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Gannon Laroque Signs AHL ATO

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The San Jose Sharks officially assigned Daniil Gushchin to the AHL today, but he won’t be heading there alone. The team has signed another CHL draft pick, inking Gannon Laroque to an amateur tryout contract.

Laroque, 18, was one of the most improved players in the WHL this season, going from depth defenseman to star puck-mover seemingly overnight. The 2021 fourth-round pick ended up with 52 points in 63 games, after previously recording just seven points at the WHL level. Now, with the Victoria Royals finishing outside the playoff picture, the 6’2″ defenseman will get a chance to test himself at the professional level.

Notably, Laroque was among the youngest players available last draft, as he won’t turn 19 until August. That means he’s not eligible to play in the AHL next year, and he’ll have to go back to the WHL to continue his development. After finishing this season tenth among all WHL defensemen in scoring, he’ll be an incredibly interesting prospect to watch next season, especially if he is moved to a better team or Victoria takes a step forward.

On that note, there’s a chance the Royals fortunes could change dramatically in the next few days. On Thursday, the WHL draft lottery will be held, where Victoria has four of 21 balls which would move them up to first overall. Teams can only move up a maximum of two spots, meaning they will be picking high either way after finishing third-worst this season.

For now, Laroque will get a chance to join the Barracuda, but unfortunately, it won’t be a very long stay. The team has just three games left (including tonight) and will not be qualifying for the postseason.

San Jose Sharks Sign Strauss Mann

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The San Jose Sharks have landed a very interesting goaltender, inking Strauss Mann to a one-year contract. Mann recently became an unrestricted free agent when he left Skelleftea AIK of the SHL. No details on the contract were released. Shin Larsson, Sharks’ supervisor of European scouting, released a statement on his newest find:

Strauss is a quick athletic goalie with history of leadership and success exemplified by being named the first goalie Captain at University of Michigan in 78 years. He followed his successful collegiate career with a strong season for Skelleftea in the SHL and represented Team USA at the most recent Olympics. We look forward to adding a quality goaltender and person to our organization.

Mann, 23, posted a .914 save percentage in the SHL this season, appearing in 22 games for Skelleftea after leaving Michigan. He also managed to suit up for the U.S. at the Olympics, and now enters the North American professional ranks as a legitimate NHL prospect. Undrafted out of the USHL, Mann developed into a dominating presence for the Wolverines, posting a .926 save percentage over 77 starts and earning the captain’s “C” in his junior year.

While he doesn’t fit the prototypical NHL goaltending frame, standing just 6’0″, Mann’s excellent quickness and ability to read the play have resulted in strong results everywhere he has been so far. In fact, before signing in the SHL, he was ranked third by Corey Pronman of The Athletic among undrafted free agent players from college and Europe, with the scribe noting he projects as a No. 2 or 3 option for an NHL club. If that’s what the Sharks have landed with nothing more than an entry-level contract, it will be a big win for the organization.

Of course, in San Jose there is certainly no shortage of NHL options for next season. James Reimer and Adin Hill are both under contract through 2021-22 at more than $2.1MM each, and Kaapo Kahkonen was acquired at the trade deadline as a potential future starter. The hope, it seems, is that Mann will be able to fill one of those higher roles when Reimer and Hill both become unrestricted free agents in the summer of 2023–when the former will be 35 years old.

Updates On Thomas Bordeleau, Jaycob Megna

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It has been a season to forget for the San Jose Sharks, but as their campaign winds down their fanbase may be treated to a night to remember. One of the team’s top prospects, Thomas Bordeleau, is set to make his NHL debut tonight in the team’s contest against the Minnesota Wild. According to coach Bob Boughner, Bordeleau will center a line with Rudolfs Balcers and Noah Gregor for his debut game.

