Oilers’ prospect fights back from knee injury

By Joanne Ireland, edmontonjournal.com

EDMONTON – His pro career was just 17 games old when Jordan Bendfeld, a tough, stay-at-home defenceman, was knocked back a season with a knee injury.

But fighting back is nothing new for the Edmonton Oilers' prospect, so he has made his way to the development camp that is being staged in Sherwood Park this week and figures he'll be good to go when training camp gets underway in the fall.

The 21-year-old had surgery on Jan. 5, to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

"They say you're not really a hockey player until you have gone through a big injury so we'll see what happens," said the Leduc native, who was with the Stockton Thunder of the East Coast Hockey League when he was injured.

Ironically, Bendfeld had been one of the more durable junior players when he was with the Medicine Hat Tigers, missing just seven games during his days in the Western Hockey League.

He played a total of 225 contests for the Tigers and racked up 392 penalty minutes while chipping in 67 points.

Originally drafted by the Phoenix Coyotes, the former Tigers' captain wasn't signed and re-entered the draft in 2008. The Oilers made him their seventh-round selection. At six feet, two inches and 216 pounds, he has the size and the grit that the farm teams needs.

"It was definitely a big step back for me. I had gone three years with just bumps and bruises," he said. "But I just took a hit along the boards and felt a pop in my knee.

"I think I'm doing OK at this camp but it's the first time I've skated, competitively, since November. By August I should be going 100 per cent.

"I just have to train hard in the next two months," Bendfeld said, "because these guys are ahead of me. I have to make sure I catch up to them.

"I want to play in the American Hockey League. I think there's going to be a lot of changes next year (in Springfield) and I want to be a part of it."