Canucks prospect Anthony Romani suffers unfortunate setback with injury

Last season was an insanely special one for Anthony Romani, as he set the OHL alight with the North Bay Battalion. He led the league with 58 goals and overall produced 111 points and a +43 rating in 68 games.

As a result, the Vancouver Canucks felt compelled to take Romani in the sixth round of the 2024 NHL entry draft, with the 162nd overall selection. Certainly it made for an intriguing pick, for a player whose main forte is creating offence off the rush with his aggressive approach to the game of hockey.

Many were predicting the 19-year-old to have a similar level of success in the OHL with the Battalion this season. In fact, as per Max Miller of The Hockey News, an OHL media poll predicted him to lead the league in scoring for the 2024-25 campaign, as he received 18.75 percent of the votes.

Significant injury to Romani

Unfortunately for everyone concerned with the young prospect, this is now extremely unlikely to happen. According to a report from Dave Hall of Canucks Army, Romani appears to have been dealt a significant setback.

As per Hall, the Pickering Ontario native has suffered a broken clavicle and will be out of the Battalion lineup indefinitely. The injury happened during Friday night's game versus the Erie Otters, when he was checked into the boards midway through the opening period.

While no specific timeline has been offered at the time of writing for how long Romani will be absent, all indications are that it will be an extended period of time. This is of course a big blow for the young player, who impressed massively during the 2024 Young Stars Classic in Penticton, BC, helping the Canucks go a perfect 3-0.

Late birthday could help Romani

While the forward wasn't off to the same blazing pace as a season ago, he still had two goals and five overall points through five games, before suffering his injury in the sixth contest against the Otters. For what it's worth, as noted by Hall, his July birthday means he is eligible to play one final season of junior-eligible hockey next year, pending how long his injury keeps him out for.

For his career with the Battalion, Romani has produced 189 points in 230 games including playoffs. Prior to his time in the OHL, he had 41 points in 32 games during the 2019-20 season with Toronto Jr. Canadiens U15 AAA.

The Canucks, the Battalion and of course the player himself hope he can make a full recovery from the injury and return to the form shown last season. Even as a sixth round draft pick, there is something to Romani which is worth keeping an eye on.

N.B. All statistics courtesy of Elite Prospects

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