The Carolina Hurricanes have been without goalie Frederik Andersen for all but six games this season as he dealt with a blood clotting issue.

But the Carolina star had a great update on Thursday as he was seen practicing on the ice with the team, according to Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes:

“Frederik Andersen is on the ice for today's #Canes practice in Arizona. The netminder is working with the full group for the first time since being diagnosed with a blood clotting issue in early November.”

Frederik Andersen's health and well-being were obviously the biggest concerns after this issue flared up, but it sounds like he is doing well, and has started the process of getting himself back on the ice to help his team out. The Hurricanes have gotten good play in net in Andersen's absence, primarily relying on Antti Raanta and Pyotr Kochetkov, but Andersen's strong play could be what this team needs to elevate their game to the next level.

While Andersen isn't quite ready to play for the Hurricanes, this is a massive step.

The Hurricanes are 30-17-5 this season, and they have won three of their last five games. This includes a win over the Coyotes, who they take on again on Thursday night. They won that game 3-1. Jesper Fast, Martin Necas, and Dmitry Orlov were the three goal scorers in the win. The Hurricanes were extremely impressive in the defensive zone in the game. They allowed just 11 shots on target, and Antti Raanta saved 10 of them.