On Saturday, February 21, 2026, defenseman Jacob MacDonald played his first hockey game in over nine months after undergoing hip surgery over the summer. Even before the months of rehab, MacDonald’s journey has been a long and arduous one.

How It All Began

MacDonald played his NCAA career at Cornell University, leaving in 2015. He signed with the ECHL’s Elmira Jackals for the entire 2015–16 season. From 2016 through 2019, he was a bit of a journeyman, playing games with the Toledo Walleye (ECHL), Albany Devils (AHL), Binghamton Devils (AHL), and Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL). He also played two games with the Florida Panthers that year, scoring a goal on his very first shot in his very first game.

 

MacDonald became part of the Colorado Avalanche organization in 2019 and stayed for three and a half seasons. During that time, he amassed eighty-nine games with the Eagles and seventy-four with the Avs. On January 25, 2023, he and Martin Kaut were traded to the San Jose Sharks for Matt Nieto and Ryan Merkley. He spent the next season with San Jose before re-signing with the Avalanche on July 1, 2024.

Having not seen him since 2023, some Avalanche fans may not remember him, but Eagles’ fans never forgot. He’s too large a presence on the Eagles’ blue line to ignore. In his eighty-nine games with them from 2019 through 2023, he scored twenty-six goals and forty-one assists. Upon returning to the Eagles in 2024, he continued to prove his worth. That season, he scored thirty-one goals, breaking the 25-year-old AHL record for the most goals in a single season by a defenseman. He also had twenty-four assists and won the Eddie Shore Award as the AHL’s top defenseman.

A Career Interrupted and a Long-awaited Comeback

Then, after what was arguably the best season of his career, MacDonald had to have hip surgery in September 2025, sidelining him for the first six months of the 2025–26 season. But finally, last Saturday, MacDonald returned to the lineup against the Coachella Valley Firebirds (SEA). The roar of the crowd upon his announcement proved how much his absence had been felt. (The pregame audio on FloHockey isn’t great, but even that can’t disguise the crowd’s elation at having their star defenseman back.)

If MacDonald looked rusty after so many months away, it was only for the first period. Just 4:08 into the second, MacDonald proved he was still as good as ever when he scored a power play goal.

The Eagles went on to win that game 6–3.

Postgame Thoughts from MacDonald

After the game, Brennan Vogt talked to MacDonald about his long road back to the lineup.

“I didn’t get to skate for about three months. The first week of December, I got back onto the ice, and then just kind of built it up from there. I got to go with the team on the road at the end of January, which was awesome. Got to get into the routine a little bit. And then the last couple weeks, it’s just been team practices and getting back up to speed, mostly.”

When asked what he missed the most during his time away, his answer was simple:

“Just the camaraderie. Everybody says it after they retire: that you miss the guys in the locker room, the routine, getting dressed. Just shooting it with the guys.”

But MacDonald also said he’d received advice on missing extended time from somebody who would know better than anybody, Avalanche Captain Gabriel Landeskog.

“I got to talk to him for a while. Obviously, at [training] camp, guys are moving in different directions the entire time, so you don’t really get a lot of time. But I was able to sit and chat with him for a little bit, and that’s obviously super helpful. A guy who’s been through a lot, and it’s really nice to have a guy like that, who can give you advice on how to step back in.”

When asked how he was feeling after his first game back, MacDonald laughed.

“Kind of like I haven’t played a game in nine months. I’m tired, but it was a lot of fun. Super exciting, and obviously great to get the win, too.”

Postgame Thoughts from the Coach

From a coaching perspective, Head Coach Mark Letestu talked about his decision on where and how to use MacDonald in his first game back.

“[Assistant Coach] Derek [Army] probably threw about 15 different combinations at me this morning trying to find something that he liked and something that worked. So we moved a lot of guys around and debated it and kicked it around, and that’s what we settled on. There’s nothing more than just us honestly — throwing mud at the wall, giving them a different look, making sure the hands make sense. You have to have a face off guys, some shooters. So I was happy that worked out.”

But Coach Letestu said he didn’t necessarily have high expectations for MacDonald’s first game back.

“Six months of rehab that he goes through for hip surgery to get back on the ice is an accomplishment. The expectations for him scoring or contributing weren’t that high. I didn’t put that on him, but he’s a competitor. He wants to do good things. And of course, it’s a power play goal and gets us going. So I’m happy for him. The guys obviously gave him the puck and the hat after. They’re all proud of him for what he’s gone through.”

But Letestu implied that the real test would be MacDonald’s second game.

“If I’m being honest, this game is probably going to be the best one, because there’s so much adrenaline, there’s so much energy. You know, the building. The response to his intro. So you’re kind of playing on a little extra. I want to see how he feels tonight, [after he] comes down from it. And whether it be Tuesday or Wednesday when he plays again, just to see how much rust might be there, but we’ll see. He did really well tonight.”

In the end…

There was no need for the coach — or fans — to worry. MacDonald played his second game back on Wednesday, February 25, against the Bakersfield Condors (EDM). He had two assists that night, including the primary assist on this beauty of a power play goal by Jack Ahcan.

Now, more than halfway through the season, the Eagles sit just one point out of first place in the Pacific Division. They have high hopes of a deep playoff run. Brennan asked MacDonald what he’s hoping to do in the back half of this season. MacDonald is realistic, but like the rest of his team, he has his eyes on the ultimate prize — the Calder Cup Championship.

“There’s what, twenty-four games left? [I’m] not gonna be doing anything crazy in twenty-four games. So for me, it’s just keeping it simple and building my game into a well-polished product by the time playoffs roll around. So, today was a good step in that direction.”