Flames Rookie Hopeful Suffers "Scary" Injury In Preseason Game

After coming up with the best quip of the preseason thus far, things turned much more dour for Calgary Flames' rookie hopeful Jakob Pelletier Monday night, as he was hit from behind into the boards by Seattle Kraken forward Marian Studenic. 

"A scary hit by Studenic, and the Flames aren't happy about it... Pelletier is on his hands and knees and he is not okay as he grabs his left shoulder," was the call on the Calgary broadcast. 

Studenic was handed a major for boarding and a game misconduct on the play, but that's little consolation for Pelletier, the Flames' first-round pick from the 2019 NHL Draft.

“It’s an upper-body injury and doctors will do some stuff with him tomorrow and we’ll have a better idea of what it is,” said coach Ryan Huska afterwards, though it was quite clear exactly what it was as Pelletier was hunched over holding his shoulder as he left the ice. 

“He’s not only an incredible player but he lightens up the room — you never want to see a guy go down like that," said fellow rookie Dustin Wolf. 

“You never want to see that," said another of the Flames' exciting young prospects Walker Duehr, "especially in an exhibition game when he’s really trying to showcase himself... I hope he’s doing well.”

Pelletier had a rousing 24-game trial for the Flames last season, and was expected to be a lock to make the opening night lineup. 

The rookie made news for a more jovial event earlier in the day, when he took a thinly-veiled, hilarious shot at former coach Darryl Sutter. 

 Photo: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports