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Providence sophomore defenseman Jake Walman left tonight's 4-0 win over Merrimack in the third period after taking an awkward hit. Early returns don't look promising. Via College Hockey News' Mike McMahon:
Leaman on Walman: "It's not looking good. It's not season-ending, but it's not good."
— Mike McMahon (@MikeMcMahonCHN) December 6, 2015
That's obviously terrible news for Providence. Walman leads the Friars in scoring with 11-8-19 in 14 games. He's five clear of any other defenseman in the country in goals scored and five points ahead of any other defenseman nationally in scoring.
The severity of the injury also takes on some added significance due to the timing. Walman was recently named to the preliminary roster for Team Canada for the upcoming World Juniors(after the IIHF ruled that Walman, who is a dual-citizen was not eligible to play for the United States), and Leaman's quote makes it sound awfully unlikely that Walman will be available for the Canadians. There was no guarantee Walman would have made the Canadian roster even if healthy, but after the way he has torn up the NCAA ranks this year, it may be a break for the rest of the field if he isn't available.