Bordeleau, 20, has been one of San Jose’s most talented prospects since he was drafted 38th overall in 2020. As a freshman at the University of Michigan Bordeleau posted 30 points in 24 games, and this season he had 37 points in 37 games on a stacked Wolverines squad. Bordeleau’s professional career has gotten off to a decent start, with three points in two AHL games, and with the Sharks’ offensive issues in recent games Sharks fans have to hope that Bordeleau’s debut can add a spark to their team.

  • In another update for the Sharks, defenseman Jaycob Megna will be out for the game against the Wild (and perhaps even longer) after taking a puck to the head in the Sharks’ game against the Stars last night, The Athletic’s Corey Masisiak relays. Megna, 29, has been an NHL-AHL tweener for most of his nine-year professional career, although he has set a career-high in games played this season, getting into 37 ties for the Sharks.

Danil Gushchin Assigned To AHL

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With the OHL regular season coming to an end today, several players signed to entry-level contracts will soon be joining their AHL affiliates to get a taste of professional hockey. Because the Niagara IceDogs failed to qualify for the postseason, that exodus has begun with Danil Gushchin, assigned today to the San Jose Barracuda.

Gushchin, 20, was selected in the third round of the 2020 draft by the San Jose Sharks, picked out of the USHL where he was playing with the Muskegon Lumberjacks. The Russian-born forward moved to the OHL this season to play for Niagara, where he exploded onto the scene with 41 goals in just 51 games. That tied him for tenth in the entire league, despite the IceDogs having a brutal season overall. In fact, the next closest player to Gushchin in terms of goal scoring in Niagara was Liam Van Loon, who had just 19 tallies.

A Hlinka-Gretzky gold medal winner, a USHL All-Star, and now a standout in the OHL, Gushchin has never really shown any signs of slowing his development. He’ll now face the biggest test of his hockey career, transitioning to professional hockey. Unfortunately, the Barracuda only have a handful of games left themselves, as they will miss the playoffs after a tough season. He’ll have to wait until 2022-23 to really get a full slate of game action.

Sharks Sign Thomas Bordeleau

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Earlier this week, San Jose signed center Thomas Bordeleau to an AHL tryout agreement, allowing them to get his start in the pros with the Barracuda.  He made quite the impression over his first two games as the Sharks announced that they’ve converted Bordeleau to a three-year, entry-level contract.  Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.  Interim GM Joe Will released the following statement:

Thomas is a skilled playmaker with a high hockey IQ at both ends of the ice. He consistently shows up in high-level competition and has a history of playing his best in crucial moments.

The 20-year-old was a second-round pick of the Sharks (38th overall) back in 2020 and he certainly impressed in his two seasons at Michigan.  This year, he played in 37 games for the Wolverines, finishing tied for fourth on the team in scoring with 12 goals and 25 assists.  Bordeleau played an important role as Michigan made it to the Frozen Four before falling to Denver, the eventual champion.

The timing of this deal is a little intriguing in that had Bordeleau stayed on his AHL tryout for the rest of the year and then signed his entry-level contract, San Jose would have had him for three years under entry-level restrictions.  Instead, by converting him now (he’s on his way to Minnesota to meet up with the team tomorrow), he’ll burn the first year now but won’t accrue a season of service time towards UFA eligibility.  San Jose is certainly battling injury issues – they’re expected to dress just 16 skaters tonight against Dallas, per Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News (Twitter link) – so Bordeleau should have a chance to see a lot of playing time over the final two weeks of the season.

Approximating Kaapo Kahkonen's Next Contract

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The Sharks have a couple of decisions to make with their goaltending over the offseason.  The first is deciding who of their three netminders will move and the second is how much to pay Kaapo Kahkonen (unless he’s the one they move which is an unlikely scenario).  Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now provided an overview of what Kahkonen’s market could look like this summer.  As a restricted free agent with arbitration eligibility, the 25-year-old is heading for a raise but with just 60 career NHL appearances under his belt, he won’t have a lot of leverage heading into talks.  Accordingly, Kahkonen seems likely to slot in a tier or two below the top backups which would put him in the low-$2MM to $3MM range, depending on how long the deal is.  Moving one of James Reimer or Adin Hill would free up the bulk of the cap room to give Kakhonen that type of deal.

