Erie Otters winger Luke Gazdic, 19, missed today's practice with an undisclosed injury suffered in a second-period fight against London's Mike Yovanic on Saturday night.
"I got a little bit of a nagging injury," Gazdic said. "I'll see how I feel tomorrow. Hopefully I should be good for the weekend swing (to Peterborough, Oshawa and Barrie)."
Despite the injury, Gazdic said the fight "was well worth it. It was a good fight."
Meanwhile, rookie center Phil Teri, 17, has been a healthy scratch for the four games since forwards Gazdic, Justin Hodgman, Nick Palmieri and Zack Torquato returned from NHL camps.
With coach Robbie Ftorek preferring not to keep 25 players on the roster, Teri understands he and other players could lose their spots in the future. "We don't really know what's going to happen," Teri said. "I've got to keep working hard and try to get my spot back in the starting lineup. Keep working hard - that's really the only option I have."
In other news, left wing Michael Liambas, 19, remains uncertain when his rehabilitation from offseason hip flexor surgery will end. "It could be a day-to-day thing. It could be week to week. It could be month to month," he said. He awaits results from recent tests doctors conducted.
For now, he will stay off the ice after participating in non-contact drills in recent weeks.
"I don't want to rush anything," he said. "(The pain) would ease up after I get off the ice for a couple of weeks. Then I would start (skating) again and I would start feeling (the pain) again."

– Victor Fernandes