{"id":56261,"date":"2019-09-12T09:30:15","date_gmt":"2019-09-12T13:30:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/?p=56261"},"modified":"2019-09-12T17:01:54","modified_gmt":"2019-09-12T21:01:54","slug":"san-jose-sharks-prospects-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2019\/09\/12\/san-jose-sharks-prospects-2\/","title":{"rendered":"TSP: San Jose Sharks Prospects"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to the 2019 Top Shelf Prospects series. As we go through the Summer of 2019 LWOH will be featuring a team-by-team look at the top prospects in the NHL. We will be following the order of the first round of the NHL draft (as if there were no traded draft picks) and\u00a0you can find all the articles here<\/a>.\u00a0 Since we had an\u00a0extensive NHL Draft preview<\/a>, we will not be reviewing the players who were drafted in the 2019 draft, as there have been no games since then, and our reports on them will not have changed. Today, we look at the\u00a0San Jose Sharks<\/a>\u00a0Prospects.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"What we will be doing is linking you to those articles, as well as taking a look at prospects that were acquired before this year\u2019s draft; their progress, and their chances of making the 2019-20 roster of the NHL team in question. We will also bring you one sleeper pick \u2013 a player who was either drafted in the 4th-round or later, or was an undrafted free agent signing who we pick as our dark horse to make the NHL. For those wondering, the cut-off for what is or isn\u2019t a prospect is typically about 50 NHL games played (including playoff games) or is 25 years old. These are not hard or fast rules though, and we may make some exceptions depending on the circumstances.<\/em><\/p>\n

San Jose Sharks Prospects<\/h2>\n

After trading for<\/a> Erik Karlsson<\/a><\/strong> last fall, the Sharks signalled that they were all in for the 2018-19 season. The team was strong, with two Norris calibre defencemen along with Marc-Edouard Vlasic<\/a><\/strong>. The forward group had Joe Pavelski<\/a><\/strong>, Joe Thornton<\/a><\/strong>, Logan Couture<\/a><\/strong>, Tomas Hertl<\/a><\/strong>, Timo Meier<\/a><\/strong>, Kevin Labanc<\/a><\/strong>, and Evander Kane<\/a><\/strong>. Overall, the team put up outstanding possession numbers. However, goaltending was a weakness, with Martin Jones<\/a><\/strong> and Aaron Dell<\/a><\/strong> both posting sub .900 save percentages on the year. This led to a second-place finish in the Pacific Division. Once they made the playoffs, the Sharks hit their stride, beating the Vegas Golden Knights<\/a> and Colorado Avalanche<\/a> to reach the Western Conference Final. Unfortunately, they would run into the St. Louis Blues<\/a> and fell in six games.<\/p>\n

Salary cap issues have led to a number of changes in the summer. Captain Pavelski signed with the Dallas Stars<\/a>, while Gustav Nyquist<\/a><\/strong> and Joonas Donskoi<\/a><\/strong> also left as free agents. The team added Trevor Carrick<\/a><\/strong> via trade. The Sharks biggest moves of the off-season were about keeping the team together though, re-signing Karlsson, Thornton, Meier, Lebanc, and Tim Heed<\/a><\/strong>. Further growth will need to come through their prospect development.<\/p>\n

2019 Draft Picks (Grade C+): Artemi Kniazev<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0Dillon Hamaliuk<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0Yegor Spiridonov<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0Timur Ibragimov, Santeri Hatakka<\/strong>
\nGraduations: Antti Suomela<\/a><\/strong> (age), Radim Simek<\/a><\/strong> (age),<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Top Prospect: Ryan Merkley<\/h3>\n

Defence — shoots Right
\nBorn August 14th, 2000 — Mississauga, Ontario
\nHeight 5’11” — Weight 170 lbs [180 cm \/ 77 kg]
\nDrafted by the San Jose Sharks in the 1st round, #21 overall at the 2018 NHL Draft<\/p>\n