Mark Scheifele was on the ice with the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday for the first time since he was injured Dec. 27.
Though the center skated wearing a non-contact jersey and didn't take part in many drills, he could return within the original 6-8 week timeline. Wednesday was five weeks since his injury.
"He's skated quite a bit," coach Paul Maurice told the Jets website. "It's an upper-body injury, but he's back moving pretty darn well, which is a positive for us. … He'll stay where he is for at least another week before we start banging him around a little bit. But he's on track, so we're positive there."
The 24-year-old was injured when he was hit by Edmonton Oilers defenseman Brandon Davidson and fell awkwardly into the boards. Scheifele had 38 points (15 goals, 23 assists) in 38 games and was 14th in the NHL in scoring when he was injured.
"I saw him out there and he's taking one-timers and shooting the puck like he's ready to go," Jets center Bryan Little told TSN. "I'm not exactly sure when he'll be back, but it's definitely nice to see him out there. ... To have a guy like him back in your lineup is huge."
The Jets (30-13-8) are in first place in the Central Division and resume a 10-game homestand against the Western Conference-leading Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; TSN3, ATTSN-RM, NHL.TV).
"They do so many things, almost in a veteran way," Maurice said of Vegas. "They have a confidence in their game, which I guess continues to build because they've had so much success in doing the right thing simply but very, very quickly.
"There's a high skill level throughout their lineup. What they've figured out really well is if you skate fast and you've got skill, you're going to be a pretty good team in this league. And they are."
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