Connolly won't play in Top Prospects Game, but could skate as soon as Monday
First, the bad news -- Brett Connolly isn't in Windsor, Ont., for today's CHL/NHL Top Prospects skills competition. And, he won't be there on Wednesday either, the day Team Orr will face Team Cherry in major junior hockey's annual showcase game.
Now, the good news -- the injured hometown star of the Prince George Cougars expects to be back on his blades by Monday.
Connolly, last season's CHL rookie of the year, has been plagued by hip problems ever since he skated for Team Canada at the Under-18 world championship in the Czech Republic in August. He has appeared in just 12 games for the Cougars, and life for the Cats has been miserable without him. Their 9-35-1-1 record is worst not only in the Western Hockey League, but also in the entire CHL, which includes the Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and the Cats are riding a seven-game losing streak.
So yes, the Cougars need Connolly back desperately. Even if they have no hope of qualifying for playoffs this season, some positive results down the stretch would send them into 2010-11 in a more positive frame of mind and could possibly boost their sagging attendance numbers in the present.
The 17-year-old Connolly was supposed to be part of Team Orr for the festivities in Windsor and he's disappointed he can't be there. However, he's keeping his eyes on the bigger picture.
"I'm going to have a busy summer, and next year, for the world juniors, I don't want this coming back," he said. "It is a bummer that I'm not going (to the Top Prospects Game) but, at the same time, I've got to look after my body, too."
Perhaps the biggest benefit of playing in the Top Prospects Game is having the chance to perform in front of scouts from every NHL organization. Pro talent seekers use the contest to measure the attributes of draft-eligible players, as those attributes stack up against their elite-level peers.
In a testament to Connolly's skill set, he's still the top-ranked draft-year skater in the WHL, even though he has been sidelined for most of the season. In mid-term rankings released by NHL Central Scouting last week, he was fourth on the list of North American forwards and defencemen. In the previous set of rankings, he was fifth so he actually moved up one position.
"It is a good feeling, being ranked that high and not even playing, not really doing much and not being on the ice to prove myself," Connolly said. "It's a good confidence-booster for myself. They still know what I can do. The first time I came back from the injury, I had a hot start so maybe that helped too."
Connolly skipped the WHL pre-season, played six full games at the start of the regular schedule and limped off the ice during his seventh. He was sidelined for the next 15 contests and then returned for a productive five before he was forced out again. His last game was Dec. 5 in Kamloops. Since then, he has missed 17 more games. His original injury was on the right side of his body but, in that Kamloops game, the hip muscles on his left side flared up as well.
Connolly has been receiving treatment at PhysioNorth and is confident that once he does step back into game action, he'll be able to finish out the season pain-free.
"It was a freak accident this time," he said of the most recent injury. "I think that my hips weren't aligned the way they should have been and I think now that they've fixed that -- made them more aligned -- I think that's going to help it not happen again.
"I think this is it -- the right one healed great and the left side is going to be OK so I'm not too worried about it."
The Cougars will host the Kelowna Rockets Friday and Saturday. Both games will start at 7 p.m. at CN Centre.
