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San Jose Sharks Reassign Jack Studnicka To AHL

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The San Jose Sharks have reassigned center Jack Studnicka to their AHL affiliate the San Jose Barracuda (CapFriendly). The 24-year-old dressed in nine games since joining San Jose but was unable to find the scoresheet during that time while playing over 11 minutes a night. Studnicka struggled at even strength as he spent the majority of his ice time buried in the defensive zone and registered a -6.

The Windsor, Ontario native originally started the year with the Vancouver Canucks and dressed in five games this season with the team scoring a single goal. He was traded by the Canucks on December 15th for Nick Cicek and a sixth-round pick in 2024 and has remained in the NHL since the move. Studnicka’s demotion will give him his first chance to play with the Barracuda and could be an opportunity for him to get back on track offensively. In nine games with the Abbotsford Canucks this season, Studnicka had a goal and six assists.

Since being drafted in the second round of the 2017 NHL entry draft, Studnicka has bounced between three different organizations and has struggled to score at the NHL level with just six goals and 10 assists in 99 career NHL games. However, at the AHL level he has been a very effective offensive contributor with 35 goals and 68 assists in 126 career AHL games.

Studnicka being sent down might just lead to an opportunity for Kevin Labanc to get back into the Sharks lineup as he has been a healthy scratch for the last four games. The Sharks could also call someone else back up as they look to break out of another ten-game losing streak.

Logan Couture Could Return On Sharks Road Trip

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  • Max Miller of The Hockey News is reporting that San Jose Sharks forward Logan Couture could return to the Sharks lineup during their upcoming road trip. Couture is traveling with the team on their five-game road trip and is hoping to get back into the lineup having missed the entire season to date. Couture has dealt with several setbacks during his recovery after suffering a lower-body injury. The Sharks were already thin up front coming into the season and Couture’s injury has further exposed a weak forward core. The Sharks have flirted with the idea of using Couture on the wing once he returns, but not much is known about where he will play once he does return.

Matt Benning Undergoes Hip Surgery, Out For Season

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The San Jose Sharks have announced that defenseman Matt Benning has undergone successful hip surgery and is expected to miss the rest of the 2023-24 season. Benning’s estimated recovery time is about five months, meaning he’s anticipated to be ready in time for the Sharks’ training camp later in 2024.

Benning had not played since December 3rd, and no firm indication of a return timeline was ever given out in that span. This is a difficult development for both the Sharks and Benning.  Seeing as Benning is under contract at $1.25MM through 2025-26, this injury does not pose a serious risk to Benning’s financial future, as he’s already secured a long-term deal as a free agent. That being said, this injury deals a blow to Benning’s personal goals for the 2023-24 campaign.

When healthy, Benning plays as the Sharks’ number-four defenseman, averaging 18:28 time-on-ice per game. He’s also a leading penalty killer for the club, averaging nearly three minutes of ice time short-handed per game.

In Benning’s absence, the Sharks have leaned more heavily on 23-year-old Ty Emberson, who they claimed off of waivers from the New York Rangers. He doesn’t offer the experience Benning does, but his play has begun to seriously improve in this most recent stretch of games, including in each of the team’s last three games, where Emberson has cleared 20 minutes of ice time with ease.

Kyle Burroughs Returns To Lineup For San Jose

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  • Having missed the team’s most recent game on New Year’s Eve, San Jose Sharks defenseman, Kyle Burroughs confirms he will be back in the lineup tonight as the Sharks take on the Detroit Red Wings (X Link). Going through a difficult season similar to the rest of his teammates, Burroughs has tallied four assists in 35 games this year, carrying a -22 rating into tonight’s action.

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Ty Emberson Activated Off IR

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  • With the injury to Gustafsson, the Winnipeg Jets recalled Jeffrey Viel from the Manitoba Moose of the AHL on an emergency loan (CapFriendly). Viel is in his first season with the Jets organization after spending the previous five years with the San Jose Sharks. The 26-year-old has yet to dress in an NHL game for Winnipeg but does have 49 career NHL games to his name with the Sharks. He’s posted three goals and two assists in his NHL career, all of which came in the 2021-22 season. Viel did not play against the Minnesota Wild last night and will likely serve as the Jets’ 13th forward during his recall.
  • The San Jose Sharks have activated Ty Emberson off the injured reserve as per Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News. The rookie defenseman has been out with a lower-body injury since December 1st and will be able to dress today when the Sharks take on the Colorado Avalanche. The 23-year-old has dressed in 16 games this season and has a goal and three assists while averaging 17:51 of ice time per game. The Eau Claire, Wisconsin native was acquired by San Jose from the New York Rangers via waivers before the start of the season and should give the Sharks a physical presence on the back end as he has averaged over two hits a game thus far this season.

San Jose Sharks Send Down Magnus Chrona

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  • Beat writer for the San Jose Sharks, Curtis Pashelka, reports that the team opted to send down goaltender Magnus Chrona to their AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda, opening up a spot on the 23-man roster. Chrona was able to make the first start of his NHL career only two nights ago against the Edmonton Oilers, having already made his NHL debut on November 4th. Unfortunately, in that start, the Denver University alumni let in four goals on 12 shots in the first period, and would not resume playing the rest of the game.

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What Your Team Is Thankful For: San Jose Sharks

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As the holiday season approaches, PHR will be taking a look at what teams are thankful for in 2023-24. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the San Jose Sharks.

Who are the Sharks thankful for?

Macklin Celebrini.

