Peter Mueller thought his concussion problems were over last September, only to suffer another one in his first game back in the Avalanche’s preseason.

He missed the entire regular season. Mueller is saying all the right things again, but with a noticeable uptick in his voice.

“I’m excited to be a hockey player again,” Mueller said Wednesday in his first public comments since last September. “Obviously, I’ve had concussions in the past and it’s something I have to deal with, but right now everything is in the right direction. Everything is pointing forward. I’m excited that it’s all behind me.”

Mueller, a left winger whose good health could be a major key to how successful the Avs are this coming season, has been skating regularly and will undergo physicals with the rest of the team Sept. 16. Assuming he passes, he’ll be on the ice with no restrictions the next day, the first of training camp.

Mueller believes a new one-piece helmet — made by Easton Sports called the S19 Z-Shock — will help him stay healthy. Despite weighing only 325 grams, Easton claims the helmet exceeds minimum safety regulations of NHL helmets by as much as 40 percent. He’ll also wear a new tinted visor designed to lower the potentially harmful effects bright lighting can have on concussion victims.

“Sometimes I feel like I’m in ‘Top Gun’ out there with the tinted visor, but it’s been great and a very comfortable helmet to wear,” said Mueller, 23, the eighth overall selection in the 2006 NHL draft by Phoenix.

Mueller posted nine goals and 20 points in his first 15 games with Colorado after being acquired from Phoenix in 2010 but suffered a season-ending concussion April 4 after a hit from San Jose’s Rob Blake. Mueller reported to training camp the next fall but was reinjured in the first preseason game against Los Angeles. He said he was struck by an errant stick in the left temple — the same area where the first concussion occurred.

After several months when the symptoms failed to subside, Mueller was referred to Dr. Robert Cantu, a Boston University professor of neurosurgery who is a leading authority in sports-related brain injury. In a recent interview, Cantu said that once a concussion has fully healed, patients are no more susceptible to reinjury than anyone else. Mueller said he became better educated about the brain and his condition, and is quick to credit the Avalanche and its fans for staying patient with him.

“I’ve really come to know how much heart is in this organization,” Mueller said. “They didn’t have to stick by me, but they did and the fans have really helped me get through it. The letters I got picked me up and will never be forgotten.”

Adrian Dater: 303-954-1360 or adater@denverpost.com