Canucks winger Dakota Joshua to miss camp after cancer surgery

Vancouver Canucks winger Dakota Joshua has announced he'll miss the start of training camp following surgery for testicular cancer.

Joshua said in a statement posted to social media by the team Tuesday that he felt a lump on one of his testicles this summer and later had surgery to successfully remove the tumour.

The 28-year-old from Dearborn, Mich., said he plans on returning to play "as soon as possible" and is "working hard every day" to rejoin his teammates.

Joshua said the last several weeks have been "extremely challenging" and encouraged men to get checked regularly for testicular cancer.

The six-foot-three, 206-pound forward had a career-high 18 goals and 14 assists in 63 games for the Canucks last season and signed a new four-year, $13-million US deal with Vancouver at the end of June.

The Canucks are set to open their training camp in Penticton, B.C., on Thursday.

WATCH | How a hockey fan spotted a cancerous mole: 

How a hockey fan helped a Canucks staffer spot a cancerous mole

3 years ago

Duration 3:49

Nadia Popovici, 22, who sat behind the Vancouver Canucks bench during their game against the Seattle Kraken, is being called a hero after alerting Brian 'Red' Hamilton to a cancerous mole on the back of his neck during the game.