Chicago Blackhawks prospect Nathan Noel will miss four to six weeks with an upper-body injury, reports John Macneil of The Chronicle Herald in Halifax.
The 2016 fourth-rounder last played for the Saint John Sea Dogs against the Moncton Wildcats in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action Dec. 7 at home.
Noel has 14 goals and 13 assists in 27 games this season. The 19-year-old forward had a pair of his best games right before he suffered the injury. The 5-foot-11, 174-pounder had hat tricks in consecutive games in the final week of November.
Noel had 21 goals with 36 assists in 61 games for Saint John last season. He added three goals and 10 assists in 16 playoff games. He also played for Canada in the World Junior Championships, recording two assists in seven games. He was not named to Canada’s roster for the upcoming World Juniors tournament, but fellow Hawks prospect Graham Knott was.