Vegas Golden Knights centre Jack Eichel skated in practice on Monday wearing a full-contact jersey for the first time since being acquired by the team.
Eichel had disc replacement surgery in his injured neck in November after joining Vegas from the Buffalo Sabres, and has not played since suffering the injury in March.
Head coach Peter DeBoer noted last week that Eichel could get cleared for contact after the All-Star break, and now can do more each day little by little with hope for no setbacks.
Though DeBoer doesn't know the timeline for return to play, "at least the process has started." he notes.
The Golden Knights sit at the top of the Pacific Division with 57 points, and a post-season berth would be the first time Eichel has ever played in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
