Published: Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Thunderbirds' Troock solves medical issues
The Seattle Thunderbirds' Branden Troock finally seems to have put his physical woes behind him.
It required some unconventional methods to finally solve the problem.
Troock is finally getting regular game time after spending more than a year on the sidelines because of a mysterious ailment.
Troock, a 17-year-old winger, was Seattle's first-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft. After showing well during a brief cameo as a 15-year-old, he was expected to come in last season as a 16-year-old rookie and have an immediate impact.
However, Troock was knocked unconscious by a blow to the head while playing midget hockey during his 15-year-old season, an injury that affected him for nearly two years.
"It was pretty frustrating, but I've always tried not to get too high or too low," Troock told the Seattle Times. "It was tough. Some days I couldn't even get out of bed without throwing up."
Originally Troock was diagnosed with a concussion. But when Troock continued suffering debilitating headaches, subsequent tests showed the headaches did not stem from the concussion. Further evaluation revealed Troock had a neck injury that affected the nerve that went to his eyes, which caused the headaches.
After further therapy proved unsuccessful, Troock decided to think outside the box: acupuncture.
"I was at the point where I would have tried anything," Troock told the Times.
The eastern approach seems to have worked. The acupuncture caused the headaches to go away, and there's been no recurrence since training camp. Troock continues getting acupuncture twice a week, and he also takes Chinese herbs to increase circulation.
Troock, who is in his NHL draft season, is now looking to make up for lost time. So far this season he has three goals and three assists in 18 games.
Around the WHL
Team WHL split its two games against a Russian touring team in the Canada-Russia Super Series. Team WHL won the first game 5-2 before dropping the second 7-5. Hockey Canada uses the Super Series as an evaluation tool for choosing its team for the World Junior Hockey Championships. ... Vancouver forward Brendan Gallagher, 19, signed a three-year entry-level contract with the NHL's Montreal Canadians. ... Vancouver added a new defenseman when the Giants recruited 18-year-old Eric Walker away from Northern Michigan University. ... Victoria also scored a recruiting coup when the Royals signed 18-year-old forward Ben Walker away from Minnesota high school hockey. ... Brandon's Mark Stone was named the WHL Player of the Week. The 19-year-old forward had three goals and five assists as the Wheat Kings went 2-1.
League leaders
Points -- Mark Stone (Brandon) 54; goals -- Emerson Etem (Medicine Hat) 25; assists -- Stone 32; penalty minutes -- Jesse Mychan (Everett) 90; wins -- Andrey Makarov (Sasktoon) 15; goals against average -- Ty Rimmer (Tri-City) 1.77; save percentage -- Rimmer .941.
Check out Nick Patterson's Silvertips blog at http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog, and follow him on Twitter at NickHPatterson.
It required some unconventional methods to finally solve the problem.
Troock is finally getting regular game time after spending more than a year on the sidelines because of a mysterious ailment.
Troock, a 17-year-old winger, was Seattle's first-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft. After showing well during a brief cameo as a 15-year-old, he was expected to come in last season as a 16-year-old rookie and have an immediate impact.
However, Troock was knocked unconscious by a blow to the head while playing midget hockey during his 15-year-old season, an injury that affected him for nearly two years.
"It was pretty frustrating, but I've always tried not to get too high or too low," Troock told the Seattle Times. "It was tough. Some days I couldn't even get out of bed without throwing up."
Originally Troock was diagnosed with a concussion. But when Troock continued suffering debilitating headaches, subsequent tests showed the headaches did not stem from the concussion. Further evaluation revealed Troock had a neck injury that affected the nerve that went to his eyes, which caused the headaches.
After further therapy proved unsuccessful, Troock decided to think outside the box: acupuncture.
"I was at the point where I would have tried anything," Troock told the Times.
The eastern approach seems to have worked. The acupuncture caused the headaches to go away, and there's been no recurrence since training camp. Troock continues getting acupuncture twice a week, and he also takes Chinese herbs to increase circulation.
Troock, who is in his NHL draft season, is now looking to make up for lost time. So far this season he has three goals and three assists in 18 games.
Around the WHL
Team WHL split its two games against a Russian touring team in the Canada-Russia Super Series. Team WHL won the first game 5-2 before dropping the second 7-5. Hockey Canada uses the Super Series as an evaluation tool for choosing its team for the World Junior Hockey Championships. ... Vancouver forward Brendan Gallagher, 19, signed a three-year entry-level contract with the NHL's Montreal Canadians. ... Vancouver added a new defenseman when the Giants recruited 18-year-old Eric Walker away from Northern Michigan University. ... Victoria also scored a recruiting coup when the Royals signed 18-year-old forward Ben Walker away from Minnesota high school hockey. ... Brandon's Mark Stone was named the WHL Player of the Week. The 19-year-old forward had three goals and five assists as the Wheat Kings went 2-1.
League leaders
Points -- Mark Stone (Brandon) 54; goals -- Emerson Etem (Medicine Hat) 25; assists -- Stone 32; penalty minutes -- Jesse Mychan (Everett) 90; wins -- Andrey Makarov (Sasktoon) 15; goals against average -- Ty Rimmer (Tri-City) 1.77; save percentage -- Rimmer .941.
Check out Nick Patterson's Silvertips blog at http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog, and follow him on Twitter at NickHPatterson.
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