Mason Appleton Postgame Winnipeg Jets prospect and current Manitoba Moose forward Chaz Lucius will miss the remainder of the 2023-24 season after undergoing surgery on an injured ankle. Moose head coach Mark Morrisson broke the news on Monday. "Chaz is doing a season-ending surgery on his ankle," he said. "We will see Chaz around a lot in rehab here with the team, and still be a big part of it here, but he is having surgery." This marks the fourth-straight season to which Lucius has ended the year on his respective team's injured reserve list, dating back to time with the United States National Team Development Program and his 2021-22 season with the NCAA's University of Minnesota. Over the past four years, the Jets' 2021 first round pick has skated in just 84 total regular season games - 29 professionally with the Moose. This year, he has bounced between the lineup and the press box for Manitoba, ultimately skating in 17 of the team's 34 games, where he has two goals and 13 points. Lucius last played for the Moose one month ago on December 23. With fellow prospects Brad Lambert, Colby Barlow and Nikita Chibrikov already knocking on the door, the ongoing injury concerns do not bode well with Lucius' opportunity to continue climbing the ladder up Winnipeg's pipeline.