There isn’t a lot to be excited about from a San Jose Sharks team that kicked off their season with an 11-game losing streak, is currently on a seven-game losing streak, and has yet to win 10 games. But thankfully, there’s a fantastic consolation prize in the 2024 NHL Draft – San Jose local and star prospect Macklin Celebrini. Celebrini was born in Vancouver but played much of his youth hockey career in the Bay Area, before moving to Shattuck St. Mary’s. He’s since emerged as a superstar prospect, with 25 points through his first 15 games as an NCAA freshman. The fleet-footed centerman is also the leading scorer for Team Canada’s World Juniors roster, boasting six points in three games – double the scoring of anyone else on the roster. His trophy case is already full of accolades, including winning the awards for both USHL Rookie of the Year and USHL Most Valuable Player last season. Celebrini doesn’t project to be a generational prospect like Connor Bedard but he’s confidently in the “1B” tier below him, likely poised for immediate success in the NHL. There’s no better place for Celebrini to start his career than where it all began – or, that will at least be what Sharks fans hope for if their season continues to skid.

What are the Sharks thankful for?

Extra goaltending training.

The San Jose Sharks are averaging 35.7 shots-against this season – the third-most of any team over the last decade. That’s led to a dismal average of 4.08 goals-against this season but it’s also meant extra action for netminders Mackenzie Blackwood and Kaapo Kahkonen, providing a sort-of trial by fire for the Sharks’ starting goalie role. The duo has had very different results this year, with Blackwood recording a .884 save percentage in 23 appearances, while Kahkonen has set an even .900 save percentage in 17 games, catching up in appearances while Blackwood has been out with illness. Moneypuck’s goals-saved-above-expected per-60 stat (GSAx/60) paints a similar story, with Kahkonen’s 0.368 sandwiched between Igor Shesterkin and Jacob Markstrom at 13th in the league while Blackwood’s -0.312 ranks 32nd in the league. Letting up a bombardment of shots every single night is a terrible habit to have but the opportunity to see how a netminder faces such heavy pressure is a nice silver lining. Kahkonen is one of a daunting 17 Sharks set to become a free agent next summer, while Blackwood is signed through the end of the 2024-25 season, and how each player is able to take advantage of their chances through the rest of the season will undoubtedly weigh heavy into how San Jose handles their goalie contracts next off-season.

What would the Sharks be even more thankful for?

A confident win.

The Sharks are not only currently on a seven-game losing streak, but two of their last three wins have come in overtime, while the other win was a grueling 2-1 victory that saw its game-winning goal scored with just a few minutes left. It’s been a tedious stretch for the Sharks, forced to fight to the end of every game they play, unless they’re getting walloped on the scoreboard. There is no saying just how impactful a win could be, especially if the Sharks can find a way to really get over an opponent and win by a few goals. The team only has two wins of three goals or more this year and haven’t managed the feat since December 1st. With the holiday break passed and the All-Star break looming, now is a perfect time for San Jose to set their pace for the rest of the season – and which players are able to step up and assure that could make a tremendous impact on the team’s long-term plans.

What should be on the Sharks holiday wish list?

More draft stock.

The Sharks are unsurprisingly set to be sellers at the trade deadline, with options like Tomas Hertl and Anthony Duclair poised to receive plenty of interest from teams looking for a scoring boost. If they do get interest, draft capital needs to be the Sharks’ top priority. The team already has four picks in the top-two rounds of next year’s draft but a lot has been made about the strength of the 2025 and 2026 draft classes as well, and increasing their stock in each draft could go a long way in helping San Jose build out a team that can lift them out of their rebuild. They’ve had just three picks in the Top 10 since 2010, used to draft Timo Meier (2015), William Eklund (2021), and Will Smith (2023). That’s no way to bring in talent that can lead the top of a lineup, especially considering that one of those selections has already been traded away. After a season of immense struggles, San Jose will hope they can reverse this trend and bring in a few true difference makers over the next three drafts.

Mackenzie Blackwood Trending Towards Return Amid Multiple Injury Updates

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Sharks Activate Carpenter, Place Smith On IR

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  • The San Jose Sharks announced that forward Ryan Carpenter has been activated off of injured reserve. In a corresponding move, the team placed forward Givani Smith on injured reserve, retroactive to December 21st. Carpenter has missed the last 10 games with an undisclosed injury and has five points in 18 games so far this season playing as a defensive/penalty-killing specialist in San Jose. Smith 25, has played in 26 games this season and has logged three points and 33 penalty minutes.

West Notes: Gavrikov, Chrona, Girard

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The Los Angeles Kings have announced that defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov has been activated off of injured reserve. In addition, defenseman Jacob Moverare has been recalled from the Kings’ AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign. Gavrikov has not played since December 10th, and had been dealing with a lower-body injury.

Gavrikov has played a top-four role in Los Angeles, averaging just under 20 minutes of ice time per night with a regular penalty-killing role. He’s provided the Kings with decent value on the $5.875MM investment they made in him, and if he keeps it up he’ll be in a strong position to hit free agency at the end of 2024-25. Moverare, 25, has skated in 16 games at the AHL level so far this season and five in the NHL.

Some other notes from the Western Conference:

  • The San Jose Sharks have recalled netminder Magnus Chrona from their AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda. The move was made to give the Sharks an additional goaltender to cover for the fact that regular tandem netminder MacKenzie Blackwood is not feeling well. In a corresponding move, defenseman Jacob MacDonald was placed on injured reserve, which clears the roster spot to be used on Chrona. Chrona, a former NCAA National Champion at the University of Denver, has a .900 save percentage in 11 games in what has been his rookie pro campaign.
  • Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar told the media today (including Guerilla Sports’ Jesse Montano) that defenseman Samuel Girard will not play tonight, but also “hinted” that there is a chance he plays Friday against the St. Louis Blues. Girard returned to skating on December 21st, and is working his way back to game readiness after entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.

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