A Habs prospect has refused to take the vaccine.

A difficult road ahead for this young NHL hopeful.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 2 years ago
A Habs prospect has refused to take the vaccine.
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The Montreal Canadiens have hit their first roadblock when it comes to the National Hockey League's vaccine mandate for the 2021 - 2022 season.

On Saturday the Habs faced off against the Ottawa Senators in a rookie scrimmage as part of training camp for both those organizations, and notably absent from the game was Canadiens prospect Jesse Ylonen. At the time no one was aware of why Ylonen was absent from the ice, but a report from French language newspaper La Presse on Sunday morning has shed some light on the story.

According to the publication, Jesse Ylonen has refused to take the vaccine and as a result has been unable to properly participate in training camp with his young teammates. Due to his vaccination status Ylonen was forced to undergo a 14 day quarantine prior to being able to participate, but it does appear as though he has completed that requirement and has been cleared to play as a result. The reason for keeping Ylonen off the ice was due to the team feeling he had not had enough time on the ice in camp, due to him being forced to quarantine upon his arrival.

Unfortunately for the Canadiens however this is likely only the start of their headaches when it comes to managing Ylonen's vaccination status this season, assuming that he continues to refuse the vaccine. While it is true that he is likely destined for another season in the American Hockey League, his status will still create major problems for the Laval Rocket, the Canadiens AHL affiliate team, when it comes to traveling, especially into the United States.

At the time of this writing we do not know why Ylonen has refused the vaccine, but it is important to note that he could very well have a legitimate reason for doing so. Medical and religious exemptions for the vaccine have become quite common, and we shouldn't rush to judgement here given that we simply don't know Ylonen's motivations in this situation.

Ylonen was Montreal's second round draft selection (35th overall) at the 2018 NHL Entry Draft and his only game at the NHL level thus far came last season, in the Habs final game of the regular season.

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