Brandon Sutter was knocked unconscious by a hit on Oct. 25.Brandon Sutter was knocked unconscious by a hit on Oct. 25. (ristopher Pasatieri/Getty Images)

The Carolina Hurricanes activated Brandon Sutter from the injured reserve list on Wednesday after the rookie forward missed eight games with a concussion.

Sutter, 19, was skating through the neutral zone when he was hit by Islanders forward Doug Weight on Oct. 25.

The shoulder-to-head hit knocked Sutter unconscious and landed him in hospital. Weight wasn't penalized on the play, and the league ruled the hit was legal, but the incident did renew debate in the NHL about blows to the head.

Sutter, who is the son of New Jersey Devils head coach Brent Sutter, was drafted 11th overall by Carolina in 2007. He has one goal and two assists in seven NHL games.

To make room for him on the roster, the Hurricanes sent centre Dwight Helminen to Albany of the American Hockey League.