Winnipeg Jets pick Nikolaj Ehlers gets rocked by Charlottetown's David Henley (VIDEO)
The conditioned response after any major collision is to wonder about head contact, but it appears the Charlottetown Islanders' David Henley caught Halifax Mooseheads superstar Nikolaj Ehlers cleanly. Or, at least, there was no penalty called.
Ehlers, the Winnpeg Jets' first-rounder, has got away with taking risks while carrying the puck many a time over a season-plus with Halifax. During the second period on Wednesday, though, while the 18-year-old Dane was doing his where-angels-fear-to-tread thing, momentarily putting his head down after cutting into the centre of the ice, he got laid out by the 6-foot-4, 203-pound Henley.
Trying to reduce brain injuries should always come first and foremost, but there is still some latitude to lay the body against a puck carrier. The 17-year-old Henley did not get a penalty for the check.
That is Halifax's other import, Swiss sophomore Timo Meier, jumping to Ehlers' defence.
Henley's skates remained planted on the ice until he was jolted by the impact. Ehlers also finished the game, so as far as one can tell, this was clean. Devastating, but clean.
Charlottetown ended a 10-game losing streak against Halifax with a 4-1 victory. The teams have a rematch on Sunday in Charlottetown that might get awfully interesting.
The Val-d'Or Foreurs bit the bullet at midseason last winter when they traded the now 17-year-old Henley to Charlottetown in order to add older players for a shot at the league championship, which they ultimately won. Now you see why they hated to give him up.
Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.