San Jose Sharks Sign Max Veronneau

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The San Jose Sharks have signed Max Veronneau to a one-year contract, bringing him back to North America after two seasons overseas. The financial details were not released by the team but Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group reports that the two-way deal has an NHL salary of $750K. PuckPedia provides even more details, confirming that the deal is for 2022-23 and includes a minor league guarantee of $400K.

Shin Larsson, the Sharks supervisor of European scouting, released a statement on the deal:

Max had a great season this year in Europe, leading the Swedish Hockey League in goals and being named the SHL’s Most Valuable Player. He has produced at every level offensively and previously was an ECAC Champion with Princeton. We look forward to him joining our organization.

Veronneau, 26, certainly did have a great season in the SHL. In 51 games he scored 34 goals and 60 points, showing just why he was so coveted out of Princeton University in 2019. At that time, he was one of the top undrafted free agent targets for several NHL teams and ended up signing a two-year entry-level contract with the Ottawa Senators. After two frustratingly inconsistent years, which included a trade to the Toronto Maple Leafs just weeks before professional sports shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Veronneau was left unqualified and became an unrestricted free agent once again.

After spending last season with Oskarshamn IK in the SHL, this year he moved to Leksands where he dominated the league in almost every offensive category. His return represents an interesting lottery ticket for the Sharks, and at the very worst a strong contributor for the San Jose Barracuda.

Brendan Brisson, Thomas Bordeleau Sign AHL Tryouts

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Another pair of top college prospects have turned pro, as Brendan Brisson has signed a tryout agreement with the Henderson Silver Knights and Thomas Bordeleau has signed one with the San Jose Barracuda. Notably, both players would not be eligible to be assigned and play with the Silver Knights had they signed entry-level contracts with the Vegas Golden Knights and San Jose Sharks respectively, so this is a way to get some AHL games first. At any point, the NHL squads could sign them and insert him into the lineup, should they have the cap space to carry the extra contract. If not, entry-level deals for 2022-23 will likely follow.

Brisson and Bordeleau are both Michigan standouts, and more Wolverines to leave the program behind in the last few days. They follow the likes of Matty Beniers, Owen Power, and Kent Johnson to professional hockey, though they won’t jump directly into the NHL lineup like their former teammates.

Selected 29th overall in 2020 Brisson, 20, has taken a clear step forward in each of his post-draft seasons. As a freshman for Michigan in 2020-21, he recorded 21 points in 24 games, while helping the U.S. take home gold at the World Juniors. This year, his offense exploded, with 21 goals and 42 points in 38 games, just barely coming in behind Beniers for the team lead. He was also selected to the U.S. Olympic team, where he scored twice in four games.

A tireless worker and creative play-driver, Brisson can generate opportunities for himself and his linemates with equal frequency. Returning to college likely would have put him in the conversation for the Hobey Baker or at least the national scoring race but there wasn’t a lot of extra development necessary for him to make an impact at the professional level. He should do that right away for the Silver Knights, who have seven games left in the regular season but have already clinched their spot in the Pacific Division playoff race.

Bordeleau, 20, was the 38th pick in 2020 and took a similar path, though his freshman season was even more impressive with 30 points in 24 games. This season he had 37 in 37, finishing third among Michigan forwards and fourth overall. Unfortunately, Bordeleau was robbed of two different opportunities to play at the World Juniors thanks to COVID testing; one year it was his positive result, another his roommate’s. It was actually when several of his teammates left for the Olympics that his game really rounded into form, given more responsibility and ice time. He’ll likely get that same opportunity in the coming years in San Jose, should he see extended time in the minor leagues.

A natural center that can fit any role, Bordeleau may end up topping out as a middle-six option at the NHL level. But with his offensive upside, work ethic, and penalty killing ability, there’s a long professional career ahead of him. That starts, for now at least, with the Barracuda, who are unfortunately only going to play a few more games this season. They’re last in the Pacific and are not going to make the playoffs, with just five games remaining on the schedule.

