Injured hockey player not likely to walk

ST. PAUL, Minn., Jan. 5 (UPI) -- A Minnesota high school hockey player is not expected to walk again after having surgery for a spinal cord injury sustained during a game, his parents said.

Benilde-St. Margaret's sophomore hockey player Jack Jablonski underwent spinal fusion surgery Wednesday at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, the St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press reported.

"It is with a heavy heart that we write this entry tonight," Leslie and Mike Jablonski wrote on their son's CaringBridge Web site Wednesday night. "Jack's surgery today to fuse his vertebrae was a success, but it also confirmed that his injury was horrific."

"Jack has limited mobility and no movement in his lower body. As we feared, he will not be able to walk or skate. This news is devastating to Jack and everyone who loves him. Our hope and dream is that he will be able to prove this prognosis wrong," the post said.

Jablonski, 16, was checked from behind during a junior-varsity hockey game Friday night. He suffered a severed spinal cord at the neck and two fractured vertebrae.

"Our priority is to help Jack accept and transition into his new life, a life that we did not plan, but one that we have to embrace," his parents wrote on the CaringBridge site. "We have a mountain to climb, but with your support, we know that Jack's youth, strength and determination will help him make remarkable strides."

A varsity hockey game between Benilde-St. Margaret's and Wayzata scheduled for Thursday was postponed after Jablonski's condition was reported.

"Most of the guys on [the hockey team] were an emotional wreck after hearing the news after practice, which is why the game was postponed," a source close to the team told the Pioneer Press. "They're not ready to play."