Open ice hit in the WHL leaves player out cold.

Oh boy you hate to see this happen to such a young man, but at the end of the day this appears to have been a good, clean, hit.

A video published online by Cam Robinson of Elite Prospects has captured a moment in the Western Hockey League where 15 year old Matthew Savoie became the victim of a bone crunching hit. In the video you can see Savoie attempting to make a play in the offensive zone by cutting across the ice, only to be met with a devastating hit that I don't believe the young player ever saw coming his way. 

There has been some controversy surrounding the hit due to the fact that Savoie was knocked completely unconscious by the impact of the hit but I do feel that this has been a reaction to the result of the hit more so than a genuine or fair reaction to the hit itself. In the video you can clear see the player from the Brandon Wheat Kings has both of his hands way down, his elbows are clearly tucked, and he appears to drive through the body of Savoie in spite of the fact that Savoie clearly had his head down on the play. It is hard to see how this hit could have been delivered any better, although it is unfortunate that Savoie was injured on the play. 

The good news here is that according to Robinson, Savoie was able to regain consciousness following the hit but unsurprisingly that did put an end to his night. The young 15 year old had to be helped off of the ice following the blow and hopefully he is going to be sitting out the next couple of games as he takes the time to fully recover from what will almost certainly be some type of concussion. Savoie is a promising young prospect and many believe he has a high potential ceiling as a hockey player, however the fact that suffered an injury here, as well as the fact that it was a poor choice on his part that led him to being hit, may damage that perception a little.