Sharks/Barracuda news for week ending 150905

Highlights: SAP Center hosting NBA preseason game with Sharks-themed bobblehead giveaway.  And a list of many of the promotions to happen for the 25th Anniversary season. Prospect Helewka considering options (WHL overage with possible trade, NHL, AHL). Prospect Lablanc has similar considerations (OHL OA, etc.). ESPN’s LeBrun argues for Thornton’s (future) induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame.  A cool look at off season training regimens. Barracuda Bytes weekly update.

SJ Sharks

SJ Mercury News

CSN Sharks

CBS Sacramento:

NHL.com

Hockey’s Future: Top 20 San Jose Sharks prospects embody hunger for success

ESPN

The Hockey News

USA Today

SJ Barracuda

Slam Hockey: NHL off-season training regimen not exactly how it appears

Puck Daddy: Hockey wives find ‘Hero’ as authors of children’s book
Wife of former Shark Matt Carkner and her sister write books

Spokesman-Review: Chiefs’ Helewka plays wait-and-see game

Barrie Examiner: Barrie looks to make another long run this season; 18 players returning
Lablanc could return to OHL as overager, or sign with Sharks.

Ottawa Sun: 67’s eager to start pre-season
Including Sharks rookie camp invitee G Liam Herbst

Kelowna Daily Courier: Rockets’ Chartier faces challenge of repeating last season’s success

Waterloo: USHL hockey: 29 to report to camp for Black Hawks
Including Sharks draftee Cukste (one of six imports at camp; team can have 3 on roster)

Saginaw/MLive

Sharks/Barracuda news for week ending 150829

Highlights: Sharks sign McLaren, announce hiring of Spott as assistant coach. Former Shark Garpenlov named assistant coach for Team Sweden, World Cup of Hockey. Former Shark Rissmiller named NJD development coach. AHL and Barracuda schedule releasing Thursday morning (10am PT). NBC Sports/PHT season preview. And a few other articles of interest.

(The Puck Daddy Sharks A-Z article was so filled with errata, I refuse to link it.)

SJ Sharks

SJ Mercury News

CSN Sharks

NBC Sports

SportsNet

Waterloo Record: Spott reunites with DeBoer with San Jose Sharks
Very nice feature article

SportsXchange: Sharks name ex-Leafs coach Steve Spott an assistant

USA Today: NHL Western Conference: Why your favorite team won’t win the Stanley Cup

IIHF: Gronberg to coach Sweden
Former Shark Johan Garpenlov named one of assistant coaches

New Jersey Devils: Patrick Rissmiller named development coach
Former Shark.  Congrats.

Halifax Mooseheads: SHARKS CAMP ON THE HORIZON FOR MEIER
Video

Puck Daddy/Yahoo Sports: Pacific Division: Still the worst in the NHL? (Trending Topics)

Toronto Star: Steve Spott using tough year with Leafs as learning experience

OHL: DeBoer and Spott reunited in San Jose

SJ Barracuda

Sharks news for week ending 150822

Highlights: digging out some camp TO names.  Martin Jones mask is complete. And a couple of PSAs with former Shark Curtis Brown and Sharkie. Barracuda sign two players.  Robinson looking forward to not being a road warrior for the first time in 46 years; and recovering from skin cancer scare. And the Sharks are asking their season ticket holders to select a new goal song.

A number of apparent camp invitees are listed on the Sharks NHL.com roster, including Stephen Harper (no, not the Canadian Prime Minister), Danny Federico, Cavan Fitzgerald, Liam Herbst and Rick Pinkston.  (Joey Ratelle was also rumored back in June he was an invitee, but is not on that list…. yet.) Update – Pinkston signed by Barracuda.

SJ Sharks

  • Safety Equipment
  • Making a smoothie

SJ Barracuda

SJ Mercury News

Montreal Gazette

New Britain Herald: NHL stars to play scrimage in Newington on Friday
Including the Sharks’ Ben Smith

TSN: Raffi Torres skating in pre-camp tournament
Along with other NHLers

The Summer Knows – Training Camp Preparation

Recapping off season ponderings (to date)

(The Summer Knows….)
Lets you see

The wonder of it all
And if you’ve learned
Your lesson well
There’s little more
For her to tell

The time for summer roster tweaks is coming to an end.  Training camp preparation in full swing. But nothing is in concrete – still pencil.

It’s less than a month until NHL training camp opens; just four weeks until rookie scrimmages between the Sharks and Ducks; and five and a half weeks until the first preseason game.  (Plus the work is nearing completion at Sharks Ice San Jose for the new AHL Barracuda locker room, with direct access to the East Rink, which will be the AHLers main practice rink.  Construction disruptions adding to the work for the equipment managers as they get their season equipment orders arriving, and organized.)

New coaches at the top: The Sharks have hired a couple of assistant coaches (Boughner, Hedburg) to help DeBoer out, with another rumored assistant coach to come. Status quo on the Barracuda coaching staff (Summer, Mougenel) for the coming season.  The new NHL coaching staff means that there will be a new playing system. DeBoer has emphasized “puck possession” when describing his system.  (Sounds like more of a refinement of McLellan’s system, rather than a total new playing style.)

