Logan Hensler's hockey career was going about as well as he could have imagined.

The Senators made the left-shot defenceman a first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft; he represented the United States at two straight World Junior Hockey Championships; and he was a key part of a talented University of Wisconsin team, which eventually advanced all the way to the national championship game.

But in early February, well before the Frozen Four, everything came to a sudden halt.

Hensler suffered a brutal left-leg injury during a game against Minnesota that ended his season. Hensler went in for a body check at the Badgers’ blue line and got tied up awkwardly with his man. As they both fell to the ice, Hensler's left leg buckled beneath him, causing a disturbing amount of torque on both his ankle and knee.

On Monday, appearing on the Locked On Senators podcast, he revealed that it wasn't just one major injury on his leg.

It was three.

"So it was a torn ACL and then I ruptured my deltoid (ligament) in my ankle. And then I also had a nasty high ankle sprain," Hensler said. "So I had about three things done to my left leg and that was gnarly. A lot of swelling, a lot of swelling."

Hensler knew immediately that something bad had happened to his knee. His ankle began swelling shortly afterward, and an MRI the following day revealed the full extent of the damage.

But because of all the swelling, doctors couldn't operate right away.

"I couldn't get surgery until like a month later because the swelling was just so bad," Hensler said. "So there was about a month where I was just in bed just with bad swelling, not weight-bearing, until I had surgery."

The surgery was finally performed on March 5, repairing both his knee and ankle at the same time.

As you'd expect, that combination made the rehab particularly difficult. Hensler couldn't put any weight on his left leg for about six weeks, complicating the normal recovery process from ACL surgery.

"So I was not weight bearing for around six weeks," he said. "And then once I kind of got walking on it again, it was like a slow progression. It was two crutches, a walking boot, and then with one crutch and then a walking boot and then out of the boot."

The injuries prevented Hensler from participating fully in Senators' development camp in Ottawa following this year's NHL Draft. He was able to work out, attend meetings and spend time with the other prospects, but wasn't yet cleared to skate.

That's finally changed.

Hensler returned to the ice last week and has already put together six skating sessions.

"Progressing well, feeling good and still getting back into it, but hands feel good, shot feels good," Hensler said.

The expectation is that Hensler will be ready to return to Wisconsin's lineup this fall.

"It's been a long road," Hensler said, "But you know, I'm getting that itch back for sure."

You can watch his full interview here on the Locked on Senators Podcast.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News 

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