Follow me on Twitter: @BenShelley_20 Follow HockeyBuzz Sharks Twitter: @HB_Sharks
This article will be another in my series of player profiles, where I’ll look at each player on the San Jose Sharks and assess how their season went. This article will focus on Joel Kellman.
Kellman was one of many forwards brought up by the Sharks this season, in the hopes that the team could replace some of their missing forward depth with prospects. In his first season in North America, Kellman started the year by playing 25 AHL games, where he scored four goals and 16 points with the Barracuda, before being called up and spending the remainder of the season in the NHL. With the Sharks, Kellman had three goals and seven points in 31 games, a pace of eight goals and 19 points per 82 games.
Kellman is in need of a new contract and the Sharks should be able to get a short-term deal done at a low cost. Realistically, Kellman was alright in a limited role in the bottom-six this year but I think we need a larger sample size before determining whether or not he’s a permanent fit. He’s likely to be back in the Sharks lineup next year and hopefully he’s able to solidify himself as being worthy of a permanent role in the NHL, potentially as San Jose’s fourth-line center. While he’s not going to add much offense and probably won’t ever be able to move very far up the lineup, he was quite decent in his time with the Sharks this season.
***NOTE: We've launched a HockeyBuzz Sharks Twitter account! For anyone interested, you can follow @HB_Sharks for updates on articles, Sharks news, etc. We're starting right from scratch, so any followers would be appreciated!***
Here’s today’s poll question (results and discussion will be posted in a future article):
Reviewing the season: Melker Karlsson Reviewing this week's polls (July 19): Sharks Edition Reviewing the season: Erik Karlsson Reviewing the season: Evander Kane Reviewing the season: Martin Jones Reviewing the season: Tomas Hertl Reviewing this week's polls (July 11): Sharks Edition Reviewing the season: Tim Heed Reviewing the season: Noah Gregor Reviewing the season: Dylan Gambrell