The Toronto Maple Leafs announced Wednesday that they have called up forward Jacob Quillan from the Toronto Marlies and placed forward Max Pacioretty on injured reserve, retroactive to January 18.

Pacioretty took a puck off the side of his helmet during Saturday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens. While he was able to finish the game, he was in severe discomfort in the immediate aftermath. Head coach Craig Berube originally listed Pacioretty as ‘day-to-day’ on Monday and he was already slated to miss his second straight game before being placed on IR.

After the morning skate on Wednesday, Berube provided an update on Pacioretty and the projected timeline for his return is unclear but is likely longer than his initial ‘day-to-day’ prognosis. This means there is a good chance he will not get back into the lineup until sometime in February.

This marks the second time Pacioretty has been placed on IR this season, as he previously went on IR for a lower-body injury he suffered against the Canadiens on November 9th. He ended up missing 10 games and nearly a month of action before returning in early December.

Pacioretty posted 12 points (five goals and seven assists) in 32 games played. He joined the Leafs on a PTO before inking a one-year contract prior to the start of the regular season.

It was unclear at this time if Quillan will get into the lineup for the game against the Blue Jackets, but it is nonetheless a nice reward for the 22-year-old who has had a decent rookie season in the AHL. He is currently tied for sixth on the Marlies in scoring with 15 points (six goals and nine assists) in 35 games played. While those are not flashy numbers at first glance, what Quillan has excelled at a lot has been on the defensive side of the puck.

“He is up here because he has played really well down there,” Berube said of Quillan via the Toronto Sun’s Terry Koshan. “He has been a very good player of late. If we need him, he is available for us. When guys do well, they get rewarded, they come up to the NHL.”

Quillan is coming off a productive weekend where he notched a shorthanded goal as well as a power play marker to go along with two assists in a pair of shutout victories over the Manitoba Moose. He is slowly starting to get comfortable with the pace of the pro game and the Leafs kept him around for quite a bit during training camp before being sent down to the AHL in the late stages. Don’t be surprised if Quillan gets another chance should the Leafs run into injury troubles down the line.

Our 15th-ranked prospect joined the organization in April on a two-year ELC after being considered among the most sought-after NCAA free agents.