Winnipeg’s Jacob Trouba became the third player in the last four nights to leave the ice on a stetcher. But unlike the previous two (which came from illegal hits), Trouba left MTS Centre as a result of skating into the end boards behind the Blues’ net after trying to hit St. Louis defenseman Jordan Leopold.
The club has since announced that Trouba was alert and moving his extremities. He was taken to a hospital for X-rays, but the team said was released a few hours later.
In Friday’s shootout victory over St. Louis, Trouba was racing for the puck early in the second period when he appeared to lose his balance and went face-first into the boards. He remained down on the ice for a few minutes while being assisted. He did acknowledge the home fans with a thumbs up before leaving.
“Thanks for the support,” he said on his Twitter account early Saturday morning. “If you were wondering, the boards are not edible. I’ll be back soon.”
The rookie defenseman was the 9th overall selection in the 2012 draft. He played last season at the University of Michigan, where he scored 12 goals and 29 points in 37 games. He earned CCHA All-Conference honors as well as being the lone freshman to be named first team All-America last season. The Rochester, Mich. native played his junior hockey for the United States National Team Development Program, where he played on two World Junior Championship teams. He made his US Men’s National Team debut this spring where he played in seven games at the IIHF World Championship where he scored a goal and earned two assists.
