San Jose Sharks: Top 25 Players In Franchise History – Part IV
By Ilya Davydov
With the start of their 25th Anniversary Season just over a week away, the San Jose Sharks are gearing up for a season of redemption when they aim to get back to the playoffs. Over the past few weeks, we have been talking about some of the best players to ever grace the teal Sharks jerseys.
In our quest to select and rank the top 25 most impactful Sharks players, we looked at longevity, scoring prowess, subjective levels of popularity, as well as the overall lasting effect the player may have had on the organization. Today, we go over the players that are ranked 10 to 6. Be sure to check out the previous articles covering places 25 to 21, 20 to 16, and 15 to 11 in detail.
Played for the Sharks: 2002-09
Career Seasons: 501GP – 170G –135A – 305P – 324PIM
Career Playoffs: 59GP – 16G – 19A – 35P – 32PIM
Sharks Seasons: 440GP – 165G – 126A – 291P – 304PIM
Sharks Playoffs: 88GP –16G – 19A – 35P –32PIM
“Cheech” was practically unstoppable during the 2005-06 season when he set the franchise record for goals scored during the regular season – 56. Many link his Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy winning season to playing on Joe Thornton’s wing. Cheechoo had a tremendous chemistry with Jumbo Joe, and the Moose Factory, Ontario native became one of the poster players for the Sharks after the 2004-05 lockout.
Cheechoo has won many Sharks fans with his personality, and lethal shot. However, Cheechoo’s rise was almost as fast as his fall. He followed his league best 56 goals in 2005-06 with a respectable 37 goals – a significant drop, but still a great goal tally. Unfortunately, his productivity slipped to 23 goals in 2007-08, and then to 12 goals in 2008-09.
After his trade to the Ottawa Senators in September 2009, he could not curb the decline in his form – scoring only five goals in 61 games for the Senators before he went unclaimed on waivers. He played only one NHL game after that (single playoff outing during the 2010 NHL Playoffs). He tried to earn the spot in NHL by playing in the AHL, but ended up going from the Binghamption Senators to the Worcester Sharks, to the Peoria Rivermen, to the Oklahoma City Barons – playing one season for each team. Cheechoo, who had five hat-tricks during his glorious 2005-06 season is now playing in the KHL, representing the HC Dinamo Minsk.
Played for the Sharks: 1994-01
Career Seasons: 893GP – 218G –298A – 516P – 488PIM
Career Playoffs: 84GP – 18G – 15A – 33P – 48PIM
Sharks Seasons: 512GP – 149G – 201A – 350P – 316PIM
Sharks Playoffs: 34GP –5G – 10A – 15P –30PIM
Friesen spent his best years in the NHL with the San Jose Sharks. Ever since he was drafted in the first round of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft, the “Freeze” was lighting it up for the Sharks for almost seven seasons. His point production with the Sharks stands at 0.68 points per game, and he currently sits fifth on the Sharks all-time list in terms of points scored during the regular season.
During his tenure with the Sharks, Friesen was always one of the top scoring contributors. He led the Sharks in scoring during the 1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons, when he scored 63 and 57 points respectively.
The start of the 2000-01 season was not very good for Friesen, and he ended up in a package that the Sharks sent to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim for Teemu Selanne. He never quite stuck around any other teams in the NHL, although many Sharks fans were delighted when he hoisted the Stanley Cup in 2003 as a member of the New Jersey Devils.
Played for the Sharks: 1997-04
Career Seasons: 1099GP – 243G –362A – 605P – 974PIM
Career Playoffs: 110GP –23G – 43A – 66P – 77PIM
Sharks Seasons: 529GP – 101G – 162A – 263P – 355PIM
Sharks Playoffs: 59GP –14G – 19A – 33P – 26PIM
Ricci scored 222 points during his last two season in the OHL before being drafted fourth overall (just before Jaromir Jagr) in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft by the Philadelphia Flyers. He spent two years with the Flyers before producing his best scoring season, for the Quebec Nordiques, in 1992-93 when he scored 78 points in 77 games. Over time, Ricci’s productivity dropped, but that did not make him less of a player. It seems that with every passing season he was becoming better and better as far as his defensive game was concerned.
By the time he joined the Sharks during the 1997-98 season, Ricci was already a seasoned veteran, and a top defensive centerman. He was a true representation of the defensive side of the game, grit, and a hard-nosed approach that many other forwards in the league would only dream of. With his attitude and reliability, Ricci instantly earned respect from Sharks fans and became a fan favorite. His style of play was well-suited for the playoffs, and along with his leadership, Ricci helped the Sharks reach the Western Conference Finals in 2004.
