Freshman defensemen Jake McCabe suffered a freak injury to his hand on Friday and will be sidelined 6-8 weeks. Reaching for a water bottle on the bench, he somehow got clipped by a teammates skate. What he thought was a minor cut turned out to be a severed tendon. He immediately underwent surgery.
McCabe has been on the #1 defensive line with Hobey candidate Justin Schultz and has also been a part of the #1 PP unit.
McCabe is thus far undrafted by any NHL team and is eligibile for the 2012 draft. This injury will significantly affect his ability to impress teams, taking him from the ice for up to two months.
McCabe is young - he just turned 18 last week. He graduated high school in three years, accelerating his education and did time with the USNDTP. He is the youngest player on the team.
Thanks to some breaks in the action, the missed time should only amount to about 10 games for McCabe.
And, since the injury is only on his hand, he can continue to skate and lifts weights, allowing him to maintain his shape and stamina. This should mean that he's able to step right back on the ice when his hand is healed.
With McCabe out on Saturday, coach Mike Eaves put senior Eric Springer on Schultz's line.