San Jose Sharks Sign Nick Cicek

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The San Jose Sharks may still be working with an interim general manager but that won’t stop them from signing contracts for next season. The team has signed minor league defenseman Nick Cicek to a two-year entry-level contract. PuckPedia reports that the deal will begin in 2022-23, and carries an NHL cap hit of $837.5K.

Joe Will, interim GM, released the following statement:

Nick has a strong track record of leadership in his career, having been the captain of the Portland Winterhawks last season, and he has even been an alternate captain for the Barracuda this year in select games. Among AHL rookie defensemen, he’s top 10 in scoring and top 15 in goals. Nick has a bright future and we’re excited to add him to our NHL defensive depth.

Cicek, who will turn 22 next month, joined the San Jose Barracuda this season after going undrafted out of junior and has been outstanding from the drop of the puck. With 23 points he sits ninth among all AHL rookie defensemen in scoring, just one point behind Artemi Kniazev for the team lead despite playing in seven fewer games than the second-round pick. The 6’3″ Cicek has also racked up 60 penalty minutes, including a pair of fights. One of those came after Andreas Englund hit San Jose forward Jeffrey Viel, earning Cicek a misconduct for instigating.

That mix of skill and toughness is obviously an attractive package, especially when it comes in someone that is so lauded for his leadership as Will points out. Whether Cicek can continue his development and become an NHL player remains to be seen, but the Sharks obviously like what he has done this year enough that they’ve rewarded him with a contract that makes it possible.

Latest On San Jose Sharks GM Search

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After long-time General Manager Doug Wilson stepped aside from his position for health reasons, the San Jose Sharks will head into rare territory for their organization: searching for a General Manager. The team has had just two GM’s in the last 30 years, between Dean Lombardi and since 2003, Wilson.

On tonight’s 32 Thoughts segment of Hockey Night In Canada, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek provided some insight and speculation on what the Sharks’ GM search could look like, and who could be in consideration for the position. In terms of the type of candidate they might want, Friedman believes that the organization would like a GM who is willing to be visible, who will talk to the media and fans, and who can help to expand their market.

Friedman also notes that the team might be interested in a candidate who has no history with the organization, or who might even be somewhat off the radar, as far as expected candidates go. Lastly, Friedman adds that the Sharks may want to not only hire a GM, but expand their front office altogether, increasing the amount of thoughts and ideas within the organization from what they previously had.

While it is curious to potentially change the dynamic of a front office after an incredibly long and successful run by one GM, the Sharks have struggled amid what appears to be a rebuild these past few seasons, and a refreshed change of thought and opinion could help the organization transition to a new group on the ice. As mentioned by Friedman on the 32 Thoughts podcast earlier, the Sharks organization is not one to be keen on a true rebuild, so any new front office with refreshed perspective would still have to see eye to eye with ownership on the short and long-term plans for the team.

With the talk of perhaps bringing in someone a bit unknown, Jeff Marek gave a name for a possible suitor: Arizona Coyotes’ Assistant General Manager John Ferguson. Ferguson is a well-known name around the NHL and with the Sharks, having interviewed for their GM role already in 2003, when the job was given to Wilson. Since then, Ferguson has bounced around and was notably a scout for the Sharks under Wilson, who was pivotal in drafting a cornerstone player in Tomas Hertl, says Marek. Most recently, Ferguson interviewed for the open Anaheim Ducks GM position after previous Ducks GM Bob Murray resigned. However, that job went to Pat Verbeek.

Time will certainly tell how the Sharks navigate their search, and as Friedman also added, the team is comfortable taking their time in evaluating their options and making a decision. A change of pace from the front office they have had in place for nearly two decades could be what is needed to turn the team back into the perennial Stanley Cup contenders they were just a few years ago. However, moving on from a front office, and a General Manager, who have brought the team so much success will be a difficult task, and replacing a figure like Doug Wilson will be that much harder.

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