Evanoff Progressing Towards Return
Adam Evanoff has returned to Moose Jaw and rejoined the Warriors while he recovers from offseason hip surgery.
“I’m so excited, I wanted to come here at a lot earlier, but I had to stay back and do some more rehab,” Evanoff said. “I’m so happy to be here, I’ve got great billets, great teammates, the staff’s great, I love it here.”
Evanoff will miss the first few weeks of the season to continue his rehab, but the 19-year-old goalie says he is feeling better every day.
“Not much changes [now that I am in Moose Jaw], now it’s more skating again in my hear. That’s going to heat up pretty soon here, we’re taking it slow,” said Evanoff.
Last season was a breakout second-campaign for Evanoff as he posted a 19-10-2-1 record with a 2.62 goals-against average and 0.916 save percentage in 36 appearances with the Warriors.
Evanoff also when 0-2-1 in the playoffs with a 2.96 G.A.A. and a 0.923 save percentage.
He said he found out about his injury during the Warriors’ four-game playoff series against Saskatoon, however, he had been playing with the injury for a while at the end of the season.
“When I found out, my heart dropped,” Evanoff said. “I’ve never been injured before, I didn’t ever have a big injury, but as soon as I found out, it was definitely disappointing for me.
“It was kind of just a wear-and-tear thing. At the end of the season last year, I was noticing some pain in my hip… I was just kind of playing through it and then right as soon as the season ended, we were racing to find a surgeon who could perform the surgery on me.”
The Penticton, B.C. product had a partner in his recovery as his injury was like the one that ended his former teammate, Brody Wilms, WHL career just a year earlier.
“It was kind of nice, I was talking to him after I found out about my hip and he was walking me through the ways he coped with the injury and played through it because I know he was struggling with it for a bit, so it was nice to have him,” he said.
Evanoff put in plenty of work before the surgery, which he said helped with his rehab now, post-surgery.
“I work with Heather Perrin, she works at OHA and she works with Team Canada too, she’s really good, and then Jen Wheaton, I did a ton of work with her, I owe both those nice ladies a dinner,” said Evanoff.
Prior to his injury, Evanoff used yoga to train for hockey, but it also helped him get back on the ice following his surgery.
“I did it every week and I actually really enjoy it too. I’ve been working with Jen for probably six years now, doing a ton of yoga with her, preventing injury and it was huge,” he said. “I do it every day now in my rehab and I feel great after doing it.”
He was also able to meet one of his hockey heroes during his yoga sessions, “I worked with Carey Price a bit too, that was pretty cool,” Evanoff said.
With his rehab progressing, Evanoff has now been able to join his teammates in Moose Jaw and is hoping to be back in the lineup sooner rather than later.
“When I was home, that’s all I wanted to was talk to the boys and they’re all excited for me to come down too,” he said. “It definitely makes you realize how lucky you are to be playing hockey like this.”
Evanoff feels like the injury will not hold him back, but make him a better player.
“I understand now that preparation is a big thing, like your body is everything, if you’re not healthy, you’re not going to be out there and you’re not going to be performing at the best of your abilities,” said Evanoff.
“I’ve definitely learned a lot about myself too, how much I really value hockey… Character is defined through an injury. It was tough to deal with but I’m definitely on the mend.”
The Warriors are back on the ice this weekend for a home-and-home series with the Brandon Wheat Kings. Moose Jaw heads to Brandon on Friday and then the Wheat Kings come to Mosaic Place on Saturday night. Get your tickets today by heading to mjwarriors.ca.