After spending 529 regular season and 59 playoff games with the Sharks, which is almost half of his career, Ricci joined the Sharks front office in the capacity of the Development Coach, and he still remains a big part of the organization going forward.
Mar 25, 2014; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; San Jose Sharks defensemen Dan Boyle (22) skates against the Edmonton Oilers at Rexall Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports
Played for the Sharks: 2008-14
Career Seasons: 1019GP – 153G –428A – 581P – 663PIM
Career Playoffs: 126GP –17G – 63A – 80P – 70PIM
Sharks Seasons: 431GP – 68G – 201A – 269P – 305PIM
Sharks Playoffs: 62GP –11G – 37A – 48P – 38PIM
He won an Olympic Gold Medal with Team Canada in 2010, Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004, and played in less than 500 games for the San Jose Sharks (if you count regular season and playoffs). Yet, in his short tenure and no trophies to his name, Boyle became an integral member of the Sharks team, and will go down as one of the best defensemen to wear the Sharks crest.
Boyle was one of the best defensemen in the league during his prime years, and he epitomized everything good about a prototypical offensive defensemen – great puck moving ability, booming shot, uncanny vision coupled with serviceable play in his own end. If you have never seen what the guy is capable of, make sure you check out this video here. Boyle is the Sharks franchise leader in goals (68), assists (201) and points (269) by a defenseman and will long be remembered in San Jose.
He was an alternate captain, a leader, and was one of the key members of the Sharks up until he could not reach an agreement for his new contract. As a member of the San Jose Sharks, Boyle was one of the most dynamic defensemen, and many fans wish Boyle was still a Shark.
Feb 4, 2015; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; San Jose Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic (44) skates during the warmup period against the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome. Calgary Flames won 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Played for the Sharks: 2006-current
Career Seasons: 670GP – 39G –148A – 187P – 265PIM
Career Playoffs: 84GP –2G – 12A – 14P – 18PIM
Sharks Seasons: 670GP – 39G –148A – 187P – 265PIM
Sharks Playoffs: 84GP –2G – 12A – 14P – 18PIM
One of the most underrated defensemen in the NHL, and arguably the greatest defenseman in the Sharks history – Vlasic is the highest-rated defenseman on our list. With the way he is going, Vlasic will likely break into the Top-5 Sharks of all time.
"“A lot of people don’t see our guys play, but you really appreciate them when you see them day-to-day,” Wilson said, per Sportsnet’s Fan 590. “[Vlasic] might be one of the most fundamentally strong defensemen I’ve seen, probably, in the last 20 years.”"
“Pickles” played in 754 games for the Sharks (670 during the regular season, and 84 during the playoffs). With three more seasons left on his current contract, and assuming the Sharks hold on to Vlasic, he could become only the second (or third, depending on how many games Joe Thornton will play) player in the franchise history to reach 900+ regular season games. His play for the Sharks warranted an undisputed inclusion into Team Canada’s Olympic roster in 2014 when he won a gold medal in Sochi.
No other Sharks defenseman played in more games when looking at the regular season and playoffs combined. Only two other players have appeared in more games for the Sharks than Vlasic – Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau. The Montreal, Quebec native boasts a plus-110 rating, which is the second highest number in the Sharks history.
"“I just told somebody [Monday] morning that Vlasic is way better than everybody knows,” said Team Canada’s 2014 Olympic head coach Mike Babcock, as per CSN Bay Area. “He’s a good defender, he’s become harder. He used to be a thin kid, now he’s a thick man. He’s hard, he’s smart, he skates, he moves the puck and he’s safe.”"
The crazy part about Vlasic is he’s already entering his 10th season in San Jose, and it’s not out of the question to expect him to play for another 10 seasons as he’s just entering his prime at 28-years-old. Many fans sure hope this “marriage” of a great player to a beloved franchise will last beyond the 2017-18 season.
Here is how the list of the Top 25 San Jose Sharks players looks like thus far:
6. Marc-Edouard Vlasic
7. Dan Boyle
8. Mike Ricci
9. Jeff Friesen
10. Jonathan Cheechoo
11. Marco Sturm
12. Logan Couture
13. Mike Rathje
14. Vincent Damphousse
15. Scott Hannan
16. Marcus Ragnarsson
17. Bryan Marchment
18. Ryane Clowe
19. Jeff Odgers
20. Arturs Irbe
21. Kelly Kisio
22. Sandis Ozolins
23. Ray Whitney
24. Antti Niemi
25. Doug Wilson
Next: Timo Meier Among Latest Cuts By The San Jose Sharks