It was a sight for sore eyes.
Injured Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck took part in Wednesday’s practice following the loss to the Dallas Stars the night before. It was his first practice with the rest of his teammates after he recently started skating again.
It’s now been two and a half weeks since he underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on Nov. 22.
Jets head coach Scott Arniel is still unsure when he’ll be back in the lineup, but the original timeline was four to six weeks.
“He’s getting closer,” said Arniel. “Obviously workload goes up. He was also on the ice about an hour before. Not an hour, like 45 minutes before. Workload is going up so probably see a lot more of that.
“He’s feeling really good. Two things — what happens after a big day like today and how he feels when he wakes up in the morning and then the other side is conditioning.”
The Jets have just a 2-7-1 record in his absence.
Winnipeg hosts the Boston Bruins on Thursday to continue the homestand.