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Vancouver Canucks prospect Vasily Podkolzin was stretchered off the ice during an American Hockey League game between the Abbotsford Canucks and Colorado Eagles on Wednesday, after taking a huge hit and appearing to land head-first on the ice.
Podkolzin was aware and awake as we was taken off, but at one point was convulsing, causing both benches to empty in support of the 22-year-old. The hit was delivered by Eagles defenseman Keaton Middleton, who was administered a five-minute major and game misconduct on the play.
Very scary situation. Middleton hit Podkolzin and he landed very awkwardly. Stretcher on the ice, it looked like Podkolzin was convulsing. Yikes pic.twitter.com/7ce23wKY03
— Ben Lypka (@BenLypka) October 26, 2023
It was a shocking incident, although Podkolzin shared an Instagram Story from the hospital with the caption “all good, no worries!” late Thursday night
It looks like Podkolzin avoided a situation that could have been a lot worse, and the fact the young Russian is responsive enough to post on social media is an excellent sign.
“After an incident involving another player during this evening's game against Colorado, Vasily was transported to a local hospital,” the Abbotsford Canucks said in a statement. “Vasily is continuing to be thoroughly assessed by physicians as a precaution, but since exiting the ice he has continued to be alert and responsive.”
Vasily Podkolzin has been excellent in the AHL this season, recording seven points in six games, including scoring the game-winning goal against these same Eagles earlier this week.
The former No. 10 overall pick by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2019 NHL Draft made his big league debut in 2021-22, but was sent to Abbotsford after failing to carve out a bottom-six role with the team.
Podkolzin has played some of the best pro hockey of his career in 2023-24, and the hope is that he can recover quickly and continue working towards returning to Vancouver.
