Daniil Tarasov Recalled by San Jose Sharks; Tyler Kennedy Out
By Erik West
The San Jose Sharks announced Thursday that they have recalled F Daniil Tarasov from the Worcester Sharks. Tyler Kennedy has also been listed as day-to-day. The Sharks also made the Worcester Sharks’ move to San Jose official with a press conference.
This move is likely to counteract the Kennedy injury; the fourth of this season. Kennedy will not be to missed, as the 28 year-old has only appeared in 18 games, so the Sharks are used to replacing him in the lineup. The 2004 fourth round pick (99th overall) of Pittsburgh has four goals and three assists in those 18 games this season. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound forward also has racked up eight PIMs and is a +5.
Tarasov, in 41 games in the AHL, has 10 goals and 15 assists along with 14 PIMs. This is the 23 year-old’s first call up to the big club. Many have been waiting for the Sharks to make this move, because the 6-foot, 195-pound Russian showed flashes of how good he can be throughout a solid preseason with San Jose.
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Tarasov was signed by San Jose after he had a 14 point (3g+11a) in a 17-game stint with the now folded, San Francisco Bulls. He was then sent to the AHL, where he finished the 2012-13 season with the Worcester Sharks. There, he tallied 14 goals and 14 assists for 28 points in 43 games. The following season, Tarasov would rack up 31 points (17g+14a), which ranked fourth on the team.
Prior to his time in the AHL and ECHL, he spent three seasons in the USHL, which is the highest junior hockey league in the United States and is the only league in the US considered “Tier 1.” He played two games for the Waterloo Blackhawks 2009-10, recording no points, but he was a +2. Sharks fans may recall that Joe Pavelski spent his USHL days in Waterloo as well.
Tarasov then spent the next two seasons with the Indiana Ice. In the first season, he played 57 games and totaled 75 points (37g+38a). In his second season in Indiana, he upped his point total to 88 points (47g+41a) in 60 games in the 2011-12 campaign.
Tarasov is a small forward but plays with a lot of energy and grit. He is a lot like the injured Kennedy but plays with a little bit more grittiness. Fans should look forward to seeing what he can contribute on the Sharks third or fourth line. Look for #71 in teal to stir the pot when he does see NHL ice for the first time.
Tarasov is the most similar prospect to Kennedy, so it makes sense why he got the call to replace him. The Sharks seem to be calling up a different player each time they need to. It is seeming as if they give them a chance, and then if they do well in their short time in San Jose, they stick with the team. It is a different strategy then the team has used in the past, as Freddie Hamilton, for example, was sent down and then called up six different times last season.
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