Chicago Blackhawks prospect Ville Pokka will miss the team’s prospect camp due to a lower-body injury, reports Scott Powers of The Athletic.
Powers notes that the defenseman suffered the injury during the World Championships in May in Russia, and will remain in his native Finland to continue his rehab. He recorded two assists in 10 games for Finland at Worlds.
Pokka tallied 10 goals and 35 assists in 76 games during his second professional season with the AHL Rockford IceHogs for the 2015-16 season. The 22-year-old blue liner is expected to play for Finland at the World Cup of Hockey in September.
Powers also details that Pokka won’t be the only prospect to miss the team’s camp. Kyle Baun isn’t eligible to participate due his entry-level contract expiring and Mark McNeill is not currently under contract although the team did extend him a qualifying offer in June.
Forward Artur Kayumov and Ivan Nalimov will also not make the trip from Russia. Kayumov was drafted with the No. 50 overall pick in last month’s draft. The 18-year-old, left-handed shot scored 12 goals with 19 assists in 39 games with the Russian under-18 team. The Hawks drafted Nalimov with the No. 179 overall pick in the 2014 draft. He has spent the last three seasons playing for Admiral Vladivostok in the KHL and recently signed a contract extension with the team.
The camp begins Sunday and runs through Friday. All on-ice sessions are free and open to the public at Johnny’s IceHouse West.