Cracknell quickly finds form

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Adam Cracknell appeared poised to have a big season for the Wranglers before a broken left ankle sidelined him for 41 games.

The rugged right wing suffered the injury Nov. 29 at Idaho, where Las Vegas suffered its first loss in 19 games on Monday night in Game 2 of the ECHL’s National Conference semifinals.

Game 3 of the best-of-7 series, which is tied 1-1, is at 7:05 p.m. today at the Orleans Arena, where the Wranglers have won 11 straight games.

The 6-foot-2-inch, 210-pound Cracknell was the second-leading scorer in the Western Hockey League last season, with 93 points in 72 games for the Kootenay Ice, and he finished the year in the American Hockey League with three points in six games for Omaha.

Cracknell scored a goal in a preseason game for the Calgary Flames — who have him under contract — and tallied 11 points in his first 17 games for the Wranglers before getting checked into the penalty-box door in Idaho and getting his foot caught in it.

“Doctors said there was a good chance I’d be out for the year, depending how the surgery went,” the 21-year-old Cracknell said. “I was just waiting and hoping it was getting better. It was really mentally tough, because I had never had an injury like that to deal with.

“I just tried to stay positive and I tried to stay in shape and hoped to come back as early as possible.”

Cracknell rehabilitated the injury with team trainer Chris Testino and started skating in late February.

After missing more than three months, Cracknell finally returned to the lineup March 9 in a home game against Texas.

“It was really exciting,” he said. “I tried to come back where I left off and tried not to think about the injury, and get back to what I was doing before.”

Las Vegas lost in Cracknell’s first game back, but then went on an ECHL-record 18-game winning streak.

Cracknell scored 11 points in the last 14 regular-season games and four in six playoff contests.

“He’s come back very well and played some good hockey for us. He salvaged his season,” Wranglers coach Glen Gulutzan said. “He worked hard and looked after himself, so the injury is not something that will be bothering him long term. It’s good he did that, because he’s got a good future ahead of him in this game.”

Gulutzan said Cracknell has some NHL-ready skills.

“He can score goals, and he’s got an NHL-level shot, that’s for sure. He can really shoot the puck,” Gulutzan said. “He’s strong on the puck, and he’s a big guy who can bang bodies, but to get to the next level he has to work on the finer points of the game, like his skating. He’s definitely a prospect for Calgary to play in the NHL.

“He’s young, so he can learn here and gain confidence, and next year be a contributing member of Omaha.”

Cracknell said he’s still not quite full strength.

“It hurts every so often, and I have little pains here and there, but other than that, I’m ready,” he said. “I’m like 85 to 90 percent. I can skate and run and everything, but the ankle itself doesn’t feel 100 percent yet. I don’t think it ever will be, but it’s good enough to play. I don’t even notice.

“I got enough games in before the playoffs that I feel like I haven’t missed any games at all this year. I feel like part of the team again, and we’ve got a chance to go a long way with the team we have.”

Gulutzan said Cracknell appears to be all the way back to him.

“He’s back to 100 percent now,” he said. “He’s been strong for us. For a first-year guy, he’s played in every playoff game, and that’s pretty big.”

Cracknell said he was thrilled to score a goal against the Vancouver Canucks in an exhibition game this season, but it wasn’t enough.

“I always dreamed of playing in the NHL, and it was a really good experience just to play in a game like that,” Cracknell said. “It was cool, but I definitely want more. It would be nice to play in the regular season.”