Ice goalie Hauser returning to form

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This article was published 19/09/2022 (1429 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It was a grim way to start training camp for the Winnipeg Ice earlier this month.

All-star goaltender Daniel Hauser suffered a broken ankle during the off-season and the full extent of his injury, speed of his rehab and timing of his return to action were subject to a lot of speculation.

Three weeks later, the 18-year-old product of Chestermere, Alta., is back on the ice, having played in one pre-season game and participated in six team practices.

The drama began during an innocuous workout in early July.

“I was running and I just stumbled on it and rolled it up pretty bad but I didn’t think much of it,” Hauser said Monday afternoon. “And so a few days afterwards, it started swelling pretty badly and started hurting quite a bit and I got it looked at, got some X-rays and (they) found a break.

“I’ve never been seriously hurt ever before in my career. So, it’s a new experience for me, for sure.”

The tremors reached Winnipeg where Ice head coach James Patrick was eager to equal or improve on a 2021-22 season in which the Ice finished first overall during the WHL’s regular season and reached the Eastern Conference final.

“When I found out, I felt sick for Daniel,” said Patrick. “Did I think, ‘Oh my god, we’re doomed!’ No, I just said, ‘Geez, you hate for that to happen to any player on your team but I also, within 10 seconds said, ‘OK, well, this is where we’re at and where do we go moving forward?’”

After a remarkable debut during Winnipeg’s season in the Regina hub in 2020-21, Hauser had an even better encore performance.

During 40 appearances in 2021-22, he posted a 2.00 goals-against average, .914 save percentage and a 34-3-1 record on his way to first-team East Division all-star honours.

Following the diagnosis, Hauser was quickly scheduled for surgery and his recovery seems to have gone without a major blip. He spent two weeks in a cast and another in an air boot before being cleared to walk. Skating came later.

“It’s kind of scary, but the doctors back home — they kind of went over the pros and cons of getting the operation done — and it sounded like a pretty good option,” said Hauser. “So, we went with it.”

He skated once at home before leaving for Winnipeg and stopped 22 of 27 shots in the Ice’s 5-4 overtime loss to the visiting Regina Pats on Saturday night.

Although valuable prep time was lost in the summer, Hauser is confident he’s getting back to his old form.

“It’s a very, very minimal difference,” said Hauser. “I think with all the work we’ve been putting into it, it’s feeling pretty good. It’s still a little stiff but I think every day it’s getting better and better, and I don’t find it hindering my play and I don’t find it painful at all.”

Hauser’s reputation as one of the club’s fittest players is secure.

“You can’t recreate what happens in the game — going down to your knees and up 100 times, battling through screens and all of that, so I thought he has looked good,” said Patrick. “I thought he looked better every day. I do know his conditioning and getting game ready still has a ways to go but I was pretty impressed with how he played.”

There is urgency to Winnipeg’s situation. The club opens the regular season Saturday night in Brandon against the Wheat Kings, the first of 13 consecutive road games — a trip made necessary because of ongoing renovations at Wayne Fleming Arena.

Included in that stretch is a five-city, eight-day trek through the B.C. Division with stops in Prince George, Victoria, Vancouver, Kamloops and Kelowna providing a severe test.

Winnipeg’s first home game doesn’t come until the Wheat Kings visit Oct. 29.

Goaltending will be crucial, and with overage veteran Gage Alexander — part of Winnipeg’s effective 1-2 punch in net last season — traded to the Swift Current Broncos in the off-season, largely untested rookies Dawson Cowan and Keegan Maddocks will be required to fill in when Hauser needs a break.

Patrick has no choice but to embrace the hardship the extended road trip will bring.

“It brings the team closer together and it makes you battle-hardened pretty quick,” he said. “It could be a lot of fun. It can be a great challenge and it can be a chance to do something good to really get us off to a good start.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter @sawa14