As of August 14, the Sharks have 40+2 under contract (max 50+CHL 18/19 year olds), and the Barracuda have 2 signed contracts.

So there is room for a handful of contracts to be signed or acquired in trade/waivers to fill out the depth chart (or even sign some CHL prospects via camp try outs). (But, given the current estimated NHL roster below, there is not sufficient cap space to sign nor acquire via trade a “big” name, unless there is cap $$ going back. I am of the opinion that the season opening NHL roster members will come from those already in the organization, rather than expecting some new faces to emerge as try out players, or waiver/trade acquisitions.)

The Sharks organization has apparently (no formal announcement, yet, but it’s been as late as mid October for such) continued the ECHL affiliation with the Allen Americans (who have a goalie, three defensemen and one forward signed as of 8/14), so some depth/injury replacement may be coming from there (and/or extra signees assigned).  (Note, that only players on ELS contracts can be assigned to ECHL without their permission.)  NHL and ECHL teams have roster limits; the AHL does not; so “extra” bodies might be “stashed” in the AHL if healthy (but the Sharks organization usually attempts to run lean, filling in with AHL PTO call ups for injuries).  There is usually an agreement between NHL and ECHL affiliates as to the number and position of players the former will provide the latter (as well as help scout players for the organization); these ECHL players are often invited to NHL camp (and sometimes AHL camp).  My observation based on previous seasons is that the Sharks organization will provide one goalie, 1-3 D, and 3-6 F.

NHL Depth Chart guessitmate (23-man roster):

Goalie: Jones, Stalock

Defense: Vlasic-Braun, Burns-Martin, Dillon (and two of DeMelo, Mueller, Tennyson)

Forwards: Pavelski-Thornton-Karlsson; Marleau-Couture-Hertl; Nieto-Wingels-Ward; x-Tierney-Smith; (and three of Brown, Torres; Goldobin, Goodrow, Jevpalovs)

AHL/ECHL roster guesstimate: (~25 healthy bodies)

Goalie: Grosenick, Dell, Rumpel

Defense: Bergman, Cundari, McNally, Ryan, Stollery, Young (and one of DeMelo, Mueller, Tennyson); plus 1-2 more for AHL roster

Forwards: Carpenter, Crane, Donskoi, Emmanuelsson, Haley, Langlois, Lerg, McCarthy, Parkes (and two of Brown, Torres; Goldobin, Goodrow, Jevpalovs); plus 2-3 more for AHL roster

Rumored (from late June) invitees to Sharks Rookie camp include: Cavan Fitzgerald, Joey Ratelle

It looks like there will be some fierce competition for the last 3-4 forward and 2 defense NHL roster spots.  A number of players with NHL experience may be out played by the younger kids, and find themselves in the AHL or another organization.

Meier and Chartier, the two most likely NHL-ready draftees, are going to spend most of training camp with the NHL team, but will probably return to their respective CHL teams to play for the season.  Six other CHL draftees will be trying to make their mark starting with the rookie camp, and hoping to stay longer (and/or get a signed contract).

October is coming, and we’ll see the players challenging on the ice to put a roster together, naming a new NHL captain before the puck drops October 7.  Stay tuned to the weekly news or twitter for signing updates.

Sharks news for week ending 150815

Highlights: NHL.com Sharks preview. Sharks preseason tickets on sale. Who is the Sharks most important player? Barracuda (and AHL) schedule coming out in about two weeks. Meier preparing for season at Halifax camp. ESPN’s Buccigross updates the Sharks “Mt Rushmore”.

NHL: San Jose Sharks Day

Sports Illustrated: NHL’s worst gut-punch losses: Sharks, Hurricanes and Wild
One more time, the Sharks crazy loss against the Kings 16 months ago

SJ Sharks

ESPN

SJ Barracuda: 8/12 Barracuda Bytes

Fox Sports: Coming season could be a defining one for Sharks’ Nieto

Metronews.ca: Halifax Mooseheads or San Jose Sharks, Timo Meier ready to give it his ‘best’

Sportsnet.ca: Off season rankings
Based on off season moves. Sharks at #10

Too Many Men on the Site: Ranking the Pacific Division (Sharks)

NBC/PHT: What went wrong: 2014-15 San Jose Sharks

Sharks news for week ending 150808

Highlights: Dell signed (officially). Sharks Fest (with rookie games) announced for 9/12.

Sharks re-sign G Aaron Dell to one year deal
CSN Sharks
| NBC

NWHL: Former NHL Forward Chad Wiseman to Coach Riveters

CSN Sharks: Sharks mailbag: Do Ward, Martin improve culture?

SJ Sharks: Video of Martin Jones’ mask being painted

SJ Barracuda: 8/5 Barracuda Bytes

CP: Canada’s next generation of world junior stars taking nothing for granted

Along the Boards: Can Peter DeBoer bring a Stanley Cup to San Jose?

SJ Sharks: Sharks Host Pair of Rookie Games vs. Ducks Sept. 12 & 13
And Shark Fest

Appears as the Sharks three pre-season games against the Canucks will be televised (and likely on NHL Network in US).

CSN Washington: Sharks preview

Stouffville Sun Times: NHLers past, present skating in Hockey Night in Stouffville
Including Chris Tierney and Sharks alum Bernie Nicholls. Event is 8/20.