Rob Hellyer Undergoes Knee Surgery

Rock Forward Expected To Miss 2017 Season

Oakville, ON – Toronto Rock forward Rob Hellyer underwent successful knee surgery on Monday to repair a torn ACL in his right knee suffered while playing for the Oakville Rock of Ontario’s Major Series Lacrosse in late June. The long road to recovery now begins as Hellyer is expected to miss the 2017 season.

The surgery was performed by Rock team physician Dr. Vikram Venkateswaran in Georgetown, Ontario and according to Hellyer, the procedure went well. The 24-year old Lion’s Head, Ontario native said there was some meniscus damage that was cut out. This will allow him to weight bear on the injured knee a lot sooner than if the damage was repaired by stitches.

As Hellyer recalls, there was nothing strange or unusual about the play when he injured the knee. “I just caught the ball, coming off the bench, it was a two-on-one… I went to shoot and when I planted my right leg I felt a pop and I knew something was seriously wrong right away.”

It won’t be long before Hellyer begins to rehab the injury as he plans on starting the process early next week with a follow-up visit to the doctor in mid-September. Make no mistake, the recovery process is a long one and with a 9-month timeline, the Rock does not anticipate having Hellyer with the team at any point during the 2017 season.

Hellyer led the Rock in scoring in 2016 with a career-best 45 goals, 68 assists and 113 points. His point total was the second highest in team history, with only Garrett Billings scoring more points at 114 in 2012. With the retirement of Josh Sanderson and the injury to Hellyer, there will definitely be some offensive holes to fill on the club in 2017.

“The loss of Robbie is devastating,” said Rock Owner, President and GM Jamie Dawick. “He is one of our leaders on the floor. We won’t be able to replace him but this will create opportunities for others. We’ve been through this before, we have gone through a lot of injuries in the past few seasons, but we’ll find a way. Robbie is still very young even though he’s played six seasons. He’ll be back and as good as new. We are in the process of finalizing a long-term contract extension with Robbie and he’ll be a part of the Rock for a long time.”

Toronto Rock season tickets are now on sale for as low as $195. For more information or to purchase season tickets, please call 416-596-3075 or visit torontorock.com.