Oscar Klefbom may undergo shoulder surgery, miss the remainder of the season

Some bad news became public on Sunday night with regard to Oilers prospect Oscar Klefbom. After suffering a shoulder injury on October 9, reports indicated that Klefbom was expected to get back on the ice towards the end of November. Now, it appears that the shoulder may require surgery – a move that would cost Klefbom the rest of the 2012-13 season.

Swedish reporter Johan Eriksson brought the possibility up on Twitter and quotes Klefbom as saying the following:

Eriksson states that Klefbom will do a medical exam in Edmonton before making a decision for or against surgery. Eriksson believes Klefbom will follow the Oilers’ advice on what to do next.

At the time of his injury, Klefbom led the Swedish Elite League with a plus-7 rating over 11 contests, and had seen significantly more minutes on the Farjestad blue line this year than he had played last season.

2012-13 was a critical development year for the 19-year old defenceman. Many expect that a strong season in Sweden would have set the stage for an immediate jump to the NHL in 2013-14; scouting reports praise Klefbom highly and some think he would have competed for a job on the Oilers’ blue line this year if he had come over to North America (and there hadn’t been a lockout). 

Klefbom is the Oilers’ third significant blue line prospect to suffer serious disease/injury this season. Brandon Davidson was diagnosed with testicular cancer after a decent start to his professional career in Oklahoma, while the highly-touted Martin Gernat has yet to play in the WHL this year after putting up 55 points and a plus-41 rating over 60 contests last season.