Avalanche Camp Standout Likely To Miss ‘Months’ Due To Surgery

Maros Jedlicka was a standout (and surprise) for the Colorado Avalanche during training camp and the preseason. Drafted in the 7th round this past June, his initial introduction to North American hockey was a rousing success, as he earned the praise of Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar on multiple occasions.

Unfortunately, the injury he suffered in a preseason game against the Dallas Stars appears to be serious.

Colorado Hockey Now has learned that the 20 year old forward will miss “months” because he needs surgery for an injury to his upper-body. The injury occurred when he went to throw a hit on Stars forward Mason Marchment. He finished the hit, but took the worst of it, immediately heading to the bench favoring his arm. After a brief conversation with trainers, he went straight to the locker room, and did not return.

While I was not given a definite time frame by a source, a few Slovak outlets have reported a 4-5 month recovery timeline.

Podľa informácií @MichalovskyM bude Maroš Jedlička mimo hry na 4-5 mesiacov. Mal ísť na farmu a dostať kontrakt od Colorada, no zrejme ho po zranení z prípravného zápasu čaká operácia. Strašná smola 🥲 https://t.co/MyEO4cW15a

— Šimon Čop (@simiinko_97) October 3, 2023

On Wednesday, the Avalanche confirmed to me that Judlicka had surgery, but did not confirm a timeline. They also confirmed that he will be going back to Slovakia to rehab the injury.

The injury (and subsequent surgery) is an unfortunate setback for the young winger, who was well on his way to earning an entry-level deal with the organization. From what I had heard, the organization was looking to get him into the AHL for this coming year. Now, a large chunk of his season has been derailed, as he’s not expected to return to play until after the calendar switches to 2024.

Stay tuned to CHN as more news comes in.