Plymouth Whalers' Sonny Milano seeing specialist after suffering facial fractures
The Plymouth Whalers are waiting with bated breath to find out how long they will have to wait for Sonny Milano to debut in the Ontario Hockey League.
To be clear, there is no timeline yet for when the 18-year-old will return. Milano, Columbus' top pick, was injured on Friday while playing for the Blue Jackets squad against the Minnesota Wild during the annual Traverse City, Mich., tournament. Milano, who signed with the Whalers in August and then signed with Columbus last week, was apparently contacted from behind and hit the boards face-first.
"He's actually pretty doing well," Whalers GM Mark Craig said on Sunday night. "They believe it's a fractured cheekbone. They also think he may have a slight fracture of the orbital. Columbus is going to take him back to Columbus on Tuesday and have him see their specialist. The first X-ray they took was read by a doctor up in Traverse City. They want a specialist to look at it and determine what he has, but they don't believe he will need any surgery. So that's good."
Preliminary reports ranged from saying Milano could anywhere from two to eight weeks. The Whalers, whose regular-season opener is Sept. 26 at London, are obvioiusly hoping for the best.
"I think everyone is speculating," Craig said. "I've talked to both Columbus and the agent [Chris Lepkowski] and [Milano's] father. None of three have given me any dates. They're not saying anything until they see the specialist in Columbus. He's doing well. I know when the team came off the ice after their win on Saturday over the Red Wings [rookie team], Sonny was right there high-fiving them. He seems to be doing well. His father actually downplayed it quite a bit."
Milano, of course, is one of the more widely anticipated newcomers to the OHL after making a difficult decision to sign on in Plymouth rather than attend Boston College. The speedy left wing passed up a chance to play in the same conference with top NHL draft prospect Jack Eichel, who was his linemate last season with the U.S. under-18 team.
Milano is adjusting to wearing a half-visor for the first time after wearing a full cage with the U.S. under-18 team. Craig says the Whalers' projected No. 1 left wing has adapted well.
"There are some players, at first it affects them in vision or how they feel about physical contact," Craig said. "I don't think he's one of them. Watching him in camp and in our exhibition games, he's a player. He's a player. He's talented. He works hard. He's never stops."
Plymouth made the playoffs in 2014 despite being the OHL's second-lowest scoring team with 180 goals over 68 games.
