Minnesota-Duluth Recruit Riley Tufte Breaks Wrist, out 6-8 Weeks

During the offseason, college hockey fans sit on pins and needles hoping nothing happened to their team’s prized recruits. Until these recruits make it to campus safe and sound anything can happen.

On Monday, University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs fans learned that their incoming freshman forward Riley Tufte had broken his wrist. Tufte suffered the injury during the 2016 USA Hockey National Junior Evaluation Camp in Plymouth, Michigan. The initial report on Tufte’s status is that he would be out 6-8 weeks.

Cuts at U.S. WJC camp today: Day, JD Greenway, Masonius, Anderson, Max Jones, Mittelstadt, Pitlick, Warren. Riley Tufte injured. #NJEC

— Chris Peters (@chrismpeters) August 2, 2016

Thankfully, Bulldogs fans can breathe a sigh of relief. It looks like Tufte will be ready to go for the season opener in October.

Tufte told Matt Wellens of the Duluth New Tribune that the break was a clean one and everything was in place and that he’s currently wearing a cast and as long as the bones don’t shift, he doesn’t think that he’ll need surgery. Tufte estimates that the injury should take about 6-8 weeks to heal. The good news is that he can work on his conditioning, to include skating, but can’t stick handle.

Last season, Tufte played with the Fargo Force of the USHL. In 27 games with the Force, Tufte scored 10 goals and 14 points, he was also a minus-five. The Dallas Stars selected Tufte in the first round (25th overall) of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.