Jackson Hallum’s return from injury paying dividends early for Michigan

Jackson Hallum maneuvers the puck as he is flanked by the opposing team.

Clutching his knee as he slid across the ice, Jackson Hallum knew something was wrong. Taking a knee-to-knee hit against Wisconsin hurt bad enough. But within days, the pain deepened as the then-sophomore forward learned his season was over.

A season-ending knee injury is never an easy injury to recover from, especially for Hallum who relies on his blazing speed to blow by defensemen. But now, over 11 months since the collision, Hallum is back on the ice and he’s not looking back.

Over the course of his long recovery, Hallum worked hard to get his knee back into playing shape. And once he returned to the ice, it was just a matter of rebuilding confidence in his knee.

“I’ve been taking hits a lot in practice too,” Hallum said Tuesday. “Taking hits in games really gave me confidence to understand my body is 100%. Like (the doctors) wouldn’t have cleared me if my knee wasn’t 100%, so I know that’s the truth.”

When Hallum was injured a year ago, the Michigan hockey team lost a key part of what made its offense so successful. Seamlessly fitting into Wolverines coach Brandon Naurato’s fast playstyle, Hallum’s burst was surely missed. Now, his return is integral to No. 11 Michigan’s identity.

Despite still building confidence that his knee was ready for a full game, Hallum made his mark quickly. In just his second game back, he netted his first goal since Oct. 28, 2023 with a crafty backhand shot that found the corner of the net.

His goal was a milestone on his return from injury — the play symbolized that his road to recovery was over. As he skated from left to right through the neutral zone before taking the puck and picking up speed, Hallum displayed that his best attribute returned as well: his speed.

“He’s so fast,” junior forward TJ Hughes said. “It’s so fun to watch him play. Sometimes he’s just buzzing around guys. There’s a play against Arizona State where the (defense) was skating back, and there was a puck race. (Hallum) was at least red line-to-blue line away, maybe even a farther gap. He just blew by the guy and got a breakaway.”

Having reinstilled his own confidence, Hallum is back to where he was prior to his injury. But after missing nearly an entire season of hockey, it takes more than his talents returning to prove he’s made a full recovery — it includes playing more games.

With a majority of games remaining on the schedule, it’s yet to truly be seen how much Hallum will play into Michigan’s success. But if you ask his teammates, Hallum never truly left.

“So nice to see Jackson back (on the ice),” Hughes said. “Even last year when he was out, he was always around. He was so positive, and (I’m) just so happy to see him back and having success. He’s gonna be a big, big part of our team this year. So it’s nice to see him getting going and having some success. Hopefully he continues to play well and do his thing, because when he’s at his best, we’re really good.”

Without Hallum a year ago, it took the Wolverines a long time to become the best version of themselves. Since his knee injury came so early in the season, it forced Michigan to adjust to an unforeseen circumstance. Now with his return, the only injury-related adjustment the Wolverines have to make is reintegrating Hallum, a welcome challenge in comparison.

Flying down the ice with speed and blasting into the offensive zone, Hallum can make an impact by himself. His early goal this season is only one example of it, and he’s had numerous other breakaways and odd-man rushes to pressure the opposing defensemen.

Hallum is only getting started. Coming back from injury with a chip on his shoulder, he’s shown that he hasn’t lost a step. Now with his injury behind him and the majority of the season ahead, the sky could be the limit for Hallum.

The post Jackson Hallum’s return from injury paying dividends early for Michigan appeared first on The Michigan Daily.


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