Scheifele is good to go for next season

Following an injury to his Achilles tendon early in game 1 of the qualifying round against the Calgary Flames, Mark Scheifele says he is feeling "100%" and will be ready to go for whenever the 2020-21 NHL season begins. The Jets star forward went down after an awkward collision with Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk. Scheifele would go on to miss the remainder of the playoffs, which ended four games later as the Flames won the best-of-five series, three games to one.

"I'm 100 per cent, no question. Skating every day. I don't know anyone who skates more than I do. I love being on the ice. That's my No. 1 thing. I get on the ice as much as I can." Scheifele said in an interview with NHL.com's Tim Campbell.

Scheifele remained out for a month, but as soon as he could, he began his off-season training.

"I'm not a guy who likes to take much time off [in the off-season]. I think I was three weeks off the ice once I got home. I did a ton of rehab on it, lots of treatment, got it back to normal. So I think it was six days before I got home, so a month total."

"I went out to test it out, to make sure it was all good on the first skate and I was unsure how that was going to feel. But as soon as I got on the ice, it felt like it clicked in almost right away. I was like, 'Hey Mark, you can do this. You're totally fine.' So there was no looking back from there."

During the interview, he went on to mention that he has no hard feelings toward Tkachuk regarding the incident. Scheifele said he's the type of guy who forgives people easily, and that it won't affect his day-to-day life.

Scheifele, 27, was the first draft pick in the new Winnipeg Jets history, after relocating from Atlanta to the Manitoba capital in May 2011. He was selected seventh overall in the 2011 NHL entry draft. In 519 regular season games, he has 444 points (180 G, 264 A), 225 penalty minutes, and is a +83. In 28 career playoff games, Scheifele's recorded 26 points (16 G, 10 A), 22 penalty minutes, and is a +4. He's been at or above a point per game player over each of the last four seasons, putting up 82 points in 79 games in 2016-17, 60 points in 60 games in 2017-18, 84 points in 82 games in 2018-19, and 73 points in 71 games in 2019-20.

Before entering the NHL, Scheifele had a very strong junior hockey career playing for the Barrie Colts in the Ontario Hockey League. In 158 regular season games, he had 217 points (84 G, 133 A), 101 penalty minutes, and was a +26. In 34 playoff games, he put up 53 points (20 G, 33 A), 26 penalty minutes, and was a +25.

Internationally, Scheifele has represented Canada on numerous occasions, most recently at the 2017 IIHF World Hockey Championships. In 10 games, he had 8 points (3 G, 5 A), 8 penalty minutes, and was a +1 as Canada got silver following a shootout loss to Sweden in the gold medal game. He also won the gold medal at the 2016 IIHF World Hockey Championships, and a bronze medal at the 2012 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships.

It's great news for all hockey fans that Scheifele is 100% and ready to go. Regardless of who you're a fan of, Scheifele is one of those guys you can't hate, and is one of the best in the game right now.

After suffering a painful Achilles injury in the Qualifying Round, @NHLJets star Mark Scheifele says he'll be ready for the start of next season.https://t.co/S8zFpE9FL9— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 4, 2020

Source: Sportsnet

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