Vasili Podkolzin’s good start to the American League season took a worrying turn on Wednesday night when the Vancouver Canucks prospect had to be evacuated on a stretcher.
At the end of the third period of a duel between the Abbotsford Canucks and the Colorado Eagles, the Russian was knocked down by Keaton Middleton. During the tackle, Podkolzin fell backwards and hit the ice head and neck first.
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The 22-year-old striker remained on the ice for many minutes, under the worried gaze of players from both teams. He was eventually evacuated on a stretcher and taken to the hospital by ambulance.
In a press release, the Canucks farm club confirmed that Podkolzin remained “alert and responsive” during his transfer. The man who may have suffered a concussion reassured Canucks fans by posting a photo of himself on Instagram and saying that “everything is fine.”
The officials gave Middleton a five-minute serious penalty and a game-misconduct penalty. By attacking Podkolzin, he seemed to sweep the leg of his rival, who was left without support.
This season, the Canucks’ 10th overall draft pick in 2019 has seven points in six games. In the last two seasons he played 118 games in the National League and scored a total of 33 points.