Oilers prospect Dylan Holloway leaves AHL game after being speared by opposing goalie

Dylan Holloway rocky path into professional hockey continued Saturday night, as the Bakersfield Condors winger missed the final 23 minutes of the club’s game.

That’s because Holloway was shaken up after getting speared by Colorado Eagles netminder Ivan Prosvetov late in the second period. It happened when Holloway, who notched an assist early in the second period, skated in on the forecheck before cutting in front of the Eagles’ net.

Prosvetov, who was down in the butterfly, stuck his stick up catching Holloway in the mid-section. Holloway crossed over to turn up the middle of the ice and back towards the Condors bench, before falling to the ice. He was able to get up again, skating gingerly to the bench.

Thankfully, Holloway is dealing with “just a bruise” that isn’t thought to be serious, Mike Griffith, who follows the Condors in Bakersfield, reported Saturday night. There’s no word on if he’s expected to miss time.

Drafted by the Oilers in the first round of the 2020 draft, 14th overall, Holloway returned to the University of Wisconsin for another season before turning pro in 2021. But his first season saw him deal with a wrist injury that carried over from his NCAA tenure, limiting him to 33 games in the AHL. His sophomore season saw him deal with a shoulder injury, while he suffered a broken kneecap earlier this year.

He’s appeared in 51 AHL games over the last three years scoring 27 goals and 51 points, and in 82 NHL games, scoring six goals and 13 points. This season, he appeared in 32 games for the Oilers, scoring three goals and four points, and was assigned to the Condors on Thursday.

The Condors are heading north of the 49th parallel this week, paying visit to the Abbotsford Canucks on Tuesday and Wednesday. It’s there where Holloway will be joined by Sam Gagner, who was placed on waivers earlier this week and assigned to the AHL.

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.