Hamblin all healed up

By Ryan McCracken on August 24, 2018.

rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com @MHNMcCracken

After having last season cut short in disastrous fashion, James Hamblin is ready to start anew.

The 19-year-old Medicine Hat Tigers centre dislocated multiple bones in his wrist after taking an open-ice hit late in the final game of the regular season against the Lethbridge Hurricanes. While the improbable injury immediately ended the Edmonton product’s chance at the playoffs and forced him to watch as the Brandon Wheat Kings sent his Tabbies packing in six games, Hamblin spent the summer rehabilitating and says he should be good to go for the regular season.

“The doctors have said they’ve never seen something like this happen in hockey before, so it was very unfortunate but I’m just lucky that it’s healed so very well and I’ll be ready for the season,” said Hamblin, who had 21 goals and 43 assists in 70 games with the Tigers last season. “I wouldn’t say I’m back to 100 per cent, we’re going to take training camp a little slow just to make sure it is good to go for the season.

“I had some good people that I was working with physio-wise and they really helped bring it a long way.”

While the rehabilitation process kept Hamblin from attending any NHL development camps in July, the 5-foot-9, 176-pound centre says he is hoping to get an invitation to training camp with a big league club in the coming days.

“There are some things in the running,” said Hamblin, who attended training camp with the Boston Bruins last pre-season. “Hopefully something happens here in the next little bit but I’m just keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the best.”

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If he gets the call, Hamblin will become the seventh member of Medicine Hat’s roster to lace them up with an NHL squad in September. Defencemen Linus Nassen and Dylan MacPherson will be in Florida with the Panthers, centre Ryan Chyzowski will be in Sin City with the Vegas Golden Knights and goaltender Jordan Hollett will be furthering his future with the Ottawa Senators, while Mason Shaw and David Quenneville will look to earn a place with the Minnesota Wild and New York Islanders, respectively, after signing entry-level contracts in the off-season.

“We’re excited about that,” said Tigers head coach and general manager Shaun Clouston, adding the team is planning for a future without Quenneville and Shaw. “We don’t really expect Dave back, or Mason back, but it’s really exciting to see James healthy. It was a horrific injury he suffered … He’s worked like crazy over the summer to get himself ready to go again for the start of the year.”

Regardless of who returns from pro camps this pre-season, Hamblin says the Tigers will benefit from a strong group of young players as they push for a third consecutive Central Division banner.

“It’s exciting. I think we have a really good group of guys and they’re going to make it so much easier just to kind of support us as a leadership group,” he said. “Leading them in the right direction is going to be super easy for us.”

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