The Rochester Amerks announced this morning that Buffalo Sabres prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen underwent successful hip surgery. This comes only a few days after the announcement of Zach Bogosian’s offseason hip surgery.
Luukkonen had a great season winning Gold for Finland in the U20 World Junior Championship and was excellent for the Sudbury Wolves. He’s up for the OHL goalie of the year award after leading the Wolves back to the playoffs.
The 2017 second-round pick did play one game with the Amerks this season and won making 32 saves. He’s going to begin his pro career next season, but it’ll likely be delayed now.
His injury is projected to take six months to recover and will make it tough for him to be ready when the season gets underway in October.
Hip surgery can be concerning for goaltenders, but remember Linus Ullmark underwent double hip surgery before beginning his pro career with the Sabres.