Penguins

Prospect Watch: Lauzon nears return

Taylor Haase
Posted on

Defenseman Zachary Lauzon has had a tumultuous junior hockey career so far.

The Penguins' 2017 second-round pick sustained a concussion in the April of his draft year -- one that he is still feeling the effects of today.

He returned to the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies' lineup for the start of the 2017-18 season, much earlier than he should have.

"I was putting a lot of pressure on myself with the fact that I was drafted and I really wanted to play hockey," Lauzon told NHL.com in a French interview. "As soon as I began to feel better, I returned. I came back to the game too fast."

Still dealing with post-concussion issues, Lauzon played 25 total regular season games, spaced out over three stints as he kept trying to return. Each time, he suffered from neck pain, dizziness, and headaches. He played in five playoff games for the Huskies before being forced to sit out for the remainder of the season.

Lauzon, now 20, stayed away from hockey for the entire offseason to give his body time to heal. As reported by NHL.com, Lauzon worked at the Plasticity Brain Centers in Orlando -- the same organization which treated Sidney Crosby when Crosby was dealing with his own concussion issues.

There, Lauzon received a diagnosis -- a neck injury sustained by the impact of the hit that caused his concussion -- and was given a rehabilitation plan.

Throughout this process, the Huskies and Penguins have been nothing but supportive and understanding of Lauzon.

"Everyone has understood my situation," Lauzon said. "They understood that I needed a break this summer. No one tried to force me to return to training to be ready when the season started again. Just feeling supported by all the people around me, it made me feel good. "

Lauzon is expected to return to the Huskies' lineup in December. After his experience last season, he's focused on keeping his health his No. 1 priority. This time, he'll only return when he's ready.

"The motto for the rest of my career will be that health comes first," he said.

____________________

FORWARDS

Justin Almeida
Position: Center/Wing
Size: 5-9/158
Drafted: 2018, fifth round
Team: Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL)
Season totals: 17 games, 4 goals, 23 assists

Almeida returned to the lineup this week after missing four games with an upper-body injury. He scored one goal and three assists in two games, raising his points per game average to 1.59. His goal was this absurd backhand shot:

He's also apparently eating a lot of subs, and pronounces "jalapeño" like "juh-lap".

Jordy Bellerive
Position: Center
Size: 5-10/195
Drafted: Undrafted
Team: Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL)
Season totals: 24 games, 10 goals, 17 assists

Bellerive played in four games this week, and recorded one goal and two assists, all in the same game. He is second on the Hurricanes in scoring, trailing only his linemate Dylan Cozens.

Sportsnet put together this video feature on his journey since he was injured in a fire over the summer. Originally expected to be away from the ice for a year, he was back in only four weeks. Both of his hands still show the scars from that night:

[caption id="attachment_727231" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Jordy Bellerive's hands. -- SPORTSNET[/caption]

Kasper Bjorkqvist
Position: Wing
Size: 6-1/198
Drafted: 2016, second round
Team: Providence College (NCAA)
Season totals: 13 games, 7 goals, 4 assists

Bjorkqvist scored one goal and one assist in two games this week. Both points were classic Bjorkqvist, within feet of the net:

Jan Drozg
Position: Wing
Size: 6-0/174
Drafted: 2017, fifth round
Team: Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL)
Season totals: 24 games, 8 goals, 22 assists

Drozg had a monster week with three consecutive two-assist games. Drozg scored this goal on Nov. 24:

He was suspended for Shawinigan's Nov. 21 game for a high-sticking incident.

Liam Gorman
Position: Center
Size: 6-2/188
Drafted: 2018, sixth round
Team: St. Sebastian’s School (USHS-Prep)
Season totals: None

Gorman remains in high school after previously repeating a grade. St. Sebastian’s school played in one scrimmage on Nov. 24. Real games begin on Nov. 28.

Filip Hallander
Position: Center/Wing
Size: 6-1/190
Drafted: 2018, second round
Team: Timrå IK (SHL)
Season totals: 19 games, 3 goals, 6 assists

Hallander was scoreless in two games this week.

Nikita Pavlychev
Position: Center
Size: 6-8/225
Drafted: 2015, seventh round
Team: Penn State (NCAA)
Season totals: 11 games, 7 goals, 10 assists

Pavlychev was scoreless in two games this week.

DEFENSEMEN

Calen Addison
Size: 5-10/180
Drafted: 2018, second round
Team: Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL)
Season totals: 24 games, 4 goals, 21 assists

Addison played four games this week and registered five assists, all in the same game. Three of his assists were primary. It was his second career 5-assist game. He leads all Hurricanes defensemen in points, and is fourth overall on his team.

Niclas Almari

Size: 6-1/167
Drafted: 2016, fifth round
Team: HPK (Liiga), HPK U20 (Jr. A SM-liiga)
Season totals: 10 games, 2 assist with HPK; 2 games, 1 assist with HPK U20

Almari played two games with HPK this week and registered one assist.

Ryan Jones
Size: 6-2/186
Drafted: 2016, fourth round
Team: Nebraska-Omaha (NCAA)
Season totals: 12 games, 4 assists

Jones was scoreless in two games this week.

Zachary Lauzon
Size: 6-1/187
Drafted: 2017, second round
Team: Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (QMJHL)
Season totals: None

Lauzon is still rehabbing from the neck injury he sustained last season. He has resumed training on his own and is forecast to return to game action some time in December.

Antti Palojarvi
Size: 6-1/176
Drafted: 2017, sixth round
Team: Lukko (Liiga), Lukko U20 (Jr. A SM-liiga)
Season totals: 5 games, 1 assist with Lukko; 20 games, 4 goals, 6 assists with Lukko U20

Palojarvi played three games with Lukko U20, and scored one goal.

Clayton Phillips
Size: 5-11/182
Drafted: 2017, third round
Team: Minnesota (NCAA)
Season totals: 11 games, 1 goal, 6 assists

Phillips played in two games this week. He recorded one assist, and scored his first career NCAA goal:

William Reilly
Size: 6-2/197
Drafted: 2017, seventh round
Team: Rensselaer Polytech (NCAA)
Season totals: 8 games, 2 goal, 4 assists

Reilly played in two games this week, and scored one goal and two assists, his most productive week of the season.

GOALTENDERS

Alex D’Orio
Size: 6-2/209
Drafted: Undrafted
Team: Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL)
Season totals: 19 games, 4.73 goals against average, .879 save percentage

D’Orio’s played two games this week, both losses, including a 49-save performance on Saturday. He has not won a game since Oct. 9 -- the Sea Dogs are on a 16-game losing streak.

The Sea Dogs will almost assuredly trade D'Orio to a contender soon, as many poor teams typically do with their good players in their final year of juniors. Saint John acquired a goaltender this week, Mikhail Denisov, meaning a trade will likely come soon.

For D'Orio, who faces over 38 shots per game on average, it cannot come soon enough.

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