According to an announcement from their AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda, the San Jose Sharks have signed forward Andrew Poturalski to a two-year, two-way contract. With several prospects hoping to make the jump to the AHL level this season, the Sharks organization has added one of the premier minor league scorers over the last several years.
Poturalski originally came to professional hockey with the Carolina Hurricanes as an undrafted free agent from the University of New Hampshire. Most of Poturalski’s career has been spent in the AHL as he’s collected only six games at the NHL level since the start of the 2016-17 NHL season. Now 30 years old, Poturalski’s trophy case already carries the 2021 and 2022 John B. Sollenberger Trophy as the AHL’s top scorer, the 2019 Jack A. Butterfield Trophy, and Calder Cup rings from the 2019 and 2022 AHL playoffs.
Outside of his most recent Calder Cup victory in 2022, Poturalski has also helped the Seattle Kraken’s AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, appear in back-to-back Calder Cup finals. There is quite a lot of work to be done with the Barracuda as the team has not qualified for the Calder Cup playoffs since the 2020-21 AHL season.
It will be difficult for AHL San Jose to find a more capable player, however, as Poturalski seems to win wherever he goes. Over the last three years, Poturalski has scored 54 goals and 194 points in 169 regular season games while scoring another 13 goals and 45 points in 47 postseason contests.
Great player. He’s like the Connor McDavid of the AHL, but with championships under his belt :)
Another one of those guys who just has such an interesting release. Loved watching him with the Firebirds and Kraken. Sad to see him go but more power to him.