Vegas Golden Knights center Tomas Hertl returned to practice today in a regular practice jersey.

The 31-year-old suffered an upper-body injury on Mar. 23 against the Tampa Bay Lightning after Emil Lilleberg pushed Hertl into the boards, causing HC Bruce Cassidy to call the play "senseless."

On Apr. 2 Hertl returned to practice in a non-contact jersey, slowly attempting to work back to full contact.

"I’m sure he wants to be around his teammates," Cassidy said following the practice on Apr. 2. "He’s been putting the work in. We weren’t sure how it was going to come along, but good to see him back out there."

Now eight days later, Hertl is a full participant and took line rushes in his usual spot as the second-line center, alongside Pavel Dorofeyev and Brandon Saad.

The Praha, CZE native has been enjoying a wonderful first full season with the Golden Knights, scoring 31 goals and 59 points in 70 games. His return will help the Golden Knights' power play and ease the recent loss of Jack Eichel, who was absent from the team's practice after being announced day-to-day with an upper-body injury. 

The Golden Knights are back in action tonight against the Seattle Kraken but Hertl's status for the fixture remains unknown.

Stay updated with the most interesting Golden Knights stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favourites on Google News to never miss a story.