You may be wondering where one of the most prominent Portage Terriers has been for the last few weeks.
Assistant captain Daniel Siso had shoulder surgery in the offseason after tearing his labrum, and he is now dealing with the aftermath. Siso has been out of the lineup since November 22 and says he's most likely looking at a return to the ice in the new year.
Last year's leading-scorer for the Terriers notes the situation is far from ideal.
"Obviously, it's not fun. I want to be on the ice, so it's been difficult," Siso explains. "But, it's allowed me to see the game from a different perspective and see things that I can utilize when I'm back. Right now, I'm just trying to be a good teammate and do what I can."
Siso describes some of the things he's picked up from watching his teammates in the stands rather than the bench.
"As a winger, when you get the puck along the wall, you almost feel pressure when there isn't pressure," says Siso. "Just being able to see the game and realizing that sometimes, you have more ice than you think you have. I can definitely utilize that when I'm back."
The forward notes this is basically his first-ever injury, and he's thankful that the team has encouraged him to take the cautious approach.
"It's tough with a shoulder injury. I had to really adapt. Obviously, I'm a pretty active person, so to not aggravate it, I had to model my daily life a bit different. Other than that, there haven't been many major challenges, maybe sleeping on my back instead of my side. Nothing too terrible though."
The 19-year-old is one of four Terriers to average over a point-per-game this season, with 21 through 19 contests. He talks about his rehab process.
"Right now, I'm still on the ice but obviously, non-contact. Off ice, I'm doing band work and some mini-workouts with our trainer Giselle. Some days there's a little more pain than others, so sometimes it's a little more challenging to stay consistent with the workouts and the rehab but I have a really good group around me to help encourage me."
The Calgary native is happy that his rehab has been going well to this point and adds he can't wait to return to the Terriers lineup.