Tim Stützle Suffers Injury During Practice, Out 6-8 Weeks
Blue chip prospect requires surgery for a fractured hand
The Ottawa Senators’ top prospect will have to wait a little while before getting back on the ice with Adler Mannheim, after suffering an injury during practice.
News Release: The #Sens have provided an update on the injury status of forward Tim Stuetzle: https://t.co/A2cbgoHeS6 pic.twitter.com/QtPSdTuNnA
— Sens Communications (@Media_Sens) October 13, 2020
The team announced, today, that 2020 third overall pick Tim Stützle suffered a fracture in his arm during an on-ice session. He will require surgery to stabilize the fracture, and is expected to miss 6-8 weeks.
TSN’s Brent Wallace later clarified that the fracture occured in Stützle’s left hand, rather than his arm.
Can confirm it’s a broken left hand for Stuetzle not his arm. https://t.co/fcbersDONh
— Brent Wallace (@tsn_wally) October 13, 2020
Sens’ GM Pierre Dorion made the following statement:
“In consultation with doctors in Germany and with our own medical staff, it has been determined that Tim requires a surgical procedure to stabilize a fracture...The procedure is scheduled to take place in Germany later this week and has an expected recovery time of six to eight weeks. Our medical staff will remain in regular contact with Tim and his doctors as he begins his recovery through to the point that he is medically cleared.”
As first reported by the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch, Mannheim GM Jan-Axel Alavaara confirmed that Stützle had suffered a break, but would not elaborate any further on the specific nature of the injury. Stützle will undergo the operation on Thursday, in Germany.
“I wasn’t there but according to the coach Pavel Gross when I talked to him after he said it was a drill they had and two players bumped into each other,” said Alavaara. “It was Tim Stuetzle and another player and he was cutting his lane a little bit and it wasn’t a hard check or anything. They bumped into each other and it was an unlucky angle.”
Under ordinary circumstances, it’s likely that the Senators would bring Stützle to Ottawa to have the team’s medical staff do the procedure, but due to COVID-19 restrictions, the 18 year-old German forward would be required to self-isolate for 14 days. This would obviously add an additional two weeks to his recovery time, and make for an even quicker turnaround going into Senators training camp.
If all goes according to plan, Stützle will be cleared to return in early December. While it’s unclear as to whether or not the Senators will release him to play in this year’s World Junior Hockey Championship, he should be good to go for the start of the next NHL season; presumably beginning some time in January 2021.