SYLVANIA, Ohio — Tanner Dickinson is a hockey prospect from Perrysburg.
Back in January, his season was ended early after a vicious hit while playing juniors.
Now, less than six months later, he’s back on the ice and is hoping he will get his first taste of pro hockey this year.
Dickinson has played hockey his whole life, but the hit he took was the first time he’s had a major injury, breaking his femur. It was a compact fracture and the aftermath was devastating.
"It was a tough bounce for me. You don't want to see that with anyone," said Dickinson. "But you can't look at it that way. You have to look at it as a positive. Just look past it and look forward to when I can return."
His parents were unable to comfort him immediately. He was in Canada and strict COVID protocols kept them out of the country.
Dickinson was taken in to surgery immediately, but still hasn’t been bitter about the hit that ended his season.
"There's definitely still some weakness in my right leg so we're just working on that," said Dickinson. "Everything's going well. These injuries take time, so just got to keep doing what I need to be doing and I'll be back soon."
Last week, Dickinson traveled to St. Louis for St. Louis Blues development camp. They took him in the fourth round of the 2020 NHL draft and they love his game.
"It's always a great experience to be out there and I was glad I could go," said Dickinson. "Meet all the prospects, get more comfortable with the staff and everyone. It's always a good experience for me to get out there."
The plan for this now is to continue rehab back here at home and he’s hoping to spend this season playing in the AHL for his first season as a pro.
"The goal is to be in the AHL next year with Springfield. Just got to keep doing the rehab and things should go well for me," said Dickinson. "Hopefully, I can get back here soon to full and be ready for that."