A familiar face could be making his season debut for the Vancouver Canucks in the coming days.
Forward Dakota Joshua, who has been sidelined following treatment for testicular cancer over the offseason, is officially day-to-day after skating in a non-contact jersey over the past few weeks. Joshua spoke to reporters for the first time since his diagnosis following today’s Canucks practice at UBC.
“I’m feeling good, I’m getting better every day,” said Joshua. “Obviously, it’s been a tough road to get back in the mix, but no, it’s going good. Just happy to be back out there and getting after with the guys. I feel better every day. It’s still hard to really pinpoint when that time will be, but more so just making those strides and getting every better every day is where I’m at.
“It’s really hard to put in words. Kind of something that you can’t really be prepared for. But the support from my family, friends, the fans, the organization as a whole, everybody’s been so nice and very caring, which I love to see, and made the tough time a lot easier… The initial part of it got very tough, but I’m feeling good today. And like I said, for the most part, it’s behind me. There are things that you got to look for moving forward, but getting past that, the beginning process was a tough part, but, yeah, it’s in the rearview now, and I’m doing well.”
Joshua shared that he underwent surgery in early September, and is looking forward to joining his teammates.
“That’s kind of how I’ve looked at it, people get surgery on anything, whether it’s an arm or a leg, like, the same kind of process, just getting your body back to full health. And obviously, like I said, you got to be at a high level to go out there and perform. So that’s, that’s what I’m aiming for.
“Yeah, it’s about jumping in when I can, not so much just seeing if I can get through the games. I want to go out there and I want to make stuff happen and be an impact and help this team win games. Not sure when that’ll be, but I’m getting close and better every day.”
Joshua also talked about the Canucks’ early season hiccups, and looks forward to helping be a part of the solution.
“It’s the start of the season, you got some new faces, everybody’s still trying to gel and get on the same page. So I think that’s pretty normal for any team to go through. I hope to have a big impact there and help form the identity of this team and be a part of winning hockey games.”
Joshua first opened up about his cancer diagnosis in the days leading up to training camp via a statement that read:
“This summer, I felt a lump on one of my testicles that doctors would later diagnose as testicular cancer. This news was obviously scary to hear, but thankfully, doctors were able to successfully remove the tumor. The last several weeks have been extremely challenging, and l’ve been fortunate to have the support of my family, friends, teammates, and doctors.
“Unfortunately, I will not be ready for the start of training camp as I continue to heal from surgery. I plan on returning to play as soon as possible this season, and I am working hard every day re-join my teammates.
“Although it was very difficult to face the reality of this specific type of cancer, getting checked by a doctor quickly was the best approach and I encourage men to get checked regularly for testicular cancer. As I continue with my recovery, I thank everyone in advance for respecting my privacy concerning this matter. The team will provide updates as appropriate.
In the meantime, I thank everyone for their support and understanding.”
The 4-2-3 Canucks travel to San Jose to take on the Sharks tomorrow night before completing their California road trip with games against the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively. They will then return home to face the Connor McDavid-less Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, November 9th.
Joshua signed a four-year contract extension with the Canucks this past offseason at an annual average value of $3.25 million.
