The QMJHL has come down hard on Moncton Wildcats left winger Ross Johnston for a two-handed swing against an opponent last weekend.
After suspending Johnston "until further notice" earlier this week, the league handed down a 15-game suspension on Thursday, which will see the 19-year-old miss the rest of the regular season for shattering Halifax Mooseheads defenceman Brian Lovell's jaw.
"The director of player safety took this decision after having viewed the videos of the incident, reviewed the medical report, spoken to the players and the organizations involved and after consulting the independent committee in the matter of disciplinary sanctions and his senior advisor," the league said in a statement.
After no penalty was called on the aforementioned play, the Mooseheads’ video staff sent a replay of the incident to the league.
Replays show Johnston’s stick get wedged between the boards before the incident. While attempting to free his stick, Johnston’s follow through causes the tip of his stick to catch Lovell across the face.
Whether the hit was intentional has been debated.
Much like it did for Johnston, the injury ended the season for Lovell, who later tweeted a photo of his blown up face to show the damage.
