Winnipeg Jets' Bryan Little is helped up after being hit in the head with the puck during a game in Winnipeg on Nov. 5, 2019.FRED GREENSLADE/The Canadian Press
Winnipeg Jets forward Bryan Little has a perforated eardrum and is dealing with vertigo after a teammate’s shot struck him near the ear during a game.
Jets coach Paul Maurice spoke Thursday and gave an update on Little’s injury.
Maurice said Little is expected to make a full recovery, but there is no timeline for the 31-year-old centre’s return.
Little was injured in Winnipeg’s 2-1 home loss to New Jersey on Tuesday. He was skating behind the net midway through the third period when teammate Nikolaj Ehlers fired a rising slap shot from the point. The puck hit Little on his left side and he fell to the ice, putting his head in his hands as blood dripped.
He was transported to St. Boniface Hospital and needed 25-30 stitches to close a laceration before he was transferred to the Health Sciences Centre’s neurological unit for further observation.
Also Thursday , the Jets recalled forward Joona Luoto from the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League.
Luoto, 22, had three assists in nine games with Manitoba this season, his first in North America.
The Finnish forward signed a three-year deal with the Jets in June after playing the past three seasons with Tappara.
Luoto could make his NHL debut on Friday when the Jets host the Vancouver Canucks.