Avalanche's Joey Hishon will make NHL debut after concussion setbacks
Joey Hishon's road from first-round pick to NHL debut was far from typical.
Hishon - a first-round pick by the Colorado Avalanche in 2010 - made his professional hockey debut in the AHL 13 months ago. In 2011, he suffered a concussion that kept him off the ice for nearly two years.
On Thursday, Hishon will play his first NHL game when the Avalanche face the Minnesota Wild in Game 4.
Joey Hishon will play for #Avs in Game 4. Will center fourth line, but also play on power play
— Adrian Dater (@adater) April 23, 2014
@PBordy58 im coming for your job buddy! #lefty
— Joey Hishon (@jhish18) April 17, 2014
Hishon's junior career was plagued with injuries, but nothing prepared him for the uncertainty of concussion rehabilitation. He saw the same specialist that treated Sidney Crosby and talked with NHL players who suffered concussions to find out what it would take to get back on the ice.
"They basically told me to stick with it, stay positive and there would be a light at the end of the tunnel," he told CBC.ca's Tim Wharnsby in December. "I always believed someone was out there who would help me or the symptoms would clear."
Hishon eventually felt well enough to join the Lake Erie Monsters and played his first professional game on March 19. That debut lasted nine games before he suffered another concussion.
The 22-year-old played 50 games with Lake Erie this season, recording 24 points. His production slowed considerably after January, with five points over the final three months of the season, but he remains an intriguing prospect who could bring an offensive spark the Avalanche's lower lines have lacked in Games 1, 2 and 3.