Photo: @Vancan19
It’s been a tough year for the Washington Capitals 2018 first round draft pick, Alexander Alexeyev. The 2018-2019 season has seen the 6’-4” defenseman suffer a long string of injuries. Friday night against the Brandon Wheat Kings may have seen Alexeyev’s season go from bad to worse.
— JohnnyBravo (@JohnnyBravo_05) March 9, 2019
Alexeyev suffered what appeared to be a knee injury following an open-ice collision with the score tied 3-3. He was transported off the ice on a stretcher. We’ve reached out to our Red Deer contacts, who could not add any additional information at this time. There are no “morning skates” in the WHL, so an update is unlikely for the next day or so. Red Deer face the Kootenay Ice tonight.
We will update as soon as information becomes available.
“We’ll have to wait and see how he is in the next 48 hours, 72 hours. I don’t know any more than that right now,” said Sutter.
“Seeing Alex go down and seeing what he has been through this season and last season, I think it just drove the players to finish the game off for him,” he stated.
Alexeyev headed off in lots of pain, clearly… #WHL pic.twitter.com/I4Q1ucKXPe
— Josh Hall-rdnewsNOW (@vancan19) March 9, 2019
Injury Plagued
Alexeyev was scratched from the Rebels lineup on November 27, as a result of an “upper-body injury” he sustained in a game against Medicine Hat on November 24.
The month of December included a couple of injuries for the Capitals’ 2018 first round draft pick. Alexeyev took a high hit from Regina’s Liam Schioler in the second period on December 7, and would leave the game. However, he would return for the start of the third period. (here).
Alexeyev was then hit awkwardly into the boards by Blazers forward Zane Franklin in the first period on December 11 (here and here), and was taken to Red Deer Regional Hospital. Alexeyev underwent an x-ray and a CAT scan and both were negative, as disclosed Rebels GM/head coach Brent Sutter. He was cleared the next day and returned to the lineup the following game on December 14.
Alexeyev suffered another injury in a game against the Calgary Hitmen in January 19. He left the game, but returned to finish the game. However, he was scratched the following night against the Hitmen and against Medicine Hat on January 25. He also missed the remaining two games of the month. He would not return until February 8th. Reports from Red Deer stated that Alexeyev was seen around the Rebels Practice rink with his arm/shoulder in a sling, the same arm/shoulder that he injured last season.
By Jon Sorensen