The San Jose Sharks have announced that they have sent forward Daniil Gushchin down to their AHL affiliate San Jose Barracuda. This will be Gushchin’s second demotion to the minors in the month of April.
Drafted 76th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft, Gushchin did not make the jump to North America until the 2020-21 season, suiting up for the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL. In 46 games for the Lumberjacks, Guschin put up 32 goals and 32 assists, finishing fifth in all USHL scoring. Last season, he made the jump to the OHL, joining the Niagara IceDogs.
In 51 games for Niagara, he continued his torrid pace in North America, scoring 41 goals and 30 assists, good for 29th in league scoring. At the end of last season, Gushchin finally got his call-up to the Sharks organization, playing three games for the Barracuda.
This year, he has spent the majority of his season in the AHL, playing in 61 games for the Barracuda and putting up 17 goals and 20 assists. In his two separate call-ups, he has played in two games for the Sharks, scoring two points, one of which was his first goal in his first game against the Arizona Coyotes. Unfortunately, both the Sharks and the Barracuda are well outside playoff contention, meaning Gushchin will have to wait at least another season to play important games in late April.