San Jose Sharks: 6 prospects to look forward to in the near future
By Andrew Bet
3. Jeremy Roy
Similar to Hertl with the injuries he suffered in a young career, Jeremy Roy was perhaps a top prospect for the Sharks before two knee injuries in back-to-back seasons derailed his development. Evidence is seen with the defensemen currently on the Sharks (Ferraro, Simek, Middleton).
The 2015 NHL Draft featured a deep pool of promising players, including Roy, who the Sharks moved up to select him with the first pick of the second round.
His puck-moving skills a defenseman stood out amongst scouts and potentially could be quarterbacking the power play.
Roy could still develop and maybe be sent to another team in a trade for a fresh start as Merkley will likely drop him further down the depth chart. He is only 22 and could still work out for the Sharks if he can trend in the right direction defensively.
4. Sasha Chmelevski
From the promising group of forwards, Sasha Chmelevski and teammate Ivan Chekhovich were the two players likely to make the initial 2019-20 roster. Instead, Danil Yurtaykin and Lean Bergmann were the two surprises to come out of training camp.
Chmelevski was injured during training camp and got sent to the Barracuda before suffering another injury to miss a few games.
Through 32 games, he has 19 points in 32 games. Last season, he made an immediate impact on the Barracuda with four points and added two more points during the playoffs.
Most likely, Chmelevski will see time with the Sharks around March after the team is out of postseason contention. He will get an opportunity to prove his worth before getting a more extended look next season when training camp gets underway.