As I write this post I would like to send out my prayers and condolances to the close friends and family; and especially to the man himself, Devin Mitchell--who is a member of our Springfield Jr. Blues of the North American Hockey League.
The 6-3, 202 pounder from Lenexa, Kansas was rushed to the hospital during tonight's contest after he was struck in the face with a puck at the 13:33 mark of the second period. The 17 year-old reportedly lost five teeth and their was a delay in the game as blood had to be scraped off of the ice for a number of minutes.
A few reports have surfaced to me that he possibly had broken his jaw in two different spots, but none of this has been confirmed to me for sure--at least at this moment and time.
There was no call made following the incident as it occured on a play off of a Topeka Roadrunners' players stick, but it certainly did take all of the air out of the home crowd inside the Nellie. Topeka lead the contest 3-2 at the time of the incident.
No other information has been sent to me yet but I will certainly send all of the details out as they are informed to me. Mitchell tallied one shot in tonight's contest during the teams' 7-to-2 lost, making it their fifth consecutive game resulting without a victory.
This is Mitchell's first season playing in the North American Hockey League as he started out the year in Austin before being sent here to Springfield. He has contributed for three points in thirteen games with the Jr. Blues this season as he has scored two goals on 15 shots and has one assist. He also has scored a game-winning goal this season as he did it against this same Topeka contest on October 19th as the team won 2-0 inside the Kansas Expo.
Please just take a moment out of your time and give a prayer for the kid, as this was a very scary incident. I will send out more information as it comes along, for breaking news immediately as I hear it, follow me on twitter at @tcobb1990. The Jr. Blues family, as well as the entire North American Hockey League, is praying for you Devin. Here is to a quick and successful recovery!
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