Scheifele participates in first full-contact practice with Jets

Mark Scheifele has come a long way since the early days of an injury that made it difficult for him to even sleep.

The Winnipeg Jets forward participated in his first full-contact practice Monday since being hit into the boards in a Dec. 27 game against the Edmonton Oilers. Scheifele won’t play today against Arizona but could get the green light to return Friday versus St. Louis, head coach Paul Maurice said after practice.

The team’s top-line centre wouldn’t give specifics about what’s suspected to be a shoulder injury, but said it “sucked” being in a sling and then getting bored.

“I was pretty immobilized for the start of it,” said Scheifele, who’s missed 15 games after registering 38 points in 38 games. “That was tough to sleep like that and go through all that.”

Luckily, he didn’t have to do it on his own.

“I had to bring my brother (Kyle) in for a week to keep me sane,” he said. “Living with (teammate Andrew Copp), he was a great roommate through it all.

“Obviously the trainers and the team that I got behind me helped me in the recovery and did a really good job.”

Getting through his first real practice almost six weeks after the injury was a big step forward.

“It’s nice to get some bumps in and be feeling good from it,” he said prior to undergoing another doctor’s evaluation later Monday. “I’m happy with my progress.”