Ekblad: I had whiplash, not concussion after World Cup hit

Florida Panthers defensive stalwart Aaron Ekblad continued to practice Thursday after a neck injury forced him to miss the final two games of Team North America's run at the World Cup of Hockey.

Ekblad was cleared by team doctors Wednesday, and after initial concussion fears - which would have been his second since January - the 20-year-old cleared the air, calling the injury "whiplash."

"The way I was told, it was about blood flow," Ekblad told George Richards of the Miami Herald.

"When you get whiplash like that, there's restricted blood flow to the head and that causes systems because the blood doesn't drain out of head as fast. That's why you get symptoms without being a concussion."

Ekblad, widely considered Florida's most important player, signed an eight-year, $60-million contract in the offseason, and his clean bill of health is imperative to the Panthers' playoff aspirations this season.