Maidens, Culek Yet To Hit The Ice In Junior

Much like their NHL counterparts, a pair of Senators third-round picks are still waiting the start of the 2012/13 season to begin.

For Jarrod Maidens and Jakub Culek, these are some very trying times; albeit, for entirely different reasons.

It has been almost one full calendar year since Maidens stumbled into the boards and an opposing Colts, who intended to finish his check, inadvertently struck him in the head with his knee.

He has not played in a game since.

A Sunday report indicates he spent, "last week in Ottawa receiving post-concussion treatment from Senators’ doctors and trainers. He’s expected to spend the next week there as well."

In some ways it is reminiscent of the Antoine Vermette situation that unfurled in the summer of 2000. Months after being drafted by the Senators in the second round (55^th overall), Vermette was invited to Team Canada’s World Junior summer camp. During one of the scrimmages, Vermette absorbed a hit from Jay Bouwmeester, that caused him to miss the next, "seven months that season with a mysterious neck injury that was misdiagnosed as post-concussion symptoms".

Although it is far too premature to speculate that Maidens’ career could be in jeopardy, any time a prospect misses this much time, you have to wonder how much it is going to affect them and their development.   

Jakub Culek’s development has stalled but in a completely different fashion.

After being reassigned to the QMJHL at the conclusion of the Binghamton Senators’ training camp, the 20-year old Czech forward was caught in a numbers game. The team that owned his junior rights, the Rimouski Oceanic, had already reached their import quota of two. Now I’m not entirely certain why Culek was never assigned to Elmira in the ECHL, but like Maidens, he has yet to play in a game this season. Recently, rumours have surfaced on the weekend that the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles had acquired his rights in exchange for a 2014 fourth round draft selection, but to this point, no formal announcement has been made; although, one new report suggests that the QMJHL will make one today.