The Vancouver Canucks return to action on Thursday night, hosting former captain Bo Horvat and the New York Islanders. Ahead of the matchup, the Canucks received a significant boost to their lineup.

Forward Dakota Joshua, who has missed the early part of the season after undergoing offseason surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from one of his testicles, will make his return to the ice for the first time since the playoffs last spring.

According to head coach Rick Tocchet, Joshua has blossomed into a leader and the team is excited for his return, via Sports Illustrated.

“We’re really excited to have him back,” Tocchet said. “He’s gone through a lot of stuff and I’ve loved the way he’s dealt with it. We’re just happy for him.”

“He’s a well-liked kid, he’s turned into a leader,” he continued. “It’s a major thing for us right now.”

The Canucks and Islanders will face off from Rogers Arena in downtown Vancouver starting at 10:00 PM EST.

Dakota Joshua returns to the Canucks lineup vs. the Islanders

NHL: Anaheim Ducks at Vancouver Canucks
Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports

To say that Joshua is excited for his season debut would be an understatement, as he explained via NHL.com.

“It's been a long time coming, and yeah, it'll be fun,” Joshua said Thursday following practice. “It's just nice to be back in the room with the guys and get back to work.”

Understandably, the discovery of the cancerous tumor would inspire fear in anyone. It certainly did with Joshua, though he is grateful that it was discovered in time.

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“For sure. That was a scary time,” he said. “But I'm very thankful and just happy to be in this position still and be able to go out there and play.”

As he puts it, he's not expecting a “grace period” to get re-acclimated to the game; he wants to hit the ground running from the get-go.

“I expect to be good,” Joshua said. “I don't expect a grace period. I've been putting the work in, so I expect to come out there and make an impact as soon as possible.”

Last season, Joshua set a new career-high with 18 goals and 14 assists, and was rewarded by Canucks management with a four-year, $13 million contract.