But after battling his way through training camp and the first two games of the regular season, a lingering lower-body injury sustained in the off-season wasn’t improving. In fact, it had reached the point that it was seriously hampering his play.
And with that, Jordan and the Warriors training staff decided it was time to shut things down.
Two months went by as the Warriors took every precaution possible with the Calgary Flames fifth-round draft pick. Jordan practiced with the yellow non-contact jersey for a few weeks, then slotted into a regular defensive pairing for a couple of weeks after that.
All told, it was lots of time off and even more practice. All with the goal of having his return to the ice be as smooth and uncomplicated as possible.
This weekend was finally that time.
The 18-year-old rearguard returned to the ice in Swift Current on Friday night and played his first game at Mosaic Place since the home opener on Teddy Bear Toss Night on Saturday.
“It almost felt like it was my first game of the season all over again,” Jordan said with a grin after the Warriors’ 4-2 win. “Having 24 games off is a really long time, but it felt unbelievable to get out there with the team. We didn’t put out a great effort last night but we had a really good bounce-back tonight.”
Jordan didn’t get into specifics with his injury, but suffice to say, it was better to stay off the ice rather than risk something far worse happening by forcing things.
“It was a lower-body injury that happened toward the end of the off-season and I came into camp trying to play through it a little bit, but wasn’t feeling like myself,” Jordan said. “So I took some time off, came back feeling a lot better and like myself again.”
The benefits of taking so much time to get back on the ice showed in the weekend set. Looking completely unhindered, Jordan admitted he had a bit of rust right off the hop, but saw things improve as time went on.
“It was pretty good, for sure,” he said. “The first couple shifts yesterday were shaky but it got better as the game went on. The wind was a little bit out of me in the third, but it was good to be back out there and playing and it’ll get better.”
The Warriors themselves certainly noticed his play Friday, as Jordan slotted into the top defence pairing alongside Denton Mateychuk for the rematch. Seeing the team show that kind of confidence in his abilities was heartening.
“I think I try and take pride in the way I play defensively and trying to play offensively,” Jordan said. “So being put out there like that felt really good and I just wanted to help the team win tonight… Now it’s just getting my wind back 100 per cent, get in the best shape I can be and play a solid 60 minutes and contribute to the team as much as I can.”
Jordan and the Warriors will be looking to do exactly that on Tuesday night, when they host the Saskatoon Blades. Game time is 7 p.m. at Mosaic Place.
