Ottawa Charge place Alexa Vasko on long-term injured reserve with upper-body injury
More injury news in the PWHL, this time in Canada’s capital.
On Monday, the Ottawa Charge announced that forward Alexa Vasko had been placed on long-term injured reserve with an upper-body injury. In a corresponding move, the team signed forward Taylor House to a standard player agreement (SPA).
Vasko was injured during last Friday’s game against the Montreal Victoire at the Canadian Tire Centre. It hasn’t been specified when or where the 25-year-old was hurt, but she was limited to just 3:31 of ice time, her lowest on-ice total so far this year.
Per the league’s LTIR rules, Vasko has to be out of the lineup for 21 days. She will be eligible to return on Dec. 29 against the New York Sirens.
Vasko came to Ottawa on a one-year contract after spending the inaugural season with Toronto. In three games, she has averaged around seven minutes of ice time, and has a plus/minus of +2. Vasko notched an assist in the Charge’s win over the Toronto Sceptres last Tuesday.
Last season, the St. Catharines, Ontario native scored two goals, playing in every regular-season and playoff game for Toronto, the team that took Vasko in the 14th round of the inaugural PWHL Draft.
House was invited to Ottawa’s training camp and was impressive enough to at least grab a spot on the team’s reserve list. General manager Mike Hirshfeld admitted that there is a lot to like about House’s game.
“We were impressed by the energy and compete level that Taylor demonstrated in training camp,” Hirshfeld said in a release. “She made it difficult for us to make a decision when we picked out the original 23 players to fill our roster. We are excited to have her join our group.”
House brings a couple of years of pro experience to the lineup. After five years at Quinnipiac University, she played for the Boston Pride in the final season of the Premier Hockey Federation. Last season, she went overseas to play for MoDo Hockey in the SDHL. In 35 games, House scored 13 goals and 17 points, adding another four points in the playoffs. Her efforts helped MoDo reach the league finals, losing to Luleå HF/MSSK in three games.
The Charge (1-0-1-1) sit fourth in the PWHL, three points back of the first-place Minnesota Frost. Ottawa is next scheduled to face the Boston Fleet on Dec. 17.