Charlie McAvoy stood out when he joined his Bruin teammates for a full practice as he did on Friday at Warrior Ice Arena. And it went beyond the red non-contact jersey and the bubble head gear that is protecting is repaired broken jaw.

Since taking a Noah Dobson slapper to the face in Montreal on November 15, McAvoy has been on a liquid diet, causing him to lose almost 20 pounds.

“I can tell on the ice, he looks like a skinny guy out there,” said coach Marco Sturm.

McAvoy said he suffered a linear fracture to the left side of his jaw, some displacement and he lost a lot of bottom teeth.

“I’ll save you the visual. Just take my word for it,” said McAvoy, speaking to reporters on Friday for the first time since suffering the injury.

For those watching, and for McAvoy, it was a no-doubter.

“I knew we were in trouble there,” said McAvoy. “I’ve never taken one before but you don’t take a slap shot to the jaw. I knew right away I was in trouble.”

Beyond the injury itself, his attempts to regain weight have not been pleasant.

“That’s the toughest part, just trying to get what you need without being able to eat solid food. I’ve lost a lot of weight but I’m working my way back,” said McAvoy.

“Soups have been my go-to. A lot of ice cream. Milk shakes and ice cream. It’s tough. I tried to give it a go, blending up solid food. It’s not enjoyable. I tried chicken and vegetable and that was just a non-starter. It’s terrible. Soups have really been my go-to and smoothies to try and get protein. Because food blended up is not meant to be eaten that way.”

He’s been skating for several days and the last two with the team. But his strength is not where it needs to be.

“I’ve got to get that back,” said McAvoy. “It’s definitely tough, with the lost weight. I feel weak and energy is tough to come by. I lost close to 20 pounds in the first week and a half. It’s a shock to your body and then trying to get it back now while getting out there and doing more than I’ve done in a while and trying to get energy high, we’re trying to play catch-up.”

Despite the non-contact jersey, McAvoy was a full participant in Friday’s practice, taking part in 5-on-5 and later 2-on-2 small area drills. And though there were no big hits delivered, he could still feel the damage left by the injury and its repair.

“You feel everything,” said McAvoy, shaking his head. “It vibrates a lot, like when you lean down and on shots and stuff. It’s a weird feeling. It’s been one of the weirdest injuries I’ve ever had. The feeling of having so much trauma in you mouth is just a wild feeling. But we’re doing everything we can to get back fast and I’m healing really good. Hopefully not too much longer.”

There is no official timeline for a return to game action. He can’t eat solid food for about three more weeks.

“We’ll see. There are steps that we have to cross,” said McAvoy. “Obviously getting weight on and feeling good is the biggest thing. You don’t want to be out there feeling like you’re going to pass out. So there’s that, there’s getting cleared by the doctor, there’s x-rays, there’s certain check marks that we have to get by before we can get back in a game.”

The year 2025 has not been kind to McAvoy. In the Four Nations tournament last February, he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury that was also accompanied by a scary infection that caused him to be rushed to the hospital. And now this.

He raved about the support he’s gotten from the team.

“For my family, the guys, the support of the staff and everybody, from the top down is in our corner and my corner and that just means the world to me, to allow me to focus on the things I need to focus on the things I need to focus and know that there is so much love and support for us in this building. You can’t describe it. It just means the world to us,” said McAvoy.

While his spirits have been buoyed by being able to be back with his teammates, the feeling has been mutual.

“I can’t say it enough. He’s such a big (player) for our team, on and off the ice,” said Sturm. “We miss him every day, just to have him around again, it puts a smile on everyone’s face, including us coaches. He’s one of the best defensemen in the league I think and to see him hurt like that hurt all of us. That’s why we can’t wait to have him back.”…

David Pastrnak got back on the ice for the first time since suffering what appeared to be a lower body injury in the B’s Thanksgiving Eve win on Long Island, skating and skills coach John McLean before the team practice. Sturm did not yet have a timeline for his return….

The B’s will try win back-to-back games since the end of their seven-game win back on November 8 and 11 when they take on the Jack Hughes-less New Jersey Devils on Saturday night at the Garden.