The Kootenay Ice have a couple of players edging back to health on the eve of the WHL's second round.

Luke Paulsen was questionable for the first round as he continued to mend from a separated shoulder.

While that status remains for Games 1 and 2 in Saskatoon, head coach Kris Knoblauch said the defenceman is pretty much certain to play when the series shifts back to Cranbrook next Tuesday and Wednesday.

Drew Czerwonka is in the same boat: the forward was hurt in Game 3 against the Moose Jaw Warriors, but his upper body injury has cleared to the point he might play against the Blades Friday or Saturday, but is almost definite to get in next week.

Paulsen saw Dr. Alex Chan on Monday, and was told there is no risk of further damage to his shoulder. It comes down to his pain threshold.

"Hopefully I can be in for Games 1 and 2. I'm pretty excited about it," said the defenceman.

"I'm excited just to be back in full practice, really. We haven't been doing much, just pre-game skates and stuff lately. It will be good to get my feet going again, and hopefully I can get in some contacts if it's feeling well."

Paulsen is looking forward to taking a hit or two in training, given that playoff play is chock full of checks.

"I think if I get a good bump and it feels strong enough, it will tell me a lot, tell me if I'm ready or not," he said.

The sophomore is looking forward to starting a new batch of luck, since the stuff he's had in the latter half of the season has smelled pretty awful.

He suffered a concussion during the Jan. 15 outdoor game in Spokane. He returned Feb. 11, only to hurt his shoulder five games later.

He has been on the shelf since Feb. 22.

"I played all 36 in the first half, and then came back and played only 15 games after Christmas," he said. "It was a little bit of bad luck, both injuries. But we've had a strong year, the team has done really well and hopefully we can keep going."

Knoblauch said they will be cautious about inserting the players back into the rigours of playoff hockey.

"We don't want to ruin (them)," he said. "We feel that this is going to be a long series, and hopefully there are some more series."

REINFORCEMENT

It is not clear when Ice forward Brock Montgomery will return from a bout with mononucleosis, but Kootenay will get some temporary front-end relief when Sam Reinhart joins them for the weekend.

The 15-year-old has a bit of time off before his Vancouver North West Giants take a shot at the Major Midget national championships. The Telus Cup gets underway April 18 in St. John's, Newfoundland.

"The biggest thing is, for us, Saskatoon is a very physical, high-tempo team and it's pretty tough to play against a team like that shorthanded," said Knoblauch. "We definitely need the four lines and with Drew Czerwonka and Luke Paulsen being questionable, (Reinhart) allows us to have that full lineup."

The younger brother of Ice centre Max Reinhart, Sam had two goals in four games as an affiliate earlier last season.

He scored the winner in his WHL debut Oct. 19, almost a month before his 15th birthday.