It looks like Jackson Houck (lower body) will jump back into the Vancouver Giants’ line-up for their first game after the holiday break Saturday in Everett after sitting out their final three games prior to Christmas.
The Edmonton Oilers draft pick was a full participant in practice Friday at the Giants’ Ladner training facility and was taking rushes once again on Vancouver’s top line, alongside Carter Popoff and Tyler Benson. He seemed to have considerable jump.
Houck, a right winger, is Vancouver’s second-leading scorer, his 27 points leaving him behind only the 31 put up by centre Popoff.
Vancouver (16-18-0-0) took a seven-game win streak into the layoff. The stint put them back into the playoff race in the WHL’s Western Conference.
Houck was red-hot prior to leaving in the late stages of a Dec. 10 tilt versus Prince Albert with an apparent hip or knee ailment. He had five goals in his final four games prior to Christmas.
The No. 2 line featuring overage Dalton Sward and Jakob Stukel on Thomas Foster’s wins was intact, while Vladimir Bobylev was between Alec Baer and Jesse Roach for the No. 4 line.
David Brumm and Gage Ramsay were skating with Ty Ronning (collar bone), who remains in a yellow, non-contact jersey, so it looks like they’ll be scratches.
Defenceman Ryely McKinstry (lower body) was a full participant, too. He’s missed the past five games and played just three times since late October due to an upper body injury and the Under-17 world challenge. The Giants were rotating through various defence pairs Friday, so it’s hard to guess whether he’ll be back in.
Vancouver has split their two games so far this season with Everett (20-9-3-1).
