Olentangy Liberty hockey defenseman Jack Hamilton to undergo season-ending surgery
Jack Hamilton, who helped lead the Olentangy Liberty hockey team to its first state championship a season ago, has seen his high school career come to an end.
The senior defenseman will have season-ending surgery on his left shoulder Jan. 5. His recovery is expected to take four to six months.
“It’s devastating, no doubt,” said coach Kevin Alexander, whose team is 6-3. “We had accepted the reality that we had to prepare, so we’ve been working for the last few weeks preparing without Jack, and if we were fortunate enough to get him back, we definitely had no problem finding a space for the best defenseman in the state. It’s devastating to get the final news.”
Hamilton first injured the shoulder during the state final March 12 against Hunting Valley University School, but returned to the game following treatment. The Patriots went on to win 6-2, finishing 39-1-1 and becoming the first central Ohio team to win the OHSAA hockey title.
Hamilton, who had 10 goals and 12 assists and was named second-team all-state, reinjured the shoulder during a preseason game Nov. 4. That limited his participation in practices, and he hadn’t appeared in a game this season.
After consultation with physicians, Hamilton opted for surgery.
“I had to weigh this year with the next few years,” he said. “I decided to stay in Columbus to play for Liberty and to try to go (for) back-to-back (state titles). Now, I’m not able to do that, but ultimately, we decided the next few years are more important and it’s best that I take care of the issue now as opposed to pushing it off.”
Following his recovery, Hamilton hopes to join a junior hockey league and eventually play collegiately.
He will spend the rest of this season as a volunteer assistant coach, providing guidance for the defensemen.
“I was named a captain, and even though I can’t do my part on the ice, I still have the responsibility of trying to make everybody around me better,” Hamilton said. “I’ve been acting as a coach and trying to help some of those younger defensemen that are trying to step into the bigger roles.”
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Olentangy Liberty hockey loses defenseman Jack Hamilton for season
