South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
Trocheck ‘ahead of schedule’ in recovery from broken ankle
SUNRISE — After fracturing his right ankle in November, Florida Panthers forward Vincent Trocheck is ahead of schedule in his recovery.
The 25 year old, who underwent surgery shortly following the Nov. 11 injury, returned to the ice for the first time on Friday and was back again Saturday during Florida’s morning skate.
“It was encouraging,” Panthers coach Bob Boughner said. “I talked to him and asked him how it was to be on the ice [Friday] and he said he was a little sore during the day, but he woke up real good today, so that’s a good sign after his first skate.”
“I think he was doing more than he thought he could at this point in time, so I would say as of right now he’s a little bit ahead of schedule. We all knew he would probably do that because of the person he is, but it ’s encouraging. I know all the guys were excited to see him out there.”
A 2017 All-Star, Trocheck suffered the injury at Ottawa, crashing awkwardly into the boards. After being attended to by medical personnel, the center was carted off the ice on a stretcher.
While the injury looked ugly at the time, Trocheck has responded incredibly strong and could be back in the Panthers lineup sooner rather than later.
“It’s tough to say [if he’ll be back by February] — it definitely won’t be before the[ All-Star] break ,” Boughner said. “We’ll see how he progresses here in the next couple weeks.
“The surgery he had and what was done in there, I think it’s safe to say it’s probably stronger; it’s going to be stronger than before he got hurt. It’s just a matter of getting the muscle around it in shape and getting the mobility back.”
Trocheck has recorded 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) through 18 games this season. The forward is coming off a stellar 2017-18 campaign, notching 75 points (31 goals, 44 assists).