Enforcer James McEwan, whose recovery from off-season surgery has prevented him from practicing with the Reign, is returning to Ontario this weekend.

In a telephone interview from British Columbia, McEwan said Thursday that he has been cleared to resume practicing and expects to rejoin the team after its two-game road trip to Utah this weekend.

“I’m in awesome shape,” McEwan said. “It’s just a matter of getting back, getting the systems down.”

McEwan had surgery in June to insert a tendon into his wrist, an unforeseen aftereffect of a broken thumb sustained in a fight last December. The initial timetable for McEwan’s return was October. Even though it took a bit longer, McEwan said there were no unexpected setbacks in his recovery.

“I just wanted a little extra time because I wasn’t able to train as much as I wanted in the summer,” he said.

Nor is McEwan worried about his ability to fight coming off a hand injury.

“I’ll be ready,” he said.

Prior to the injury, the 23-year-old forward had two goals and 80 penalty minutes in 27 games for the Reign. In 2008-09, McEwan collected 227 penalty minutes for the Phoenix Roadrunners, third-most in the ECHL.