Anaheim Ducks Defenseman Returning to Action

Urho Vaakanainen is set to begin his 2022-23 season, as the Anaheim Ducks have sent him down to the San Diego Gulls on a long-term injury conditioning loan.

This is wonderful to see, as the 23-year-old defenseman has not played since the preseason. Vaakanainen was injured during a preseason tilt against the San Jose Sharks after hitting his head on the boards. This forced him to leave the contest on a stretcher, so needless to say, it was a scary event. Yet, now the 2017 first-round pick is ready to go.

Vaakanainen was the big prospect that the Ducks acquired from the Boston Bruins in last season's Hampus Lindholm blockbuster. The youngster's injury trouble over the years has slowed down his development, but let's see if things can change on that front from here. In 45 career NHL games, he has eight assists and a minus-7 rating.