Montreal Canadiens prospect Vinzenz Rohrer released from hospital after scary hit

Ottawa 67’s forward Vinzenz Rohrer was released from hospital Wednesday evening after colliding with Kingston Frontenacs defenseman Thomas Budnick earlier that evening.

Rohrer was stretchered off the ice after he landed on his head from the hipcheck. Reports indicated that Rohrer was awake and had movement in all his extremities. The team confirmed Rohrer will be out indefinitely, with no timeline provided.

Rohrer scored earlier in the game Wednesday, with the 67’s skating off with an 8-1 win against their rival. It was Rohrer’s second game with Ottawa since returning home from the World Junior Championship, where Austria was relegated after going 0-6 and finishing last.

The Montreal Canadiens selected Rohrer with the 75th overall pick at the 2022 NHL Draft. The 2004-born player is a crucial piece of Ottawa’s team, having scored 12 goals and 34 points in 28 games.

Last year, Rohrer turned heads with a 25-goal, 48-point rookie campaign. Previously, he played in Switzerland and was a dominant U-17 player before Ottawa took him 27th overall at the 2021 CHL Import draft.

The 67’s sit first in the OHL with a 29-6-1 record, giving them 60 points in 37 games. They’re currently on an 8-1-1-0 run over the past 10 games and are one of the favorites to win the OHL championship. Losing Rohrer for an extended period of time will definitely hurt. But the additions of top defenseman Pavel Mintyukov and big-time scoring forward Logan Morrison will help ease the pain.