Earlier today, the Sharks officially loaned forward Michael Misa to Canada’s entry for the upcoming World Juniors. Not included in that announcement was defenseman Sam Dickinson, who is also eligible to participate. However, the team still hasn’t made a final decision on whether they will loan him out for the event, notes Sharks Hockey Digest’s Max Miller.
The 19-year-old has played fairly regularly this season, getting into 26 games though he was a scratch last night against Calgary. However, his minutes have been somewhat limited and sheltered as he’s averaging a little under 15 minutes per game of ice time. He would play a much bigger role on Canada’s back end, potentially as their number one defender. However, head coach David Warsofsky also noted that he doesn’t want Dickinson to potentially slip into some bad habits if he were to be loaned out so that’s something they’ll have to weigh over the next few days before making a final decision.
More from San Jose:
- Center Ty Dellandrea is listed as questionable for tomorrow’s game against Dallas due to an upper-body injury, relays Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now (Twitter link). The 25-year-old was injured while blocking a shot on Tuesday but managed to stay in the game. Dellandrea has already surpassed his production from last season (10 points compared to eight) in half the games played while also averaging just under three hits per game. A pending restricted free agent with an affordable $1.3MM AAV, Dellandrea could be an intriguing under-the-radar trade target should the Sharks decide to listen to offers.
- Center Adam Gaudette is good to go for Thursday’s contest after missing last night’s game with a lower-body injury, Peng mentions (Twitter link). The 29-year-old had a breakout year last season with Ottawa where he had 19 goals in 81 games, earning a two-year, $4MM deal for his efforts. Gaudette is scoring at a similar clip this season with seven goals through 29 games while averaging 12:01 per night, his highest ATOI since 2019-20.
Personally, I’d rather have Warsofsky coaching Team USA at the Olympics than Sullivan. Gets the most out of his players. And he has a World’s Gold Medal on his resume.