The Toledo Walleye received a huge jolt Tuesday with the long-awaited re-signing of veteran forward T.J. Hensick — one of the most prolific players in the franchise's history.
Hensick has played three seasons for the Walleye and served as the team's captain for two of them. The 37-year-old, who has averaged a point-per-game (1.14), had been contemplating retirement after helping lead Toledo to the Kelly Cup Finals last season.
“I'm excited to be back. It's a unique situation,” Hensick said. “I'm grateful for the relationships I've built here. It will be interesting. The loyal fans make it really special. In any other situation, this wouldn't even be a possibility. So I'm grateful for that. Hopefully, I'll live up to the expectations. I missed being around the rink and being around the games and the environment. I'm excited to join this team and hopefully finally bring home a championship.”
The native of Howell, Mich., ranks third in scoring in Walleye franchise history (192 points) in 169 regular season games for Toledo.
“The timing for himself is right and the timing for us is right,” Walleye coach Dan Watson said. “He's dialed in, and he's excited. We're all excited.”
Hensick's 55 goals rank eighth in team history, and his 137 assists are second.
Hensick, who has played in 112 games in the NHL, has consistently said how much he enjoys playing for the Walleye and wanted to help lead the team to its first Kelly Cup championship.
He joins a team that has had one of the most successful stretches in the organization's history. The Walleye (36-15-6) have won a franchise-high 13 straight games to move into first place in the Central Division.
“This team has found their groove and is rolling,” Hensick said. “It's great to see and I can help out anywhere, whether that's five minutes a night or 20 minutes a night or whether I'm in the press box. But you're going to face adversity and, when times are tough, I'll be here for the younger group. I'll be a presence in the locker room and push guys in practice.”
Hensick sat out most of the year to spend more time with his family — including his son, William, who is playing youth hockey.
Hensick called it the “perfect storm” to return at this point.
“Obviously, with it being so late in the year, I'm not here to take anyone's job or steal anyone's spot,” he said. “I'm just kind of an older, veteran guy in the locker room who will hopefully help this team win.”
The Walleye have played 57 games and have 15 games left in the regular season. Hensick needs to play in five regular-season games to qualify for a spot on the Walleye’s postseason roster.
“Hopefully, I can catch up quickly, rather than later,” Hensick said. “I've got to play some games down the stretch to make sure that it's even a possibility of me helping, whatever that role becomes.”
Hensick said he has been training over the past few months.
“It's tough to replicate skating. It's going to take a little time,” he said. “Hopefully, I can get somewhere near where I was the last couple of years. I don't know if that's realistic in such a short time, but hopefully, I’ll get back to a spot where I can help in any way.”
Hensick will start on the team's injured reserve list until he gets back into game shape. He was at the team's morning practice Tuesday.
“It will depend on how he feels and how comfortable he is [with conditioning],” Watson said.
Hensick could be in the lineup after the team returns home following a five-game road trip. The Walleye, who play at Wheeling on Wednesday morning, do not play at home until March 24.
Watson said Hensick will assume a bit of a different role — at least initially — and his signing will not disrupt the chemistry of the locker room.
“He's not coming in here to take someone's spot,” Watson said. “He will be an experienced guy in the room. He could be an extra player some nights. He wants to be a part of it any way he can.”
Last season, Hensick had 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.
Hensick, who has played in 965 games in a 14-year professional career, considered retirement after his first season in Toledo in 2018-19. He returned in 2019-20 before that season ended early because of the coronavirus pandemic. After the Walleye did not play in 2020-21, Hensick came back to Toledo last season.
He played in all 21 playoff games last season and had 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.
The signing coincides with the placement of forward Brett McKenzie on the injured reserve list. McKenzie suffered a lower-body injury in Sunday's 1-0 home win over Wheeling. He is expected to be out for a few weeks, but is not lost for the season.
In 57 games in 2019-20, Hensick had 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.
Hensick said he has been impressed with the team's turnaround after it had hovered around the .500 mark over the first three months.
“You don't win 13 straight games by fluke. It's a lot of hard work,” he said. “The two goalies are phenomenal. It's pretty impressive. Defense wins championships and you know what they've done over this 13-game period. They're scoring timely goals with guys like Hawk and Green that score almost every game. It's a great mixture of things to make sure you're winning. I'm not here to disrupt anything, I’m just that older guy and I'm good with whatever my role is.”
First Published March 7, 2023, 9:05 p.m.
