The Toledo Walleye opened their 13th season with the first day of training camp on Monday without key forward T.J. Hensick.
The 36-year-old Hensick has played in three seasons for the Walleye and has served as the team's captain for the past two seasons.
The status of Hensick, who led the Walleye in scoring last season, is uncertain as the veteran contemplates retirement. Hensick has not signed and is not part of the team's training camp roster as Toledo prepares for its season opener on Oct. 22 at Wheeling.
“It’s really up to T.J. at this point,” Walleye coach Dan Watson said. “We’ve had honest and good conversations.”
Hensick has repeatedly said he absolutely enjoys playing for the Walleye and wants to help lead the team to its first Kelly Cup championship. However, Hensick also said he wants to spend more time with his family — including his 7-year-old son William, who is playing hockey.
Last season, Hensick proved he can still be one of the most dominant players in the ECHL.
The center tallied a team-high 78 points and also led the team in assists with 56. Hensick scored 22 goals en route to earning All-ECHL first-team honors. His 78 points ranked second overall in the ECHL, and he also finished second in assists.
Hensick also played with Walleye teammate and close friend Brandon Hawkins this summer in the 3ICE Hockey League. Hawkins, who is back with the team after tallying 35 goals and 64 points in 52 games, has urged his linemate to return to the team. Both players were among the top scorers in the 3ICE league.
Watson said he is not frustrated with the situation and is patiently awaiting Hensick's decision.
“It’s been an open line of communication all summer,” Watson said.
Hensick, who has played in 965 games in a 14-year professional career, had considered retirement after his first season in Toledo in 2018-19. He returned in 2019-20 before that season was ended early by the coronavirus pandemic. After the Walleye did not play in 2020-21, Hensick came back and played last season in Toledo and helped lead the team to the Kelly Cup Finals.
Hensick, a former University of Michigan standout, turned pro in 2007-08 and went to play in 112 games in the NHL with Colorado and St. Louis.
After playing in 653 career games in the American Hockey League, Hensick suited up for the Walleye for three seasons. The native of Howell, Mich., said he wanted to play in front of friends and family and to seek his first championship as a player to round out his career.
Hensick has played in 169 regular season games for the Walleye and has 192 points (55 goals and 137 assists). Last season he played in all 21 playoff games and finished with 28 points (10 G, 18 A). He had the second-most point total behind Hawkins (33) as the Walleye lost to Florida in the Kelly Cup Finals.
In 57 games in 2019-20, Hensick tallied 56 points with 16 goals and 40 assists. The Walleye appeared to be ready to make a deep playoff run when the ECHL season was canceled in March, 2020. That prompted Hensick to return last season for another run.
The Walleye have 13 forwards in camp, including seven who played for the team last season: Hawkins, Brett McKenzie, John Albert, Brett Boeing, Conlan Keenan, Sam Craggs, and Mitchell Heard. Lukas Craggs, Gordie Green, and Thomas Ebbing are in camp on signed contracts, and three other forwards have been invited to camp on tryout agreements: Jordan Martin, Mike Gillespie, and Sylvania native Joey Sofo.
Of the nine defensemen in camp, four played for the team last season: Gordi Myer, Cam Clarke, Ryan Lowney, and Cole Fraser. Former Walleye defenseman Simon Denis, who played for the team in 2016-17 and 2017-18, also is back. Kurt Gosselin and Tommy Parran are defensemen in camp that have signed contracts, while Doug Blaisdell and Artur Terchiyev are both on tryout agreements.
Goaltender Max Milosek, who played in 17 games for the Walleye last season, has returned. Rookie goalie Rylan Parenteau signed with the team this summer and is also in camp.
The Walleye open the preseason on Friday at Kalamazoo. Toledo then plays a second and final exhibition game at home on Saturday at 7 p.m. against the K-Wings.
Toledo opens the regular season with four straight road games. The season opener is on Oct. 22 at Wheeling. The home opener is Saturday, Nov. 5, versus Cincinnati.
First Published October 11, 2022, 9:10 p.m.
