After sitting out the opening game of the 2012 Subway Super Series against Russia with a foot injury, Halifax Mooseheads forward and top draft-eligible prospect Jonathan Drouin has been cleared to play in Wednesday's second game in Val-d’Or, Quebec.
Drouin, who suffered his injury while blocking a shot on Saturday for Halifax, sat out the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's 6-2 loss to Russia on Monday.
Drouin will be joined by Halifax teammates Nathan MacKinnon, Brent Andrews and Zach Fucale in the lineup. Fucale, a goaltender, was also absent on Monday and MacKinnon was a minus-4 on the top line with Jonathan Huberdeau and Jean-Sebastien Dea. Andrews played a role on the team's fourth line.
Drouin, who is an A-rated skater on NHL Central Scouting's preliminary players to watch list in the QMJHL, has 11 goals and 24 points in 12 games for Halifax.
The 5-10.75, 185-pound Drouin had seven goals and 22 assists in 33 regular-season games as a rookie last season, and erupted for nine goals, 26 points and a plus-6 rating in 17 playoff games.
"Drouin is unbelievable in my eyes. He's smart and can read the play so well," Central Scouting's Chris Bordeleau told NHL.com. "He was the best player at Canada's development camp [in August] … he's up there with the top scorers."
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