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Meet your 2010-11 San Jose
Sharks
Opening night roster
Forwards-
Ryane Clowe |
Stats
The
28-year old Newfoundland native starts his 5th season as a regular with the
Sharks. He played a full 82-games last year, setting a career high in points
(57) and penalty minutes (131), even though he got off to a slow start. The
Sharks are still looking for Clowe to evolve into a Tomas Holmstrom type player
and will be looked upon to provide more offensive this season.
Logan Couture | Stats
One season removed from major junior, Couture got
to cut his teeth in San Jose last year, playing in 25 games. The expectations
for the smooth skating youngster will be higher this year as the Sharks need
their former 1st round draft pick to start paying dividends. Couture will see
3rd line minutes because of the Sharks glut at center, but will be called upon
to take up some slack on the 2nd line if Devin Setoguchi or Clowe slip.
Dany Heatley |
Stats
The much
maligned winger stepped into a new environment in San Jose last season and
delivered. An injury during the playoffs prevented him from operating at 100%,
but he’ll be expected to deliver more than the two tallies he recorded
last spring. Heatley will get an earful when he makes his return to Ottawa on
December 2nd. It will be his first time back since he asked the Senators to
trade him in the summer of 2009.
Patrick Marleau |
Stats
This
season marks the Sharks 20th campaign in the NHL, and all but seven of those
have included Marleau in teal. The former Sharks captain signed a four-year
deal in July that keeps four key pieces of the Sharks roster (along with
Heatley, Dan Boyle and Joe Pavelski) in the Bay Area through the 2013-14
season. This may be the first time in a long time that Marleau can play without
the dark clouds of trade rumors swirling above. Marleau had another solid
season last year and was the Sharks most consistent player in the playoffs.
Without the added pressure, Marleau could turn in a monster year.
Jamal Mayers | Stats
The free-agent signee will mark his 12th year in
the league as a 4th line forward for the Sharks, essentially filling the role
vacated by Jed Ortmeyer. Mayers had an up and down season last year, which
started with the Toronto Maple Leafs and ended with the Calgary flames after a
deadline trade. Don’t expect big offensive numbers from Mayers. He’ll
be called upon provide energy on the Sharks shutdown line and provide some
occasional muscle. Look for Mayers to spend a lot of time with Scott Nichol and
Frazer McLaren this season.
John McCarthy |
Stats
One of
the biggest surprises to emerge during training camp, McCarthy will likely get
his opportunity if McLaren wavers early on. The Boston native wasn’t a big
numbers guy during his four seasons at Boston University, but he opened things
up in Worcester last year. He’ll also be challenged by Tommy Wingels for
ice time.
Jamie McGinn |
Stats
If
recent practices are any indication, McGinn will get a chance to start the year
on the Sharks top line with Joe Thornton and Devin Setoguchi. Sharks head coach
Todd McLellan is experimenting with lines that spread his offense out. Having
McGinn on a line with Thornton will keep opposing defenses honest, because
McGinn provides a little grit. It’ll be interesting to see how that
experiment pans out, because McGinn isn’t known as a finisher. He’ll
have to carry his own weight on a line that will be expected to convert goals.
Frazer McLaren |
Stats
With
Jody Shelley being traded last spring, the 6’5”, 250 lb McLaren will
serve as the Sharks de facto enforcer this season. Not known for his offensive
skills, McLaren needs to be the muscle that keeps opposing players from taking
liberties with the Sharks superstars. If he falters beyond that roll, San Jose
has McCarthy and Tommy Wingels to lean on.
Torrey Mitchell |
Stats
After
his impressive pro debut during the 2007-2008 campaign, Mitchell was sidelined
with a broken leg that cost him the entire 2008-09 season and the start of last
season. He would play in 56 regular season games, but he never got on track as
he tried to regain the speed that made him such a formidable weapon his rookie
season. He has a strong training camp, so look for goods things from the
25-year old centerman. He’ll most likely start the season on the 3rd line,
but will be swapped upwards as McLellan tinkers with his lines.
Scott Nichol | Stats
Arguably the biggest spark plug in the lineup last
season, the 35-year old veteran was re-signed to a 1-year deal in order to give
the Sharks more veteran leadership. The high-energy forward is a fan-favorite
everywhere he plays, because of the effort you get night in and night out. His
presence in the locker room and on the bench becomes that much more important
with Rob Blake’s retirement. He won’t log the most ice-time, but
he’ll show the Sharks youngsters how to be professionals.
Joe
Pavelski | Stats
Last season was Pavelski’s breakout year. He
scored 25 regular season goals for the second consecutive season, and came up
big for Team USA in the Olympics which resulted in a silver medal. That was all
overshadowed by his monster performance in the playoffs, where he netted 9
goals and 8 assists in 15 games. He single handedly beat the Avalanche with 5
goals in the series. He rang up another 4 against the Red Wings in the next
series. Look for bigger and better things from the next face of the franchise.
Devin Setoguchi |
Stats
The
training wheels are finally off on the 2005 1st round draft pick. His goal
scoring numbers were down considerably last season after lighting the lamp 31
times the season prior. The reduction in offense was largely attributed to a
stint on the disabled list in October that saddled him for 7 games. He would go
back on the shelf 10 days after returning, missing another 5 games. When he
finally did get healthy, he was a key ingredient in the Sharks playoff run. If
he can stay healthy, Setoguchi will provide the Sharks with enough scoring to
force opposing teams to spread their attention away from Marleau, Thornton and
Heatley. He’s still only 23-years old, but will be looked upon to provide
veteran leadership this season.
