Minnesota Wild sophomore defenceman Brock Faber is back on the ice just two days after a hospital visit stemming from a puck to the throat.
Head coach John Hynes told reporters that the blueliner will be in the lineup when the team takes on the Utah Hockey Club on Friday night.
Faber left Wednesday’s game against the Florida Panthers after taking a puck to the throat area. He rushed off the ice and immediately headed with trainers to the locker room. He later went to the hospital for further evaluation.
Per The Atlhetic’s Joe Smith, Faber called the ordeal a “scary situation” but is in much better shape now. “It feels like I have strep throat,” Faber told him.
The 22-year-old is an important player for the Wild, who sit third in the Western Conference. He leads the team with over 25 minutes of ice time per game and has 17 points from the back end. He was the youngest player selected to represent the United States at the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off.
This comes as good news for a Wild back end that is already missing Jakob Lauko (lower-body) and Jake Middleton (hand).