|
|
Meet the 2015-16
Sharks
Taking a look at the goaltender and
coaches
The 2015-16 NHL Regular Season gets underway on
Wednesday night when the Sharks travel to Southern California to take on their
rivals, the Los Angeles Kings. As the San Jose tries to rebound from their
worst season in over 10 years, we take a quick look at the players that will
adorn the teal and black this season. Sharks General Manager Doug Wilson didn't
dismantle his underperforming roster, but he did retool some of the lineup as
the team tries to get back in the playoff hunt after getting bumped last
season. San Jose looks to a blend of veterans, youngsters and new free
agents.
Today, we take a look at the goaltenders and coaching staff.
Goaltenders
Martin Jones
| 2014-15 Club |
Games |
W-L-OTL |
GA |
GAA |
Sav% |
| Los Angeles |
15 |
4-5-2 |
29 |
2.25 |
.906 |
|
The Antti Niemi era is over, and the Sharks paid a
steep price to usher in a replacement. Sharks GM Doug Wilson decided he wanted
younger netminder that he could base a foundation around for years to come, so
he sent the Boston Bruins a 1st round pick for Martin Jones. That's a big bet
for a goaltender who has all of 34 games of NHL experience under his belt.
Those 34 games came a the understudy to Jonathan Quick in Los Angeles, where
won 12 of 18 games in 2013-14. Jones numbers fell along with the Kings fortunes
last season when he posted a 4-5-2 record and a .906 save percentage. If Jones
plays like he did in preseason, then the acquisition may go down as Wilson's
second fleecing of the Bruins. You may recall that he acquired that Joe
Thornton guy a few years ago, which turned out pretty good for San Jose. The
new number one goaltender in San Jose finished the preseason with a 3-1-0
record in four full games, including two shutouts, posting a 0.76 goals against
average and .970 save percentage. Don't expect him to sustain those kind of
numbers for a full season, but it demonstrates that this isn't just some hack
that San Jose is throwing in net. The starting job is Jones' to lose.
Alex Stalock
| 2014-15 Club |
Games |
W-L-OTL |
GA |
GAA |
Sav% |
| San Jose |
22 |
8-9-2 |
54 |
2.62 |
.902 |
|
Stalock continues to be the sad sack goaltender that
just can't seem to buy a break. After years of toiling in the Sharks season,
which included a long rehabilitation after severing a ligament in his leg, the
goaltender finally got a shot to be a regular in the NHL. He was pegged as
Antti Niemi's backup, but when the Sharks number one guy faltered last season,
Stalock didn't have much of a defense to help support him. Stalock will serve
as Jones backup this season, but don't be surprised if Stalock gets a regular
look should Jones falter. The 28-year old netminder is entering the prime of
his career, but he'll have to improve on his .902 save percentage from last
season. Like Jones, 2013-14 was a banner year for Stalock, but his game went
south last season when the Sharks decided they were pretenders. Stalock knows
the Sharks system well, and should benefit from having Evgeni Nabokov around to
pick him up when his game falters. Stalock is surrounded by a great support
group, so it's up to him to seize the limited moments that he'll get this
season.
Coaching Staff
Peter
DeBoer
The Sharks new bench boss steps into a tough situation. He
inherits a roster that either underachieved last season, or they were exposed
as a declining lineup that showed their age. Regardless, the Sharks needed a
shakeup and DeBoer is the guy Doug Wilson elected to hand the reigns to. If
seasoned vets like Thornton and Patrick Marleau were looking for more autonomy,
it's not clear if DeBoer is the best option to provide a "do as you like" kind
of environment. It's clear that Thornton didn't exactly jive with DeBoer's
predecessor, Todd McLellan, so who's to say that Thornton will gel with his new
coach. Both he and Marleau are entering the twilight years of their
professional careers, so they may be looking for a little slack. DeBoer will
need to establish himself in the locker room early, as he's got a mix of young
and old players. If the inmates run the asylum, then the younger players may
not develop as the Sharks are envisioning.
Bob Boughner
The Sharks add a non nonsense
coach who leads like he played. Boughner was a coach's player, who spent time
on 6 different NHL rosters. The journeyman defenseman played in 630 NHL games,
before taking up the coaching ranks. Boughner won a Memorial Cup with the
Windsor Spitfires in 2009 as the head coach. Boughner spent 8 years in Windsor
as head coach, with a one year hiatus to serve as an assistant in Columbus with
the Blue Jackets in 2010.
Steve Spott
Spott has served in
the coaching ranks since 1995, primarily in the OHL. Spott has no NHL playing
experience, but finally got a taste of the of the NHL last year where he served
as an assistant with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He spent 10 years in Kitchener,
where he joined the OHL franchise as an assistant coach in 2002, before being
promoted to head coach in 2008.
Johan Hedberg
Sharks fans
will remember Hedberg as one of Warren Strelow's deciples after the Sharks
acquired him in 1999. He spent one season with the Sharks development
affiliate, the Kentucky Thoroughblades, before he was traded to the PIttsburgh
Penguins. Hedberg went on to play for five NHL teams, including the New Jersey
Devils, where he played for DeBoer. Hedberg will serve as the Sharks
goaltenders coach. He served in the same capacity last season in Albany, with
the Devils AHL affiliate.
|
|
| What did you think of
this article? Post your comments on the Feeder Forums |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