Joe Thornton |
Stats
The
newly named captain will have his plate full this season. The Sharks playoff
failures are pressure enough, but anointing him captain will make him a marked
man with fans and the media should the Sharks stumble this season. His history
with the C in Boston will provide him with plenty of motivation to show that
he’s an elite player AND can lead a team. The proof however will be in the
proverbial Stanley Cup pudding. Forget the fact that Thornton is older and more
mature. The one advantage he’ll have this time around is that he
won’t have the east coast media breathing down his neck. His legacy will
be solely be dictated by the number of championship rings he’s able to
win, so he has some work to do.
Tommy Wingels |
Stats
The
first year pro makes the opening night roster, but his inexperience at the pro
level will almost certainly land him back in Worcester at some point during the
season. His penchant for hitting anything on skates could make him a fan
favorite someday. His hit on Logan Couture during the Teal & White Game
raised eyebrows. Just think what he could do to real opposition. He
demonstrated a nose for the net at Miami University, where he scored 43 goals
over the past three seasons.
Defensemen—
Dan Boyle | Stats
Boyle returns for his third season in San Jose and
is undoubtedly one of the most important pieces to San Jose’s lineup. His
58 points (15G, 43A) last season ranked 4th among all NHL defensemen. The next
highest point total for an active Sharks defenseman was Kent Huskin’s 22
points, which ranked 79th in the league. Boyle is also now the blueline leader
with Rob Blake retiring last season. 2010-11 will mark Boyle’s 13th year
in the league. The 34-year old defenseman logged 1,992 minutes of ice time,
which ranked 12th in the league.
Jason Demers |
Stats
An
impressive training camp last season landed Demers a job on th eopening night
roster, but a rough stretch would land him back in Worcester. He would play is
way back to San Jose and played in all 15 playoff games last season. He’ll
get a chance to log more ice time this season with Blake’s departure. With
more emphasis on youngsters on the Sharks blueline, Demers will be expected to
carry his own weight. He’ll have to eliminate the bad habits that
shortened his stay with the big club last season, in order to move up the depth
chart.
Kent Huskins |
Stats
The stay
at home defenseman starts his second season in San Jose, where he recorded a
career high in points last year (3G, 19A). Don’t expect a flashy skater,
or big hitter. Huskins’ game is as vanilla as it gets, but the Sharks
don’t need sizzle. They need Huskins to keep the puck out of the net. He
get plenty of chances to do that with only 7 defensemen on the opening night
roster.
Mike Moore |
Stats
The young
defenseman was the big surprise of training camp, earning a spot with the big
club and sending veteran Andreas Lilja packing. Moore isn’t an imposing
figure, but he will provide some physical toughness when required.
Douglas Murray | Stats
The “Crankshaft’s” specialty is
hitting people and he excelled at it last season. He led the Sharks with 175
hits, many of the bone jarring variety. What’s most entertaining is seeing
an opposing player bounce off the burly defenseman when trying to lay a hit in
retaliation. Where his strength is an asset, his skating ability is a
liability. He’ll need to improve on his defensive positioning in order to
take some of the pressure off his defensive linemate.
Marc-Edouard
Vlasic | Stats
While still a pup at 23 years of age, Vlasic is
starting his 5th NHL campaign and is establishing himself as one of the best
young defensemen in the league. He had a team high 122 block shots last season,
and was 10th in the league in plus/minus (+21) among defensemen. He was on pace
to match his career high in points before being sidelined with a lower body
injury at the end of January that sidelined him for 17 games.
Niclas Wallin | Stats
The veteran blueliner was acquired in trade with
Carolina in February, in order to bring more playoff experience to lineup. He
would play in 23 regular season games, but injured his knee which would limit
him to 6 playoff games. He was on the fence about retiring during the summer,
but Wilson convinced him to take one more crack at winning a Cup. Wallin is the
senior statesmen on the roster at 35-years old.
Goaltenders—
Thomas Greiss |
Stats
Evgeni
Nabokov’s understudy seemed poised to get his shot at the Sharks starting
job but that all changed when San Jose acquired Anttii Niemi. He’ll be on
the opening night roster, but it’s expected to be traded or sent to
Worcester until he can be dealt.
Antti Niemi |
Stats
Platooning with Cristobal Huet last season in Chicago, Niemi recorded an
impressive 27-7-4 record as a rookie. He would get the nod over Huet in the
playoffs, knocking off the Sharks in four straight and eventually winning the
Stanley Cup. After winning an arbitration hearing over the Blackhawks, he found
himself an unrestricted free-agent after Chicago decided to walk away from the
deal. The Sharks snatched him up in early September to create a glut at the
position. It’s assumed he’ll platoon with Antero Nittmaki to start
the season as the Sharks try to shop last year’s backup Thomas Greiss.
Antero Niittymaki |
Stats
Another Finnish goaltender, Niittymaki was signed during the summer after
Wilson announced he would not bring mainstay Evgeni Nabokov back for an 11th
season. He thought he would be battling Greiss for the starting job, but after
Niemi became available, that all changed. The butterfly style goaltender had a
better camp than Niemi but a career 2.98 goals against average means he’ll
have to prove his worthy of the starting job.
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