Chicago Blackhawks prospect Henri Jokiharju injures knee

After being drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks 29th overall in the 2017 NHL draft, defensive prospect Henri Jokiharju suffers a knee injury at World Junior Summer Showcase.

As the World Summer Showcase has proceeded, news has come out regarding one of the Chicago Blackhawks‘ defensive prospects. Saturday, in the first period of Finland’s game, it appeared that Jokiharju suffered a knee injury.  According to Brian Hedger of NHL.com, Jokiharju is expected to miss “some time” as a result of the knee injury.

For a Blackhawks team already with concerns on the defensive side of the puck, it goes without saying that this isn’t good news. The first round draft pick is expected to miss the rest of the World Junior Summer Showcase for Finland. Hedger also reported via Twitter that Jokiharju “may miss  the Blackhawks rookie tournament in Traverse City.”

Although Jokiharju will start the season in Portland, don’t completely rule him out for the NHL season. Depending on his play and possible injuries suffered by Chicago, the Blackhawks potentially could call Jokiharju up this season. Assuming he’s healthy, I’d like to see Jokiharju called up around midseason and hopefully for the playoffs to gain some experience.

As of today, there seems to be no real timetable concerning Jokiharju’s return. However, the severity of his injury does not seem to be too extreme. Despite his injury, Jokiharju is still expected to be ready for Chicago Blackhawks training camp.

What this means for Jokiharju

Despite the Blackhawks defensive struggles, Jokiharju most likely won’t be with Blackhawks opening night. He is expected to join the Portland Winterhawks as he develops his skills for the NHL level. As Jokiharju is reassessed, the hope is that nothing more serious is discovered and no setbacks are encountered.

As of this point, The Chicago Blackhawks aren’t very deep on defense. If no moves are made, given his first round value, Jokiharju has a strong possibility of seeing some action for the Blackhawks.

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For the time being, we’ll be wishing the kid a quick recovery. Consequentially, as long as Jokiharju can be ready by training camp there should be no further concerns.