Brock Trotter, Denver’s then-leading scorer and the reigning WCHA Rookie of the Week, will miss the remainder of the season after sustaining a severed right Achilles tendon on a hit from North Dakota’s Matt Smaby during Friday night’s game between the Sioux and the Pioneers.
Smaby’s check on Trotter came behind the UND goal, and in the process Smaby’s skate cut into Trotter’s right leg just above his skate boot. The medical staff was summoned, and after several minutes Trotter was taken off the rink on a stretcher.
Initial reports did not capture the severity of the injury, which will end the freshman’s campaign.
“He completely severed his Achilles heel tendon, along with two of the three major muscle groups that surround that area,” Denver head coach George Gwozdecky said after Saturday’s game. “He won’t even be able to probably start skating for at least eight months. This is a very severe injury. It’s not career-threatening, but because of the severity of the injury it’s going to take a long time to rehab.”
Trotter, a 5-10, 170-pound native of Brandon, Man., had a line of 3-2–5 coming into the weekend series. He underwent surgery in Grand Forks to repair the damage.
USCHO.com’s Patrick C. Miller contributed to this report.
