Sharks Assign Tomas Hertl and Others to their AHL Affiliate

The San Jose Sharks announced Thursday that they have assigned Tomas Hertl, Barclay Goodrow, and Dylan DeMelo to the Worcester Sharks, their AHL affiliate. This move is likely to be a temporary reassignment that will span the NHL All-Star Break, which runs from Thursday to Monday. Many expect that at least Hertl and Goodrow will be present when the Sharks resume practice Tuesday morning.

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Hertl, 21, has 8 goals and 9 assists for 17 points while playing in all 48 games for San Jose this season. The temporary reassignment for the 6-foot-2, 210 pound former 1st round pick (17th overall in 2012) represents his first stint in Worcester. He spent the time after he was drafted and before his first NHL game in his home country of the Czech Republic playing for HC Slavia Praha. Hertl, along with fellow second year forward Matt Nieto, have both been mired in sophomore slumps over the course of the first half of the season. Both players, as well as the club, will look for their numbers to improve after the break.

This will also be Goodrow’s first trip to “The Woo,” after having spent all of his time with North Bay in the OHL after signing a contract with San Jose in early March of last year. Goodrow, also 21, started the year injured after posting a very impressive preseason. At 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, the rookie power forward has 2 goals and 5 assists for a total of 7 points in his first 31 games in teal.

DeMelo, called up on Tuesday after tallying 13 points (3 goals and 10 assists) in 38 games for Worcester, has yet to see live NHL action. 21 year old, DeMelo is a 6-foot-1, 195 pound defenseman, and was selected in the 6th round (179th overall) in the 2011 NHL Draft by San Jose.

One question undoubtedly in the minds of many, is why the Sharks chose to only send those three players down? Why weren’t players such as Matt Tennyson and Melker Karlsson, who are also currently on the San Jose roster, sent down along with them? While answers from the organization aren’t entirely forthcoming, one theory is that the club wanted to give their veterans a break but wanted their young guys to keep working.

Of course, that begs another question. Since San Jose chose to send Hertl down, ostensibly to keep him working, why would they not also send Nieto and Mirco Mueller to Worcester along with them? Some fans have been left wondering at the odd selection of players San Jose has chosen to assign to their AHL affiliate.

With all of the recent injuries to players such as Mueller, Tommy Wingels, Justin Braun and Mike Brown — along with other key players throughout the first half of the season — the Sharks have had to get creative to fill the holes in their roster. Players including Goodrow, DeMelo, Karlsson, Tennyson Chris Tierney, Freddie Hamilton, Troy Grosenick, Micheal Haley and Eriah Hayes have been called up to lend a hand filling those holes.

But if the rash of injuries continues, fans should expect to see a few more new faces like Travis Oleksuk, Daniil Tarasov, Bryan Lerg, Taylor Doherty, Konrad Abeltshauser and Taylor Fedun called up to help the cause. Fans should likely expect at least a few of these players to be up with the big club when operations resume on Tuesday.

Next Game: Thursday January 29th @ 7 p.m. vs. Anaheim

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Sharks Assign Tomas Hertl and Others to AHL Affiliate

By Erik West | Jan 24, 2015