmieri continues to be sidelined after taking a knee-on-knee hit from Portland Winterhawks ahead Josh Davies in an Oct. 7 recreation. Davies solely acquired a kneeing minor. The Giants don’t have any timeline on his attainable return.
Proper winger Matthew Edwards (shoulder) is now a full participant at observe, however remains to be at the very least every week from taking part in, based on Parneta. Goaltender Matthew Hutchison (sickness) is anticipated to see responsibility this weekend.
SOURDIF MAKES THE BIG LEAGUES
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Former Giants captain Justin Sourdif stated after a coaching session with a number of different professionals at Planet Ice Delta again in August that his purpose for this season was to make his NHL debut with the Florida Panthers and that “getting even a number of video games there would assist with my confidence.”
The ahead is properly on his solution to all that only a handful of days into the season.
Sourdif, a 21-year-old from Surrey who was a 2020 third-round decide by Florida, noticed motion in his first-ever NHL common season recreation on Monday, recording three hits and one shot in 10 minutes of ice time in a 4-3 highway win over the New Jersey Devils.
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Florida is house to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday after which hosts the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.
The web site QuantHockey lists 407 B.C. natives taking part in NHL video games within the league’s historical past.
Sourdif was formally the ultimate reduce out of coaching camp by the Panthers this yr, however he stayed on the town moderately than reporting to their AHL Charlotte Checkers farm staff. The Panthers have been ready to be permitted to maneuver defenceman Aaron Ekblad to long-term injured reserve and the salary-cap ramifications that went with him. They activated Sourdif on the big-team roster on the similar time they made the Ekblad switch.
Sourdif had an injury-filled first professional season final yr with Charlotte, together with breaking his ankle. He completed with seven targets and 24 factors in 48 common season video games.
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Sourdif nonetheless managed to given it a constructive spin when he talked about it again in August. He was skating with a gaggle that then included former Giants Milan Lucic, Brendan Gallagher and Lance Bouma, amongst others.
“You’re going to get harm in professional hockey. To learn to take care of that at my age is barely going to assist me in the long term,” Sourdif stated.
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The Giants picked Sourdif within the first spherical, No. 3 general, within the 2017 WHL Draft and he totalled 69 targets and 166 factors in 171 common season video games with Vancouver over four-plus years. He was named captain for the 2021-22 season, and was dealt on the commerce deadline throughout that marketing campaign to an Edmonton Oil Kings staff that was making a run at a Memorial Cup nationwide championship look. Sourdif did assist Edmonton to the event, the place they completed fourth.
Within the commerce, Vancouver acquired ahead Jacob Boucher and two first-round draft picks.
BENSON, MINTEN MAKING THE GRADE EARLY WITH NHL TEAMS
Sourdif has firm in the case of children from B.C. taking part in their first NHL video games this season.
Chilliwack’s Zach Benson, 18, and North Vancouver’s Fraser Minten, 19, might be with the WHL’s Wenatchee Wild and Kamloops Blazers, respectively, however they’ve caught as a substitute with the Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Benson has two assists, a plus-two ranking and 4 photographs on targets by the Sabres’ first three video games. The winger is averaging 14:54 of ice time.
In Toronto’s first three video games, Minten has no factors, an excellent ranking and a two photographs on purpose. The centre is averaging 12:19.
Benson and Minten can play 9 video games with their NHL groups till the primary season of their three-year entry-level offers is absolutely activated. They are often despatched again to their junior groups after that truth, however their contract clocks stay underway.
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