Being selected to compete in the Home Hardware CHL / NHL Top Prospects Game is an honor bestowed on just a handful of players throughout the WHL each year.  After all, the event is a huge stepping stone on the path to realizing their dream of being selected in the NHL Entry Draft.

Yet, for Seattle Thunderbirds’ forward Branden Troock, being selected to compete in the 2012 Home Hardware CHL / NHL Top Prospects game in Kelowna, B.C., means he’s finally overcome a much bigger stepping stone.

The product of Edmonton, AB, was always on the radar as one of the top prospects in Western Canada, cemented in the fact that the Thunderbirds used the 12^th overall pick in the 2009 WHL Bantam Draft to select the hulking power forward.

However, a serious neck injury ended up costing him his entire 16-year-old season last year, meaning his development on the ice was put on hold indefinitely. 

The mysterious injury brought many symptoms that mimicked those of a concussion, including debilitating headaches that often kept him bed-ridden and far from the rink.  After trying many different treatments, it was finally a visit to an acupuncture and Oriental medicine clinic that helped him turn a corner and find relief from his migraines.

Now free from the headaches and dizziness, Troock finally has his hockey career back on track and now finds himself readying to play in one of the most prestigious events in Junior hockey.

“It’s been a very long road,” said Troock, who is the 90^th-ranked North American skater in NHL Central Scouting’s Mid-Term rankings.  “To be here now is definitely a great feeling of accomplishment and a sense of sweet satisfaction.

“Since starting the acupuncture and cranial sacral massage therapy, I haven’t had any headaches,” he said.

Sitting on the sidelines for so long was difficult for Troock.  With the severity of his symptoms, he heard from many people that he might be best off hanging up the skates and finding a different career path.

Yet, his desire to get back on the ice and pursue his dream of a hockey career still dominated.  Throughout his recovery, Troock never let himself write off hockey as his No. 1 goal.

“I never thought I would have to quit hockey,” said Troock.  “I was told a couple of times that maybe I’d have to look for a new career, but I shot down those suggestions pretty quick.

“I know I want to be a hockey player, and that hockey was what I wanted to do for my career,” he said.

Though he missed an entire year of development at the WHL level, Troock still has the tools to be the dominating player he was when the T-Birds selected him in the WHL Bantam Draft.  With size, strength, speed, great hockey sense and a nose for the net, Troock has the make-up to be a prototypical power forward.

Though he is still working his way back into top form for the Thunderbirds, Troock’s skill set and potential has garnered plenty of attention in the scouting world.  Being chosen to take part in the Home Hardware CHL / NHL Top Prospects Game shows just how highly regarded Troock remains, despite his injury history.

Troock plans on making the most of his Top Prospects experience. 

“There are so many super-skilled and talented players here, so it’ll be fun playing alongside these guys,” he said.  “I just want to play my game, play the power forward role that I can, and play a physical style.

“If I can get a couple of goals or a couple of assists, that would be nice, too,” he added.