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The Sharks rookies hit the ice for the first time today as a group and will do so again tomorrow in a pre-game skate before their match-up with the Anaheim Ducks rookies at Anaheim Ice. Here is the roster of Sharks Rookies attending the futures games.
FORWARDS (18)
Tyson Baillie Gabryel Boudreau Ryan Carpenter Rourke Chartier Chris Crane Anthony DiFruscia Petter Emanuelsson Nikolay Goldobin Barclay Goodrow Melker Karlsson Kevin Labanc Jeremy Langlois John McInnis Danny Moynihan Dylan Sadowy Alex Schoenborn Rylan Schwartz Chris Tierney
DEFENSE (9)
Julius Bergman Kyle Bigos Brendan Ellis Nick Jones Mirco Mueller Steven Trojanovic Alexis Vanier Dalton Yorke Gus Young
GOALTENDERS (2)
J.P. Anderson Troy Grosenick
While it’s highly unlikely that anyone other than Mirco Mueller has a shot to make the Sharks out of camp it will be a good experience for recently drafted Nikolay Goldobin before he heads back to Sarnia for the 2014-2015 season. The Sharks 1st round pick this year has the potential to be one of the great steals in the first round of the draft.
Even with his lack of contract all signs point toward the young Russian wanting to play the North American game. It helps that his agent is current Hall of Famer and 3x Stanley Cup Champion Igor Larionov. As usual in the age of the KHL there are always wonders and concerns about drafting young players from Russia, with the lure of playing at home and, potentially, for more money than in the NHL, but Goldobin’s interests seem to be in following the path of his agent to the world’s greatest hockey league.
Chris Tierney leads the short list of players who could see injury replacement time with the Sharks this year. Others include Barclay Goodrow, Rylan Schwartz and Chris Crane. For everyone else it’s most likely a learning experience and a chance to prove their worth to the organization. With the goaltending situation in San Jose being what it is with Niemi’s contract expiring I’m sure the goalies will get a good look, not only at rookie camp but when the main camp opens up in a week. The Sharks will need to assess their depth in goal and factor that in when they start to make decisions on the direction they will take in the near future.
It’s interesting to note that the smallest defender on the rookie roster is 6’1…, 195lbs, keeping with the theme for the Sharks blueline. Jason Demers is the smallest of the projected starting six for the Sharks and he stands at 6’1…, 195lbs as well.
Training camp, the rookie camp in particular, provides a quick look at what’s in the system under a controlled environment. Expectations aren’t high for the youngsters; it’s generally a talent gauge for 3-4 training camps from now when some of them might get a chance to make the NHL team. Most NHL rosters are unofficially complete before camps even open so it’s up to these kids to leave an impression that lasts until next year so the management and coaching staff can remember their names.
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