Juulsen: Healthy and ready to go

LAVAL - The 2018-19 season did not exactly go the way Noah Juulsen hoped it would.

The 22-year-old defenseman started the year with the Canadiens, playing 17 of the Habs' first 21 games until a serious case of bad luck saw him get hit in the face by a puck twice in the same game, on November 19 at home against the Washington Capitals.
"The first one I think I was fine and the second one, I think, was what did all the damage," recalled Juulsen, who suffered from a vision-related issue as a result.
Juulsen missed nearly a month of action before returning for four games in mid-December. Then, he was sent down to the Laval Rocket where he suited up for three more games ahead of being shut down indefinitely.
On Monday, the Rocket held their end-of-season media availability after wrapping up their season over the weekend, and that gave Juulsen an opportunity to announce that his ordeal was over and done with.
"As of as of right now I'm going home knowing I'm healthy and I'm cleared. I'm good to go for next season," declared Juulsen, who finished with one goal, four assists, and a plus-5 differential in 21 games in Montreal.

For the young rearguard, missing most of the season at a crucial time in his career wasn't easy, especially with so much uncertainty around the injury.
"Waiting for results is always tough not knowing what the outcome is going to be," he recounted. "But once I had the outcome and got a timeline, from there it was smooth sailing. There were a couple of things here and there, but other than that I was good to go."
The Surrey, BC native affirmed that he would've been ready to play if the Rocket were in the playoffs, and declared he's 100% sure he'll be clear for training camp in the fall.

And despite some talk that the injury might've put his career at risk, Juulsen never had any doubt he'd be able to get through it all.
"I knew from the start I was going to be alright," he concluded.