San Jose Sharks: 6 prospects to look forward to in the near future
By Andrew Bet
With the playoffs out of the picture for the San Jose Sharks, the next wave of players from the Sharks’ development team is likely going to get opportunities.
The firing of Peter DeBoer did little to turn fortunes around for the San Jose Sharks. Despite a current two-game win streak, consistency remains an issue for any hope of the Sharks making a late playoff push.
Perhaps the final knockout punch came with Erik Karlsson missing the remainder of the year after blocking a shot with his thumb. San Jose is already without captain Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl, both going down with injuries.
Couture expects to be back soon, but Hertl is alongside Karlsson until training camp.
Under interim coach Bob Boughner, players from the San Jose Barracuda, the Sharks’ primary AHL affiliate, are getting call-ups in hopes of being mainstays in the lineup. Given the lack of forward depth on the roster, fielding a consistent lineup on a nightly basis is a challenge.
Roy Sommer, a longtime head coach for the Sharks’ top primary affiliate, serves as an assistant under Boughner after the coaching changes. Sommer is the winningest coach in the AHL and does provide better knowledge of players from the Barracuda ready for NHL action.
Amongst the younger players on the Sharks, defenseman Mario Ferraro has taken advantage of the open defense pairing after training camp opened. Ferraro cracked the opening night lineup and is undoubtedly going to be a long-term addition to the Sharks’ defensive core.
Down on the Barracuda, a different look is evident as the Sharks’ organization is overhauling the team by going young. The Barracuda is 15-25-3-2 on the campaign and worst in the AHL. Currently, the club is the youngest in the AHL, even younger than many college hockey teams.
San Jose Sharks: The silver lining behind the Erik Karlsson injury. light. Hot
On a positive, giving players top-six forward pairings and special teams can hopefully develop Barracuda players at a level to provide an immediate impact upon getting NHL action with the Sharks.
But the downside is the Sharks rank near the bottom in farm system rankings. The development seems to go stagnant for Sharks’ prospects entering the AHL and never reach the potential the organization expects after drafting players.
Here are a few players from the Barracuda who could be skating with the big club at some point.