CALGARY—As he works toward completing his physical rehab in Philadelphia and returning home to Airdrie, Humboldt Broncos defenceman Ryan Straschnitzki has at least one potential job opportunity when he returns home to Alberta.

The 19-year-old defenceman has been in discussions with the NHL’s Calgary Flames about possibly working with the club when he’s ready to do so.

“Yeah, I first chatted with them. Nothing specific yet, and no set role,” Straschnitzki said Thursday. “But to be able to do that, I think that would be awesome.”

His mom, Michelle Straschnitzki, said the same. She suspects it’s her son’s ability to read the ice as particular hockey plays develop that has the Flames’ staff interested in bringing him on board.

“I think that’s why he plays well on defence; he used to play forward, but his coaches (prior to the Broncos) moved him back to defence because of how he sees the play,” she said.

Straschnitzki is one of 13 surviving members of the Broncos junior-A hockey team, after his team’s bus collided with a semitruck on a Saskatchewan highway in early April. The crash killed 16 people.

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Injuries Straschnitzki sustained in the crash have paralyzed him from the chest down. He has been on a lengthy road to recovery, with stints in Saskatoon’s Royal University Hospital, Calgary’s Foothills Medical Centre and now Philadelphia’s Shriners Hospital.

Tuesday was his first time using the centre’s Therastride treadmill, which supports his body weight, as he used the help of physiotherapists to walk on the manual treadmill.

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“So far physio has been fantastic. I’ve definitely come a long way thanks to them. I’m projected to go home some time next week, but I’m not too sure on a timeline,” he said.

“I’m ready to come home ... see my friends and family and start this new life.”

ER Evan Radford is a reporter/photographer for StarMetro Calgary. Foow him on Twitter: @evanradford

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