Saskatoon Blades defenseman Dalton Thrower will finally get an opportunity to rest.

The blueliner, logging upwards of 30 minutes a night in the wake of injuries to several teammates, now finds himself on the shelf after suffering an upper-body injury that will keep him out of the lineup for several weeks.

The five-foot-11, 190 pound rearguard was injured on a hit by Chicago Blackhawks prospect Mark McNeill Wednesday night. The league reviewed the hit and McNeill was given a checking-to-the-head penalty on the play.

Thrower, who has 18 goals and 34 points in 66 games played this season, was taken to the hospital for x-rays, which came back negative. The team is looking further into potential damage to Thrower’s rotator cuff.

He isn’t expected back until the start of the WHL playoffs.