Boston Bruins prospect Jakub Lauko suffered a lower-body injury 53 seconds into the opening game of the World Juniors.
The 2020 World Junior Championship started today, and right off the bat there was some bad news for the Boston Bruins.
Jakub Lauko suffered an injury in the first minute of the opening game between the Czech Republic and Russia. An opposing player tripped him up from behind, and then another fell over him. At first glance, this looked like a lower-body injury.
Bruins prospect Jakub Lauko injures his leg 53 seconds into the WJC pic.twitter.com/KDxLWZjMK5
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) December 26, 2019
Lauko exited the game and never returned. Later on in the third period, the camera showed Lauko as he watched the game from behind the glass. He had crutches and a brace on his right knee.
Jakob Lauko’s tournament looks like it lasted 53 seconds. Heartbreaking scene. https://t.co/jd901O15Br
— World Hockey Report (@worldhockeyrpt) December 26, 2019
After the game, Czech Republic’s coach Vaclav Varada announced that Lauko has a MCL injury. He’ll have a MRI on Friday, but right now it appears that he’ll miss the remainder of the tournament.
Varada (of course it was him, autocorrection) also said: 'From the first prognosis from the doctor that will keep Jakub Lauko out of the tournament. But will do a MRI tomorrow so we'll see' #WorldJuniors2020 #NHLBruins https://t.co/oUW261ghi1
— Igor Eronko (@IgorEronko) December 26, 2019
This obviously is some real tough news for Lauko. After an injury scare a few weeks ago, the World Junior tournament was a great chance for him to bounce back and find his game. Not only that, he had the opportunity to play in a national tournament in front of the home fans.
What does Lauko’s injury mean for the Bruins?
The Bruins definitely had high expectations for Lauko this year, especially after his strong preseason performances. Unfortunately, injuries affected Lauko at the beginning of the season, and this most recent injury at the World Juniors could be another road block.
Ideally Lauko recovers in time for a late-tournament return. However, the Bruins want to make sure he doesn’t push it and make the injury any worse. The last thing the Bruins need is for Lauko to miss significant time when he returns from the tournament.
What’s most important to Boston is that Lauko makes a full recovery so he can finish the season and continue his development in Providence. He remains one of Boston’s best wing prospects, so the Bruins have to think long-term with Lauko.
We’ll find out more information about Lauko’s injury tomorrow after his MRI. For now, we can only offer our well wishes and hope that Lauko can make a full recovery this year.