"Nice to Get a Game Back in Action": Ville Husso Reflects on Conditioning Start in Grand Rapids
Ville Husso discusses the butterflies and successes of his one-game conditioning stint with the Grand Rapids Griffins
Mandatory Credit: Brian Bradshaw Sevald-USA TODAY Sports - "Nice to Get a Game Back in Action": Ville Husso Reflects on Conditioning Start in Grand RapidsLast Friday night at Van Andel Arena, Ville Husso saw his first game since suffering a lower body injury on December 18th. Taking a one-game conditioning stint with the Grand Rapids Griffins, Husso's return went quite literally as smoothly as it could have, stopping all 25 shots he faced in a 3-0 shutout win over the Belleville Senators.
"It was nice to get a game back in action," said Husso—having driven himself home from GR after the game—in reflection on the start after Saturday's morning skate. "Little butterflies before the game, just haven't played for five weeks. Good start. I've always played well there. It was easy to jump in."
"It's always game is different than practice," he continued. "I think we did a good job here giving a couple extra days, just to make sure everything is good. And it was nice to get game action, and it was a good jump in there and feel the puck there and get a win too. Always helps mentally for sure."
When asked about the process of returning to full health, Husso explained that there was a steady progression from skating to dropping into a butterfly to taking part in full practices to eventually playing. It was a process "to get on the ice and then go down and get some team practice and feel good after. Unfortunately, it took five weeks, but it's nice to be back now and to feel overall now 100%."
Husso also noted that this was not a case of the team believing he would benefit from a conditioning start with the Griffins while he was skeptical. Instead, "I wanted to go," he said. "It was a good opportunity. It's only two hours away, so it wasn't anything bad. For me at least, it was good to go down there, get one practice, and then get a game."
"It was nice to get a game," he added, pointing out that he appreciated getting a chance at some game action (even at the AHL level) before the Red Wings' All-Star break and bye week begins later this week before reiterating that he now feels back to 100% health. "It would be a long time to go with no game if I don't play before break, so it was nice to get a game in the AHL. At least I know now, the body feels good, the knee feels good."
"Good getting the reps," said Derek Lalonde Saturday when asked about Husso's progress, referring to the outing as a "good sign he's healthy." "Timing is real. I was able to watch it, so I was excited about that, got a chance to see some of the other prospects too. Obviously, [Dan Watson] is doing a really good job down there. It's definitely a step in the right direction."